Canterbury in the Mist

I always try to take advantage of the misty weather. Shooting in the mist and fog can be great for adding atmosphere and mystery to images; it’s just a shame it doesn’t happen often enough! I’ve been waiting for the right conditions in which to shoot viewpoints of Canterbury and the recent unseasonably warm weather would bring that opportunity.

The 1st Morning

No mist hadn’t been forecast the night before but luckily my partner woke me up just in time. I jumped out of bed to get to the top of Whitstable Road for sunrise and I witnessed the drama unfold as the sun slowly burnt through the fog in the valley below.

Canterbury Cathedral silhouetted in the mist at sunrise — Just after sunrise on my first misty morning shoot above Canterbury

This event couldn’t last forever. As the sun rose higher in the sky, a thick haze had replaced the earlier mist, which made visibility poor as I walked onto the grounds of UKC. I found a row of trees that I could frame the silhouette of the Cathedral around to add some depth to the images and I made a few different compositions before calling it a day. The softness to these images gives them an almost romantic feel which was fitting as it was Valentines Day.

Canterbury Cathedral looking past trees on UKC in the mist — Canterbury Cathedral looking romantic in the mist

Canterbury Cathedral on a misty morning — Another angle using the trees to frame the Cathedral in the thick haze after sunrise

The 2nd Morning

I hadn’t intended to go back up to this viewpoint again after the previous trip earlier in the week but as I was due to travel to Eastbourne later on in the day and couldn’t be out long, a quick and easy morning trip up the hill fit the bill nicely. When I arrived though I could tell this was going to be a little different to the other morning..!

sunrise on a foggy morning in canterbury — The view that greeted me on the 2nd morning from Whitstable Road

The first shoot had been in classic ‘radiation fog’ and it was easy to get above it, but this was looking like a thick cloud inversion and Canterbury does not have the peaks required to elevate beyond one of those! I’d just have to wait it out and hope for the view to present itself later which thankfully it did. The first building to appear unsurprisingly was the top of the Cathedral which looks rather unusual poking above the fog.

An unusual sight of Canterbury Cathedral poking above the mist

A little while later and most of the fog had gone except for a thick band that stayed around the Marlowe Theatre and Cathedral buildings. I shot for a panoramic crop and the switch to black and white creates a striking effect.

A panoramic crop of Canterbury as the cloud inversion subsides

I soon left and travelled to Eastbourne, thankful I made the effort this morning. As I write this, we are now into the wet and windy Spring weather so not much chance of any misty mornings for a while..!

Thanks for reading.