A good image should make the viewer use their own imagination. It should have gaps in the story, it should feel a little bit incomplete. It should give some answers, but also pose questions.

Perhaps, that's why I like shooting in the fog so much. It hides parts of the frame, if not most of them. It reveals just the necessary, and not more. The viewer's mind has to work at a deeper level, it's not just taking what the photo gives it, but creating something.

“you can only see what you are ready to see - what mirrors your mind at that particular time” ~ George Tice

Of course, there are other ways to create mystery in an image. Black and White already adds a layer, but you can also: compose your photograph so the subject is almost out of the frame, or suggesting there's something else there; hide parts of the subject with elements of the environment; long exposures will make the viewer stop for a second and wonder about what is going on; shoot through wet glass, use motion blur, intentional camera movement (ICM), or use special lenses like tilt or pinhole.

During a time when even our smartphones have enough resolution to show details for days, there's something about saying less, about suggesting, about letting the viewer decide what they want the image to be about. In the age of hyper-realistic photography, imperfect images can stand out even more. Give it a try.