My name is Marty Hulsebos and I've been a passionate landscape photographer since the late 1980's.
Here is the story of this photo.
Misty Pastoral Morning
My goal was to capture the essence of morning in a pastoral scene—a blend of topographical variation, balanced lighting, atmospheric mist, understated vegetation, and a sky that crowned it all like icing on a cake. I had seen these elements in fragments or partial combinations but never together in the seamless harmony I sought. Living in the Midwest, I knew such a scene was possible, yet it remained elusive despite my persistence.
For years, I began my mornings peering out the window, hoping to spot mist—the first sign of potential. Countless early photo shoots ensued, yielding good results, though never the perfection I envisioned. One particular morning seemed unremarkable, offering only a faint trace of mist. Despite this, I set out to explore a distant area.
Driving past a nearby field I had overlooked countless times, I glanced left and froze. Before me lay something extraordinary: faint mist forming a striated pattern just above the ground, tinted blue by the sky. Above, purplish clouds mirrored these striations. Every element I had sought was here, seamlessly woven into a painterly simplicity that stirred something profound.
Quickly setting up my camera, I captured the fleeting moment, aware it would soon dissipate. In minutes, the magic was gone, but my long search had finally borne fruit—unexpectedly close to home. This experience revealed a larger truth: beauty often lies nearby, waiting for patient eyes to discover it.
