Weather forecast was for cold temperatures and a chance for freezing fog. There have been several workday mornings of late where I missed opportunities to photograph with fog so this forecast got me excited. So excited I got up way early and drove to this clay pit quarry up in Carroll County, TN, about 30 minutes from my house. 

When pits are exhausted, the clay companies will repurpose the land by planting trees and filling the pits in with water, making what was a giant hole in the ground into a beautiful landscape. Such is the case with this pit owned by the Gleason Clay Company, and on this morning, Mother Nature decided to cover it with beautiful frost and a fog that became active once the sun rose over the horizon. It was a gorgeous scene!

The road down to the lake from the gate is about 0.8 miles long - I hiked it at about 5:30 AM to get down there by 6-6:15, just before first light. Problem was, there was nothing there. The bank was bare and nothing to frame, so I started exploring around the lake through the growth and brush. Found one spot and shot it for a minute or two, then made my way to this spot up on the hill. It's always good when I can combine hiking and photography together and this was one of those times!

Gleason Clay Pit, Carroll County, TN, December 24, 2018

Aperture: f/18

ISO: 100

Shutter Speed: 1/60 second

Focal Length: 16mm

Sony A7II

Sony FE 16-35mm f/4