Fog and sunbeams, Sierra Nevada foothills, California. I made this image Wednesday morning, after the sun rose high enough to rake across these layers of fog and trees. In color it was all one note, with everything a pale gold color. Since it was monochromatic anyway, I tried it in black and white, and liked that much better. I think the color distracted from the main story of the photograph, which is about the layers, patterns of light and dark, and tree shadows. 321mm, 1/200 sec. at f/11, ISO 100.

California’s Central Valley is often filled with fog in winter. Usually a shallow layer of fog forms during the night, then burns off the next morning as the sun warms the air. There’s a temporary, low-level inversion during the night and early morning, where the air near the ground is cooler than the air higher up, but when the sun penetrates the fog and warms the ground the inversion ends.

Sometimes, however, the fog in the Central Valley is so thick it doesn’t burn off. The weak sunlight on short winter days never penetrates the fog layer completely, so the fog lasts all day, and into the next night. If the fog persists for a couple of days the inversion will grow deeper (it can get up to two- or three-thousand feet deep), and the fog will gradually lift off the ground into a low overcast, or stratus deck. And then that higher-altitude fog layer will push up into the Sierra foothills. A stratus deck like this can last for several days, or even a week, until a disturbance in the atmosphere (like a storm, or even a weak, dry front) mixes the air and ends the inversion.

This pattern might occur two or three times each winter. When it does, I’ll try to find vantage points in the foothills above the fog layer, where I can look out over the sea of clouds.

But it’s not easy to find the right view. There’s little public land in the Sierra foothills, so you’re usually restricted to photographing from public roads. And the fog has to be at the right level. Ideally I’d like to find a vantage point that’s just above the fog layer. If the fog is too high you’re in it, looking at pea soup. If it’s too low you won’t be able to see the fog at all, or only be able to see it off in the distance. And of course the fog layer rises and falls, so it’s hard to predict.

I’ve made it a point to explore all the back roads in the foothills within an hour’s drive from my home, so I know all the potential viewpoints. That’s something I’d recommend for any landscape photographer – get to know your local area, and all the interesting spots with photographic potential, so you can quickly go to the right place if conditions look promising.

That local knowledge came in handy this past week, when a deep inversion and accompanying stratus deck persisted for several days, pushing fog into the foothills. Claudia and I found vantage points above the fog Wednesday morning, Wednesday evening, and Thursday morning, and had a great time. I’ve included some of my still photos here, along with Claudia’s time-lapse video.

There’s something wonderful about standing on a hillside above the clouds. You feel like you’re in another world, bathed in sunlight, floating above the mundane concerns of the gloomy world below. It’s truly magical, and I hope we get a chance to experience that again this winter.

— Michael Frye

Fog over the Central Valley and Sierra Nevada foothills at sunrise, California. The sun had just risen over the mountains to the east, raking golden light across the fog. 192mm, 1/45 sec. at f/11 ISO 100.

Layers of fog, sunrise, Sierra Nevada foothills, California. This is a tighter telephoto view, focused on an area slightly to the left of the previous image, and made less than a minute later. 400mm, 1/45 sec. at f/11, ISO 100.

Fog, hills, and distant peaks, Sierra Nevada, California. A long view of foothills, fog, and distant peaks of the southern Sierra. 400mm, 1/250 sec. at f/11, ISO 100.

Fog over the Central Valley at sunset, Sierra Nevada foothills, California. I made this Wednesday evening, with just fog and clouds, and a neutral-density filter to show the shutter speed and soften the fog. 105mm, 30 seconds at f/11, I00, ND filter.

Sun, oaks, and fog, Sierra Nevada foothills, California. Thursday morning we drove along a back road at the edge of the fog layer. As the sun started to break through some higher clouds I found this spot, with a nice balance in the foreground trees. 24mm, five bracketed exposures, two stops apart, ranging from 1/15 sec. to 1/4000 sec. at f/16, ISO 100. Blended with Lightroom’s HDR Merge.

Oaks, fog, and sunlight, Sierra Nevada foothills, California. Later on Thursday morning the fog rolled back in, but just before it completely enveloped us I found this backlit view with layers of fog and oaks. 55mm, 1/125 sec. at f/16, ISO 100.

Claudia’s time-lapse video:

Related Posts: Waves of Fog; Above the Fog

Michael Frye is a professional photographer specializing in landscapes and nature. He lives near Yosemite National Park in California, but travels extensively to photograph natural landscapes in the American West and throughout the world.

Michael uses light, weather, and design to make photographs that capture the mood of the landscape, and convey the beauty, power, and mystery of nature. His work has received numerous awards, including the North American Nature Photography Association’s 2023 award for Fine Art in Nature Photography. Michael’s photographs have appeared in publications around the world, and he’s the author and/or principal photographer of several books, including Digital Landscape Photography: In the Footsteps of Ansel Adams and the Great Masters, and The Photographer’s Guide to Yosemite.

Michael loves to share his knowledge of photography through articles, books, workshops, online courses, and his blog. He’s taught over 200 workshops focused on landscape photography, night photography, digital image processing, and printing.[/caption]