A Foggy Old Sarum

I felt the itch to get out and checked the weather forecast Friday evening for the following morning. It looked like it would be a good chance of a nice sunrise. Some clouds were predicted but otherwise clear, with pleasantly cool temperatures, and mild winds. I arrived at Old Sarum around 0500 and wandered about looking for the best angle on what I hoped would be an epic light show. However, as the sun rose, it was hidden behind a low bank of clouds and haze and never really burst through. Instead, it was a relatively formless blob of yellow for the brief time I was able to visualize it. Fortunately, there was a nice consolation prize as a beautiful low-hanging fog covered large parts of the areas surrounding the Iron Age hill fort, including the city of Salisbury and the magnificent Salisbury Cathedral.

I was able to take some drone footage during the early quiet hours. Once people came about, I put the drone away as I try very hard not to disturb anyone’s peace and quiet. Below is a short compilation of some of the drone footage. I’d appreciate it if you like and subscribe to my YouTube channel to help me grow.

In the photo below, I thought the cloud formations and misty fog created a very nice composition as they spread out over the Wiltshire countryside and farmland.

This next one highlights the dense low fog in the areas surrounding Old Sarum. Just to the top right of the main hill fort are the remains of the original cathedral for Salisbury, laid out in a cross as was the fashion.

Below is a moody image of the ‘new’ Salisbury Cathedral, built in the 1200s. It is currently home to perhaps the best-preserved of the four remaining originals of the Magna Carta as well as the oldest working clock in the world. Here, wreathed in fog, the striking cathedral towers above the trees and you can imagine the imposing and constant reminder it has been to the people of Salisbury over the centuries.

For this final image, I took some pretty dramatic artistic license to create the effect seen here. I’ve been trying my hand at purposeful color grading and corrections to improve my Lightroom skillset. The original image was pretty underexposed and the light was not as vibrant as you see here. Obviously, there was some presence of the colors and lights, but I wanted to enhance them to the point they felt emphasized but not overdone and wholly unnatural.

I’m open to feedback and constructive criticism (CC) on my work as that’s how we get better! If you have any feedback or CC, I’d be grateful if you’d leave me a comment. Thanks for viewing and have a Happy Easter!