Glen Canyon Dam Photo

Photographer’s Note

a view over Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powel. the construction of the dam started in 1956 to provide water storage for the arid southwestern United States, and to generate electricity for the region's growing population. at 216m (710ft) the dam is the second-highest concrete arch dam in the US, only Hoover Dam is higher by less than 5m (16 ft).

as any major structure, the dam has also created problems. because of the dam, there has not been the periodic flooding that would wash away and renew sand banks along the portion of the Colorado River that transits the Grand Canyon, and, as a consequence, the sand banks are much more stable and several non-native species of plants became established, adversely affecting the native wildlife. to correct the situation, controlled floods were proposed. however, the results of an experimental flood in early 2005 were mixed.

about the photo: the coming storm you can see in this photo by Kristaps had almost completely covered the sun and light, with just few rays breaking through the clouds and illuminating the banks of Lake Powel. I liked the spotlight effect, and this is the result. the lines you see on the surface of the lake are some sort of ropes to ward off the boaters from getting too close to the dam.

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RAW, ISO 100, 15mm focal length, spot metering.

Bruno40, jwmunro, BelCan75, dareco, gunbud, sevy, belido, Angshu has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

Bartleby (5140) 2009-07-07 5:02

Hi Kristine,
Lake Powell and the area is definitely on my To-go list. I think the 10-20 was a very good idea here, putting emphasis on the curves of the dam. Exposure is top-notch, as usual with you, and this spotlight in the background a visual treat. Works for me.

Best,

Philippe

dta (6145) 2009-07-07 5:08

Hello Kristine ,
The POV is really impressive . The capture of light is superb , and the sharpness outstanding . A very good presentation of this famous dam .
Congratulations
Denis

masrorvakili (176) 2009-07-07 5:19

hi
so good shot!
i love this photo!

L4urianee (27) 2009-07-07 5:39

Hello I like enormously this photo.
Beautiful recording.
The alliance of colors is magnificent The sky and these clouds we emmene when we look at this photo
Friendly

dkeus31 (26365) 2009-07-07 5:59

Hi Kristine
saturated colors as we expect from US landscapes :)
The light touching the border of the lake is really great here, creating a big contrast to the other parts.
tell me, you included the foreground stones in order having one or because not approaching too much to the emptiness ;-) anyway, is is great just as it is!
have a nice day
didier

baba_flies (8099) 2009-07-07 6:35

Hello Kristine! Incredible construction and I am always a little worried if it holds when I stand close to them :))) I know we need them but so much concrete in this amazing landscape ... this hurts a little ... but impressive on the other hand no question. Thanks for showing it, many members, maybe also me, hide them but they belong to our lives. Love the stingy blue in this one, yes before the storm arrives, many times it is just like that. A wonderful blue for me. Great shot indeed, so much "out there" ... again ... Barbara.

Greg1949 (8519) 2009-07-07 6:55

Kristine, fine note and great photo. Without the note the scale of the place would not be evident I think, it is so massive. wonderful lighting, great work.

Greg

Bruno40 (6442) 2009-07-07 7:53

Hi Kristine,
great wide angle view. As usual your skies are always wonderful!
cheers
Jorge

jwmunro (6255) 2009-07-07 9:37

Hello Kristine -

Excellent image of this God-awful monstrosity. Your use of light and polarizer has made this an excellent image. Your notes convey some of the problems associated with this dam, but what is really bad about this dam is the loss of a beautiful canyon (Glenn Canyon), ancient artifacts, and the trails of the ancients. Well seen and presented.

Thank you for sharing.

John

yquem46 (8449) 2009-07-07 10:23

definitely not a very romantic topic Kristine, but it is superbly composed with its round shape and i cannot pass before some Utah lanscape with these ochre rocks and this blue luminous sky without stopping by
Bravo Kristine
Patrick

johannes68 (2882) 2009-07-07 11:26

Hi Kristine,
amazing light, and a wonderful scene, a real marvel of technology, strong but nonetheless dynamic.
Regards,
Johannes

Waylim (11157) 2009-07-07 17:56

Kristine,
Impressive Dam, I get a little dizzy just looking at it. I have a slight fear of height. the light is really fantastic, and you did great balancing the light and shdow. So much details even most of the image is in the shade. The sky is once again the show that complement everything else.
way

BelCan75 (2420) 2009-07-07 19:09

Hi Kristine,

Amazing shot with excellent light, beautiful colours and details. What a view and so much depth. I really like the contrast between the land and sky here. Great work!

Greetings,
Ann

dareco (17104) 2009-07-07 21:57

Beautiful! Very nice lighting, colors and detail. A great point of view. TFS

aadilj (17950) 2009-07-08 1:14

I like the way you have nuanced and captured the textures and the sharpness of this beutifully compsoed scene which has been captured from a lovely pov and has a spledidly wide view

azizbilgili (1714) 2009-07-08 6:45

Hi Kristine ,
The POV is really impressive . The capture of light is superb , and the sharpness outstanding.

TFS

chpp (4007) 2009-07-08 12:20

hi Kristine
great depth and eautiful colours in this wide view of the dam
very nice job
TFS
C

sacavem (8523) 2009-07-08 15:57

Olá Kristine,

Very nice landscape shot. Great colours and a very pleasant composition. Sky and the clouds colours are all nice perspective is excellent. Good DOF.
Filipe

Yves-triga (3639) 2009-07-09 4:23

Hello Krisitne,
very nice pov,
i like with this ocre colors,the blue blue sky.
very nice job
i like
yves

gunbud (28163) 2009-07-09 19:32

Hi Kristine,
Very interesting POV catching the the full sweep of the concrete barrier.
Love how nicely the red sandstone cliffs blend with the vibrant blue of the lake.
Fantastic southwestern sky with lovely clouds.
Regards, Tom

Elaine_Blath (6170) 2009-07-19 23:36

Hello Kristine,

this is an amazing shot of landscape, even if the dam is mostly in shadow, still we can see the details very well, very well managed (and of course, amazing place!)...

Take care, Ivana

sevy (13954) 2009-07-21 5:57

Hello Kristine,

The lightning is really making the originality of this landscape. It is almost making the beton structure nice to see and it was not won at the start :-)
One day, I would have to go and visit the great west NP in USA.
But still some visit to do in Iceland before.

Yves.

tola_ch2004 (496) 2009-07-21 9:16 [Comment]

Show Comment

belido (16877) 2009-07-22 4:27

Hi Kristine,

I also like the effect of the light in the middle. There is a nice play between the shadowed area and the highlights and this means also that the exposure is as good as it gets. Nice to start the image reading on the dam and finish it on the amazing blue sky. Very well done!
Regards,
Carlos

wojteczek (899) 2009-08-05 7:48

All the best dam on the world. Nice shoot!!

Signal-Womb (11755) 2009-08-06 15:45

Fantastic capture Kristine, the volume of water this thing holds back is immense. Here chosen POV is very effective here and I like how you composed this composition with the little bit of foreground framing the scene.. I would really like to visit Arizona it all looks so different to things at home. Regards Steve.

hardyuno (2613) 2009-08-08 2:12

Ji
a very well composed picture
TFS
Hartmut

Angshu (34119) 2009-11-20 1:01

Hello Kristine
I've heard a lot about the Hoover dam, but very less about the second largest dam Glen Canyon Dam. The name Lake Powel tickled my memory and I recalled Way's superb picture from the same place. Like this one a lot Kristine, with excellent exposure handling, a slight tinge of Oe on the brightly lit up areas, nothing to bother much though. A fine example of using the wide lens optimally as the FG ground frames the dam like a crescent!
Best,
Angshuman