Imagine driving along a narrow winding dirt road beneath a bright full moon shining on a misty mountaintop above the Shenandoah Valley. Ahead of you is the fabled red-dressed Maiden of North Mountain. Better than Big Foot.

To create this bit of whimsy my wife and I drove to the summit of North Mountain near Basye, VA, as the noon time sun burned off the remaining haze. She proceeded about 100 yards in front of the camera. It was my intent to put her into the evaporating mist, but I waited too late in the day and a longer lens was needed. I captured this image at 70mm, using the foreground as the focus point. Nature’s soft box gave an exceptional, truly unique kind of light.

Post processing included contrast and lightness.

Canon EOS-7D, Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM lens (at 70mm), 1/125s at f/3.2. ISO 100; automatic white balance