Sometimes we can establish mood or create atmosphere in an expressive image by reducing detail and implying meaning. That’s what I’ve done with this image of a Laotian guesthouse on the banks of a very low river, shortly after dawn. A cloud hides the sun, and helps me abstract the scene. I expose for the color in the sky and in the reflection, and let everything else go dark. The shape of the guesthouse is there but very little detail is seen. Presumably the guests are still asleep (except for the lone fellow walking the grounds at the right), and the mood is very quiet and peaceful. There are no ripples on the water, either, only rocks and golden clouds. The atmosphere is calm and silent. The curtain has yet to rise on a glorious day.