Valdez: Adult Playground Photo

Photographer’s Note

We hadn't planned to go to Valdez. After the Exxon Valdez oil spill, I somehow imagined that the environment was totally destroyed but at a stop in Tok both locals and tourist alike said it was one of the prettiest places in Alaska. This is the view taken from our overnight parking place in Valdez. About 10 pm, it begins to look like late afternoon. The coffee shop across the street had an open mike for Saturday night. Most folks were pretty quiet, but the last singer, around midnight, sounded like a wounded cat.

Downtown Valdez seems like a huge RV Park. We've been trying to figure out why we liked it. It is beautiful: wild rivers, close-up glaciers, impressive peaks, and pristine ocean sounds calving icebergs. There's a festive air about the place, like a real-life Disneyland for adults with ocean kayaking, sport fishing with big halibut arriving at the dock, glaciers to climb, and rivers to run. Valdez is one of the extreme skiing capitols of the world but the heli-skiing office was closed now. Most of Alaska seems to close up early but here you can get espresso 24 hours a day. Maybe because the weather was perfect with a sense of spring in the air. Folks are enthusiastically planting gardens and eagerly anticipating salmon runs. A city employee picking up trash on Sunday morning said, we'd hit the best weather day of the year. "It's a good thing it isn't always like that," he said, "otherwise everybody would want to live here."

Valdez was relocated after the 1964 earthquake destroyed the old town. The downtown area seems reserved for tourists, with locals living in the woods away from town. Perhaps the separation and the lack of an, ‘old vs. new’ culture explains the tolerant friendliness that a fellow from Ketchikan expressed, "People are real friendly here. They're laid back and easy-going or maybe it's that it's such a small town that they can't get away with anything. Mess up and everybody knows it." He spent summers in Valdez, repairing windshields and was anxious to find a place so he could more to Valdez full-time. He thought that motor home tourists were easier to get along with than cruise ship tourists.

devimeuxbe, pablominto, sam224, pboehringer, mpr, nels, xuaxo, weswang, singuanti, PixelTerror, josepmarin, Henryk_Bilor, cjmm, TeresaT, aloyho, MLINES, peck, gunbud, scobert has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

devimeuxbe (55865) 2006-05-18 13:27

Hi Patricia
I like your title. The composition is nice with a great contrast between the playground and the nice light on the mountain.
Well done
Bertrand

pablominto (40488) 2006-05-18 13:39

Hi Patricia,
Great note, great image!
I like the lighting, very familiar to me as I live around this latitude... Obviously much colder climate in Alaska as we luckily don't have snow that time of year...
Beautiful blue tone in the colours, typical and very nice!
Greetings,
Pablo -

sam224 (5851) 2006-05-18 13:45

Nice composition with great reflections in the water. Good work with light and contrast. Lovely mountains in the background.
Well done!

pboehringer (770) 2006-05-18 14:08

Exxon Valdez - what an eco horror. I still don't buy gs at there stations. Good to see your picture and the note documenting the rebirth of this human catastrophe.
Your picture is busy, but I like. It shows all the potential things that goes on in Valdez.

Andrzej_HHH (2558) 2006-05-18 14:13

Very nice composed picture, few interesting plans. I like the colors at your picture - They are really excellent. Also useful note... Good work. Thanks for sharing! Andrzej

nels (2455) 2006-05-18 14:20

hi patricia amazing colours and scenery mind you better keep out of the way of the boat skippers if they moor up the boats like that red canoe well spotted

adrian

Tattoo (468) 2006-05-18 14:20

YES.YES.YES... Fantastique lumière et netteté sublime !
J'adore !

Congratulations !

Yves

mpr (327) 2006-05-18 14:26

Hi Pat

Yet another beautiful shot of Alaska. I like how you captured the sun sprinkling the snow capped mountain tops. As usual
your pictures are sharp and well composed.

Alaska seems like such a unique place. My girlfriend and I still plan on going there in August so seeing your shots get me that much more excited. I see alot of photos here on TE of colorful boats floating next to each other and I was wondering if you walked down the pier and got a shot of the kayaks.

kmarscher (2881) 2006-05-18 16:00

The red kayak adds warmth to your composition which has a definate fore, middle, and background. Great title and comments with social commentary are welcome, Pat.

xuaxo (5703) 2006-05-18 16:39

Boa noite Pat!
When I read the title I was thinking about Las Vegas... (after all, Valdez is also a Hispanic name). But your note is well informative, as usual.
I like very much the different type of light on the mountain and on the boats.
Francisco

izmirli (3071) 2006-05-18 16:54

merhaba dear patricia
very good winter picture.wonderful mountains and reflection.very good marina and boats.
well done.best regards my friend patricia.
gürkan akçakır.

weswang (18223) 2006-05-18 22:34

Hi Pat, The low sunlight well decorated the snow peak in the near distance. The view of the marina in the foreground made me feel that the glacier is so close and easy to reach. You have well captured the different subjects in each layer. Nice contrast and excellent depth.

Angshu (33585) 2006-05-19 4:32

Excellent use of vertical format here...I was foxed by your caption! Wonderful lighting especially on te mountain. The boats in the FG add to the image. I like how the image has three layers, the boats, the water & the mountain...Well done!
Regards
Angshu

gebala (0) 2006-05-19 6:10

hello Pat:) really good shot, I like this huge mountain and light on it:) beauty place but a bit cold for me:)
kiss

Gerrit (35595) 2006-05-19 13:03

Hi Patricia,
Good title and view from the kayaks to the mountaintops.
Thanks and regards, Gerrit

josepmarin (33785) 2006-05-19 13:32

Hi Patricia,
Beautiful landscape. The high mountains in background are very nice and impressive. The reflections in the water are nice too. I like specially the kayaks in the foreground.
Good composition, with amazing lighting, beautiful colors and great sharpness.
I like it.
Regards,
Josep

Henryk_Bilor (20365) 2006-05-19 13:53

Hello Patricia
Beautiful image. Great composition and colours. I like it.
Regards

singuanti (15240) 2006-05-19 18:16

Hi Patricia. Nice job of following the rule of thirds. The rippled reflections are a nice added bonus. You would think in all of that you'd see at least one person but I don't. Yes I heard Valdez had recovered nicely plus it's been a while. Great shot Pat.

chamkhalaf (249) 2006-05-19 19:09

Hi Patricia
very noisy composition but is very good and interesting view,reflection of light in the water and on the mountains created a happy space.tanks you
mehdi

PixelTerror (86038) 2006-05-20 6:19

Hi Patricia,
The foreground looks a it messy to me, but I appreciate the good light measurement of this scene which nakes it pleasant to look at, these scenes showing snow capped mountains next to the see can only be shot in a very limited number of countries (Norway comes to mind) and for that reason are spectacular.
I wish you a nice week end,
Jean-Yves

cjmm (4019) 2006-05-20 9:05

Hi Patricia,

I especially like the light and the vertical framing.

It seems that the graduated ND filter was useful in getting that great light in all the elements of the image.

There is also something very attractive about the bluish hues on the bottom and sky, only interruptend by the mountains. Fine composition really.

Have a great weekend!
Kind regards,
Carlos
PS: Regarding Woodstock, when it took place, I already had The Who's "Tommy" and a Hendrix album... so you see;)!

TeresaT (10733) 2006-05-20 14:04

Hi Patricia,
Beautiful composition with these coloured canoes on the foreground and the amazing mountains partially covered with snow on the background.
Great colours and light too.
Regards
Teresa

carper (64612) 2006-05-20 14:07

this is a nice one Patricia,
the balance is very nice in the shot and there is a lot to see. Good lines, good perspective, a fantastic dof, well it is a good one, very nice job.
gr. jaap

feather (49858) 2006-05-21 7:18

I missed this one somehow. The light on the mountains is lovely and the grad did an excellent job on them and the sky. There are some wonderful reflections in the water. The foreground detail shows us the many toys in the playground.
Kath

aloyho (6109) 2006-05-23 2:47

Hi Patricia,
There is certainly a lot to see here and can be exhausting but your choice of a semi circular formation did make it easier and more relaxing for our eyes as we move upward. The open water area and the sky are good resting points. I must say it's really an interesting place. Well done!! HAve a good day.

MLINES (10868) 2006-05-29 18:24

Hi Pat, Good composition showing an insight into how humans and the huge natural surroundings interact. Good colours and cropping. Rgds Murray.

peck (2779) 2006-06-09 10:16

Hi Pat,
I love all mountains view :))) MOuntains with the sea - I think perfect composition :)) Very nice shot with great light and framing.
have a nice weekend
Gregory

gunbud (27787) 2007-01-16 21:26

Hi Pat,
Beautiful composition with stunning reflection of the snow capped mountains between the array of adult toys. Very informative note and approiate title.
Regards, Tom

scobert (5333) 2008-03-05 17:42

Hi Pat,
You are a superb photographer and I consider this photograph to be one of your top ten images. Every detail in this outstanding photo is exceptional! This is definitely one of your masterpieces. My dad gave me our old Alaska slides from 1962 and he has some shots of Valdez and eventually I will scan them and when I do I will send you a few images. What I remember the most about Valdez are the old Russian Orthdox churches the fact that Valdez is so close to the mountains (as your photo proves) that it doesn't get as much sunlight as it would otherwise (in a flatter Area). This updated image still brings back childhood memories for me. Outstanding work!
Stan