Mystical Mists of the Foothills: Captured by Michael Frye Photography

Fog and sunbeams, Sierra Nevada foothills, California. I captured this image on Wednesday morning, after the sun ascended high enough to illuminate these layers of fog and trees. Initially, in color, it appeared uniform, with everything showing a light gold hue. Since it was monochrome, I experimented with black and white, which I preferred significantly. I believe the color detracted from the main narrative of the photograph, which revolves around the layers, patterns of light and dark, along with the tree shadows. 321mm, 1/200 sec. at f/11, ISO 100.

The Central Valley of California is frequently enveloped in fog during winter. Typically, a thin layer of fog develops overnight, only to dissipate the following morning as the sun heats the air. During the night and early morning, there exists a temporary, shallow inversion where the air near the ground is cooler than that aloft; however, once the sunlight penetrates the fog and warms the land, the inversion ceases.

Occasionally, though, the fog in the Central Valley becomes so dense that it doesn’t clear. The feeble sunlight of short winter days fails to completely penetrate the fog layer, resulting in fog lingering all day, extending into the following night. If the fog endures for several days, the inversion can grow deeper (reaching up to two or three thousand feet), and the fog gradually lifts off the ground into a low overcast, or stratus deck. This elevated fog layer may then ascend into the Sierra foothills. Such stratus decks can linger for multiple days, or even up to a week, until a disturbance in the atmospheric conditions (like a storm, or even a mild, dry front) stirs the air and eliminates the inversion.

This phenomenon might take place two or three times each winter. Whenever it does, I will seek out viewpoints in the foothills above the fog layer, allowing me to gaze over the cloud sea.

Finding the ideal perspective isn’t straightforward. There is limited public land within the Sierra foothills, which means one is usually confined to capturing images from public roads. Additionally, the fog level must be just right. I ideally hope to find a viewpoint that’s just above the fog layer. If the fog is too elevated, you are engulfed in it, viewing a dense soup. If it’s too low, you may not see it at all, or only in the distance. Naturally, the fog layer fluctuates, making it challenging to forecast.

I have made it a priority to traverse all the backroads in the foothills within an hour’s drive from my residence, so I am familiar with all potential vantage points. This is something I would advise any landscape photographer to do – familiarize yourself with your local area and identify all the intriguing locations with photographic promise, so you can swiftly get to the right spot if conditions appear favorable.

This local awareness proved useful this past week when a profound inversion and accompanying stratus deck stuck around for several days, pushing fog into the foothills. Claudia and I discovered viewpoints above the fog Wednesday morning, Wednesday evening, and Thursday morning, and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. I have included some of my still images here, along with Claudia’s time-lapse video.

There is something truly enchanting about standing on a hillside above the clouds. You feel as if you are in a different realm, bathed in sunlight, floating above the dreary preoccupations of the shadowy world below. It’s genuinely magical, and I hope we get the opportunity to experience it again this winter.

— Michael Frye

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

Layers of fog at dawn, Sierra Nevada foothills, California. This is a closer telephoto view, focused on an area slightly leftward from the previous image, taken less than a minute later. 400mm, 1/45 sec. at f/11, ISO 100.

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

Fog over the Central Valley during sunset, Sierra Nevada foothills, California. I captured this on Wednesday evening, utilizing merely fog and clouds, and a neutral-density filter to demonstrate the shutter speed and soften the fog. 105mm, 30 seconds at f/11, I00, ND filter.

Sun, oaks, and fog, Sierra Nevada foothills, California. On Thursday morning, we drove along a back road at the periphery of the fog layer. As sunlight began to filter through some higher clouds, I discovered this location, showcasing a nice balance within the foreground trees. 24mm, five bracketed exposures, two stops apart, from 1/15 sec. to 1/4000 sec. at f/16, ISO 100. Blended using Lightroom’s HDR Merge.

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

Claudia’s time-lapse footage:

Related Articles: Waves of Mist; Above the Mist

Michael Frye is a professional photographer focusing on landscapes and nature. He resides near Yosemite National Park in California but travels widely to capture natural sceneries throughout the American West and beyond.

Michael employs light, climate, and composition to create images that resonate with the essence of the landscape, showcasing the beauty, force, and enigma of nature. His work has garnered numerous accolades, including the North American Nature Photography Association’s 2023 prize for Fine Art in Nature Photography. Michael’s images have featured in various publications worldwide, and he’s the author and/or principal photographer of several books, such as Digital Landscape Photography: In the Footsteps of Ansel Adams and the Great Masters, and The Photographer’s Guide to Yosemite.