Fog, in literature and real life, is a force of mystery and magic. It obscures some things to reveal others; and it can transform an already beautiful landscape into something out of a fairy tale.

Sometimes the fog rolls in thick and fast, covering the landscape in a river so dense only a few defiant buildings or iconic mountain peaks remain in sight, holding their own against the sweeping torrent.

Other times it’s insidious, a horror movie-worthy creeping fog that sneaks up on you, thickening so slowly you don’t know it’s there until it’s completely obscured the next twist in the trail.

The 30 gorgeous photographs below—captured by 500px photographers from around the world—demonstrate each of these situations perfectly, captivating your imagination along the way:

Photograph River del mar by Ted Andre Nilsen on 500px

River del mar by Ted Andre Nilsen on 500px

Photograph Poland by Artur Magdziarz on 500px

Poland by Artur Magdziarz on 500px

Photograph Birds Eye View. by Volodymyr Zinchenko on 500px

Birds Eye View. by Volodymyr Zinchenko on 500px

Photograph The End Station by Martin Rak on 500px

The End Station by Martin Rak on 500px

Photograph The World Below....2 by Bobby Joshi Photography on 500px

The World Below….2 by Bobby Joshi Photography on 500px

Photograph Night ends by Daniel ?e?icha on 500px

Night ends by Daniel ?e?icha on 500px

Photograph Tahoma the Great by Marc Adamus on 500px

Tahoma the Great by Marc Adamus on 500px

Photograph Hide-and-Seek by Kenji Yamamura on 500px

Hide-and-Seek by Kenji Yamamura on 500px

Photograph Dubai Cryogenic by Daniel Cheong on 500px

Dubai Cryogenic by Daniel Cheong on 500px

Photograph ray... by Charungroj Bunphabuth on 500px

ray… by Charungroj Bunphabuth on 500px

Photograph Between the fog by Marcin Sobas on 500px

Between the fog by Marcin Sobas on 500px

Photograph High Tide by Max Rive on 500px

High Tide by Max Rive on 500px

Photograph A view from Heaven by Filippo Moretti on 500px

A view from Heaven by Filippo Moretti on 500px

Photograph Kingdom Of Clouds by Evgeni Dinev on 500px

Kingdom Of Clouds by Evgeni Dinev on 500px

Photograph Paradise by Saeed Barikani on 500px

Paradise by Saeed Barikani on 500px

Photograph Ride the Lightning by Jeff Lewis on 500px

Ride the Lightning by Jeff Lewis on 500px

Photograph Foggy Dubai Marina by Sajeesh Shanmughan on 500px

Foggy Dubai Marina by Sajeesh Shanmughan on 500px

Photograph Bastei by Martin Rak on 500px

Bastei by Martin Rak on 500px

Photograph These Magic Moments by Dora Artemiadi on 500px

These Magic Moments by Dora Artemiadi on 500px

Photograph Milkyway thailand by Anuchit ????????? on 500px

Milkyway thailand by Anuchit ????????? on 500px

Photograph Fogfall Morning by Toby Harriman on 500px

Fogfall Morning by Toby Harriman on 500px

Photograph Mt Bromo Under The Stars by Elia Locardi on 500px

Mt Bromo Under The Stars by Elia Locardi on 500px

Photograph Cemoro Lawang by Silentino Natti on 500px

Cemoro Lawang by Silentino Natti on 500px

Photograph Golden Mist by Khalid Al Hammadi on 500px

Golden Mist by Khalid Al Hammadi on 500px

Photograph We met again by Janez Tolar on 500px

We met again by Janez Tolar on 500px

Photograph Schäfler by Tobias Knoch on 500px

Schäfler by Tobias Knoch on 500px

Photograph Heaven by Marko Korošec on 500px

Heaven by Marko Korošec on 500px

Photograph Grand Canyon Cloud Inversion by Harun Mehmedinovic on 500px

Grand Canyon Cloud Inversion by Harun Mehmedinovic on 500px

Photograph Trollstigen , Norway . . by pascal Kiszon on 500px

Trollstigen , Norway . . by pascal Kiszon on 500px

Photograph Nebelschweif by Robert Pfiffner on 500px

Nebelschweif by Robert Pfiffner on 500px

For more mysterious and magical pictures of foggy landscapes, give this link a click and go crazy. There are 1,000 pages of search results for “fog” on 500px… our apologies to your productivity.