Shot at ISO 100, 44mm, f/9 1/20 sec. Added 1 stop exposure, boosted shadows and reduced highlights. Color balanced to 5,850K. Added texture, clarity, vibrance to enhance detail

The first cold front of the season dropped temps into the teens along the Blue Ridge Parkway. As the fog rolled over the ridge behind me, sunlight (from below the horizon) began illuminating the cold air and created a beautiful sun pillar. The sun pillar extended even above the clouds. Easily the most perfect example of a sun pillar I've ever witnessed. A bank of low clouds glowed orange and reflected light combined with the fog cast a soft purple haze throughout the scene.