Fog!
Fog in the desert is rare. In Utah, it only occurs two days per month on average. And fog is usually patchy and not widespread.
Fog can transform the right scene into a moody, mysterious, and compelling photograph. But what are the odds of being in the right place at the right time?
In March, I participated in a drone photography workshop. I’m new to the genre, so learning from an experienced instructor appealed to me.
The first two days were not promising. It was raining and you can’t wipe off your camera lens when your camera is a mile away in the air! So, we were grounded. Our days were spent scouting promising locations and hoping for a change in the weather.
What we least expected was fog the next morning. Just before dawn, the temperature and dew point were so close that fog was forming in the valley near Castleton Tower outside of Moab, Utah.
Castleton Tower
Castleton Tower (officially Castle Rock) is a 400-foot sandstone tower perched on a 1,000-foot cone above the northeastern border of Castle Valley, Utah. It’s a well-known photography subject and a classic rock-climbing destination.
The most famous Castleton climb is the Kor-Ingalls Route featured in Fifty Classic Climbs of North America by Steve Roper and Allen Steck. Every peak or route in the book had to appear striking from afar, have a noteworthy climbing history, and offer climbing of excellent quality.
The photograph below shows climbers rappelling down the side of the tower towards the cone-shaped base.
From Rappelling down Castleton Tower, UT : r/HumanForScale (reddit.com)
The view from the top looks amazing, but I’ll only see it if I’m helicoptered there!
From Views from the Top of Castleton Tower, Moab, UT — Steemit
The Shot
We started the morning thinking the rain wouldn’t end in time to launch our drones. But when the rain unexpectedly stopped, plans changed, and we diverted to Castleton. Arriving before dawn, we took to the air.
The view from above was stunning. The saturated sandstone was extra colorful from the rain. Beautiful big waves of fog were rolling towards the base of the Tower. I kept moving my drone trying multiple compositions.
We had about a half hour before the rising sun and temperature dissipated the fog. As the fog lifted, I thought “Right time, right place!” Within minutes, the scene lost its photogenic atmosphere.
This image is one of my favorites from that rare morning.
Thanks for looking,
Chuck Derus