Grass and Fog
I set out that morning to photograph one of my favorite places in California…Mount Tamalpais. From the top, there are views of the ocean, San Francisco Bay, and the city itself. But nature had different plans. A thick blanket of fog rolled in, swallowing the mountain as I made my way up.
By the time I reached the top, everything around me was swallowed in a gray haze, and the line between earth and sky blurred into nothingness. The air was dense and heavy with moisture, clinging to my skin and seeping into my bones. The scent of wet earth and grass was strong, a fresh and almost overwhelming aroma. Every step I took was muffled by the fog. The usual crunch of footsteps reduced to a soft, dampened sound. The wind carried a salty hint of the ocean, just enough to remind me it was out there somewhere.
I hadn’t counted on the fog being so wet. The trails were slick, and moisture clung to every surface. My camera was constantly collecting droplets, and every few minutes, I had to wipe the lens clean. Shooting in these conditions felt impossible, but also kind of magical—like walking through a dream where everything emerged slowly from the mist.
The fog created an eerie, almost otherworldly vibe. Trees and rocks would suddenly appear, ghost-like in the gloom, giving the mountain a mysterious, unpredictable feel. But beneath all that, there was something beautiful, too. I kept my camera ready, constantly battling the moisture, but as I moved through the fog, new shots kept revealing themselves.
The mountain provided more opportunities than I could have hoped for and showed me that the challenges of photographing in extreme conditions could lead to the most breathtaking results.