Fog Is a Puzzlement 



24 



*£* i + TO THOSE WHO WONDER HOW I 



could visit a small city marsh so often without exhausting its 

 freshness and novelty, I will answer that 1 tried to adopt the 

 photographic device of looking at the subject from new an- 

 gles. The modern photographer, faced with the problem of 

 injecting new life into routine assignments comprising the 

 day's work, found that the presentation of his subject from 

 above or below, from the side, or with lighting which re- 

 arranged the shadows and accentuated basic structure, or 

 with various other techniques, produced spirited and satisfy- 

 ing results. 



I applied similar methods to the marsh by varying my ap- 

 proach in every possible way. Early and late trips, varying 

 phases of plant growth, water levels, nesting progress, migra- 

 tion activity— all affected the surroundings and produced 

 changes in conditions. One week the area would swarm with 

 certain insects, although I had noted none the week before. 

 They had been attracted by the blooming of the marsh 

 flowers. Or the lowering of the water level would bring in 

 small flocks of shorebirds. Possibly the cattail heads would 

 be torn by the strong winds of early winter and white fluff 



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