Lake Bottom
An almost empty Lake Folsom during dam reconstruction.
An almost empty Lake Folsom during dam reconstruction.
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Feb, 2014Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This is one of the many photos that I took at the bottom of Lake Folsom, not far from Sacramento, CA. When we first arrived at the lake we were somewhat disappointed, yet in awe of the lack of water. After talking with a local couple we learned that the lake had been drained to complete work on the dam to divert water to Southern California. It became evident that exploring and taking photos of the water less lake was a once in a lifetime opportunity.Time
This photo was taken during the evening, as the sun was setting over the dam.Lighting
This is all natural light with the dam and surrounding hills blocking the harshness of the sun that was very bright as I panned either right or left.Equipment
This is a hand held shot using a Nikon D80 with a 70-300mm 5.6 lens. The aperture was set at f9 with ISO of 100 as it was a very sunny day.Inspiration
Being in the bottom of the lake was awe inspiring. For me there are so many stories within one simple photo. The houses overlooking the lake, the high water mark, just below the homes, the haze hanging in the air, how little water was left, exploration of the lake bottom, and the tree stumps are a few that come to mind. With this particular shot I wanted to capture the many contrasts and how well preserved the tree stumps were after being underwater for several decades. A historical aspect is that the spacing and alignment of the stumps indicate that this was an agriculture area before the lake was created.Editing
After a great deal of experimenting I decided that a simple approach looked better. The only enhancements are a slight color and lighting adjustment to bring out the stones and tree stumps in the foreground while leaving the silhouettes in the back ground.In my camera bag
All of my equipment is very basic. In addition to the Nikon D80 and 70-300 mm lens mentioned earlier, I have a couple of kit lenses, a 35 mm 2.8, and a couple of 50mm 1.8 lenses that I picked up at a camera show a few years ago. I recently added a 1.4 mm adapter. All of this fits into a grumpler bag along with various accessories. I have a tripod that gets little useFeedback
I always try to look for the unusual and take advantage of opportunities when they arise. Look for subtle changes in light and natural tools to soften the harshness of the sun. I have used this strategy to capture similar images at the coast, the desert, and the mountains. With this photo there was the harsh sun hanging over the dam on one side and the harsh light from the sun on the other. Being at the bottom of the lake created a the opportunity to capture something special.
