Photographer: Shawn Thomas, Overland Park, Ashburn
Equipment: Shot with a Nikon Z8 and a Nikon Z14-24 f2.8 lens.
“On my way to Erie to see family, I stopped to see a friend for one night in Pittsburgh. My daughter and I decided to stay up on Mount Washington, hoping to catch the city at night or at sunrise. We woke just before dawn to an exceptional sight: Pittsburgh completely blanketed in fog. We got dressed and started walking the ridge, looking for compositions. It was mid-November 2025 and quite cold.
“We set up at one of the overlooks. As the sun rose, the fog began to clear and the other photographers packed up and left. We stayed a little longer. The funicular started its first run, and right at sunrise there was one final swell of fog. I leaned over the railing and fired off a few handheld frames as the car made its way down to the city.
“Afterward, my daughter and I grabbed hot chocolate at a local cafe and talked about how cool it was to have been there for that moment.”
– Shawn Thomas