Pine Pattern, a photo from Provence-Alpes-Cote-dAzur, South

Photographer's Note

I've shot this pine forest and this path falling down the lake of Serre Ponçon, close to Gap (see relative notes :Quietude of Charance

(The following text "Historical notes" is the property of the web site : http://www.serre-poncon.com/indexgb.html)

HISTORICAL NOTES
"Before the lake and the dam

The Durance, a tributary of the Rhône, has the most powerful flow of any river in France. 55% of its water comes from melted snow. The region suffered from seasonal flooding and water shortages. The idea of "taming" the Durance became clearer in 1843 and 1856, when catastrophic flooding ravaged the Avignon area.

The Serre-Ponçon dam

A dam would prevent flooding, provide reliable irrigation and make use of the power of the Durance. 1500 people had to be moved when Lake Serre-Ponçon was filled with water. The project was established by the engineer Ivan Wilhe in 1895. With the help of the EDF and the Ministry of Agriculture, construction started in 1955 and finished in 1961. It required 3000 workmen, 19 million m3 of materials and a 120-m high embankment. The 2800-hectare reservoir holds 1270 million m3 of water and supplies 15 hydroelectric power stations, 10% of France's generating capacity."

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Critiques | Translate

padam (186) 2003-10-08 4:59

It is hard to take original pictures in a pine forest, a so desolated area. But here you succeeded to find nice patterns that follow a small path. I like particularly the choice of the small saturation. Bien vu !
Maybe a portrait format can bring out more effectively the patterns (which are more visible around the path), and add a deeper perspective to the picture. But this is a matter of choice.

henrye (3500) 2003-10-08 5:31

I think that you managed to take a good picture of a difficult subject (I have tried this kind of shot before and didn't like the results). I like the way you framed it -- the placement of the path and the trees is good. The texture that is created by the different shades of bark also adds to the picture.

papagolf21 (76515) 2003-10-08 5:43

L'imagination a le droit de se griser à l'ombre de l'arbre dont elle fait une forêt !
Cette photo en est le reflet.

greg (2835) 2003-10-08 7:35

Well composed, pleasing colours. I like it!

PLD_images (7149) 2003-10-09 17:22

Real good shot Christophe. There is a great feeling that comes from watching this photo. I agree with the others about getting a great shot from a difficult place.

Très bien vu et réalisé. Bravo.

CoolDan (2516) 2003-10-10 8:33

Quelle belle photo, quel calme. On a l'impression qu'en y pénétrant on y rencontrera un cerf ou un groupe de loups.
Les couleurs sont superbes.
Félicitations..

dominique (11414) 2003-10-13 17:22

Tres bonne composition et un cadrage que j'aime beaucoup , la couleur des arbres est tres intéressante . (jolie coup d'oeil pour le commentaire de ma photo)

Skorj (581) 2003-11-17 7:18

The muted colors and tight tonal range really make this work have a great feel. The exposure balance is spot on, and even the sky - which could detract - adds to the overall feel.

steeve (1497) 2003-12-23 7:37

The pic has a special mystique mood. I would see the pic in a kind of yellow/sepia color. This forest would fit into a dramatical movie. Well seen Chistophe.