This week I finally managed to photograph a Cloud Inversion. A Landscape Photography aim of mine for quite some time, and I thought I'd share some tips so you could have the best chance of forecasting one for yourself

The night prior was a really clear night - moon was clear in the sky and was brisk but not freezing.

Checking the weather app (I used the 'Clear Outside' app) I looked for a few things on there:

1. The Dew Point and Temperature - both need to be the same, or the temperature needs to be lower than the dew point.

2. The wind - a fairly still morning is needed. If it's windy, any mist/clouds will dissipate too quickly to form an inversion.

3. Humidity - this is all to do with moisture in the air, needed to form those clouds, so humidity above 90% is what to look out for.

4. Otherwise clear skies

Part of the landscape jutting above the clouds during a cloud inversion photography session on Mam tor in the Peak District National Park UK — Strapping on the 70-200mm lens, I could get a unique viewpoint into the clouds

On the morning itself, as I was driving along through the Peak District, I found myself heading in and out of fog banks whenever the road dropped into a dip by fields. A sure sign of the dew point and temperature intermingling. I could also see some mist forming over Black Brook river, pools, lakes and rivers, are sure first indicators as there is lots of moisture in those areas.

Something I've been told to look out for in the past is any smoke that may be rising from factories or chimneys. The smoke will rise normally a certain amount and then seem to stop as if hitting a piece of glass in mid air - a sure sign of a temperature 'inversion'. In the video I recorded on the morning I was up on Mam Tor photographing the cloud inversion in Hope Valley below, I could see the Hope Valley Slate Mine chimneys pumping out smoke and was sure I could see this effect happening there…..anyway another good indicator to look out for.

On Mam Tor, looking over a cloud inversion in the Peak District National Park, a landscape photography participant gets ready to photograph the cloud inversion in hope valley.

So if you spot a few of those signs one morning this autumn, there's a good chance of mist and fog......and if you can get yourself above a valley with a camera in time, then you might just get the chance to get above a cloud inversion and photograph this spectacular event for yourself.

You can check out my view over a Peak District cloud inversion here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfjzsuMPdEg

Dave