Steam Vents

Night photography thrills me, but my equipment consists of nothing more than a tripod, so I am always looking for alternative sources of light that will provide an atmosphere suitable for long exposures. On the night I took this photo, the sunken gardens at the College of William and Mary were draped in fog. I had to go out and shoot because I knew the fog would beautifully diffuse the light from the lamps lining the walks; as it turned out, the steam vents in the ground provided another diffuser as well as an interesting focus. At the College, students pass down legends about secret tunnels accessed by these steam vents, so with this photo, I tried to convey both the ethereal quality of the night and the enigmatic nature of these tales.