'Inversion Immersion' - Incredible Time-lapse Film Shows the Beauty of Portland Being Swallowed by Fog

As photographers and filmmakers, sometimes the most incredible scenes we capture happen when we least expect them. Such was the case for 19-year-old talent Andrew Studer, when he ventured to downtown Portland, Oregon to shoot a sunset. The beautiful fog that engulfed the city after the sun went down convinced Studer to stick around, and the resulting time-lapse film is an incredible display of weather in the Northwest’s second most populated city.

Captured over a 24 hour period, Studer hustled from one location to the next, knowing that his time with the thick rolling blankets of fog was limited. Studer tells me about the frantic day:

Actually, the most stressful part of this film was making sure I had enough coverage. Having three cameras was both a blessing and a curse. It was nice being able to film so many various aspects of the city, but it became very hectic. Swapping memory cards, batteries, tripod plates, and lenses in-between the three cameras while making sure to keep the photos creative, compelling, and complete was a huge challenge. In the end, I wish I shot more but It was a great learning experience and without the constant struggle of managing so many shots, I probably wouldn’t have been able to stay awake almost the entire night.

As for equipment, the real-time video was captured using a Sony a7S. This camera was especially great to have since I could film in complete darkness and still get useable footage. For the time-lapse scenes, I used my Canon 6D with either a Canon 300mm f/4 or a 24-105mm f/4. Finally, for the last shot in the film, I used my Stage Zero time-lapse dolly made by Dynamic Perception to move through the trees.

While to the normal citizen, this must have been a cold, depressing night, but to us photographers, we have never seen Portland so beautiful.

Check out more from Studer on his website.