The Highlands of West Virginia is often shrouded in fog on fall mornings. The combination of fall foliage and fog creates some exciting opportunities for photography. For my fall trip to Canaan Valley this year, I decided to explore the intersection of color, shapes, and light created within this fleeting microcosm of morning fog.
The first rays of the sun peak over the mountain tops into the fog in Canaan Valley State Park.
Warm light bathes “the tree”, which has become almost iconic with photographers frequenting the area for photography in the fall. The intense light passing through the fog creates a pleasing minimalist atmosphere for accentuating a few tree shapes.
An orange maple shrouded in fog and soft morning light.
As the fog began to dissipate, a rare “fog bow” appeared. Also called a “white rainbow” or “ghost bow”, a fog bow is essentially a rainbow that appears in foggy conditions, but has water droplets in the air that are too small to reflect or refract light waves that would be perceived as colors with our eyes. It was a true blessing to observe, let alone photograph, this unusual weather phenomenon.
The first rays of sun illuminate the top of a fog layer in Canaan Valley off Cortland Road.
Sun kissed fog accentuates the shape of a grazing horse on a farm off Cortland Road in Canaan Valley.
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