Three rolls of Portra wasted on a foggy morning in Portland

I drove 40 minutes to the coast last Saturday because the forecast said clear skies, but by sunrise the whole harbor was socked in with fog so thick I could barely see the pier. I burned through three rolls of Portra 400 before finally accepting the shots were all gonna come out as grey mush. The weird part is, when I developed them at home, a couple of the frames actually looked better than anything I'd shot in full sun, like the fog gave everything this soft, moody feel I didn't even intend. It just got me thinking about how much luck plays into this hobby, and whether I should start checking marine layer reports before I waste another $45 on film and chemistry. Has anyone else had a shotty weather day turn into something they ended up loving, or is it just me? I'm still on the fence about whether to print one of those foggy frames or just chalk it up to a learning moment.

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jason_robinson20d ago

So are you actually gonna print that foggy frame or does it feel like it cheats the whole point of going out there? I always wonder if I'm just tricking myself into liking shitty conditions because I spent the money and drove the distance.