Caitlin Jones-Fullerton captured these crisp conditions on a December evening in the Northern Clwydian Hills of North Wales. She’d been cooped up at work, but on her way home, spotted the beautiful landscape:

“The scene is picturesque, eerie, and magical all at the same time.”

This photo captures a plethora of atmospheric phenomena, beyond the beautiful snow cover. The mist is a suspension of water droplets in the atmosphere – effectively a ground-level cloud. Adding to the photo’s dreamy atmosphere are the last remnants of a sunset. Sunsets get their warm hues since the sun’s rays travel far through the atmosphere, and Rayleigh scattering deflects away the bluer frequencies.

Winter wonderland scenes like this one could become a thing of the past in the UK as burning fossil fuels continue to heat the planet. This will make days with freezing temperatures all the rarer…as well as “picturesque, eerie, and magical”!

Photo location: Flintshire, North Wales 

Photographer based: North Wales, UK 

Camera: iPhone 14 pro