Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Not exactly wildlife...

Laser Light Show, Grand Coulee Dam

Seattle has been buried in fog this past week, so to get my dose of Vitamin D, I took advantage of the local "rain shadow" effect, and went to the east side of the Cascades where the sun is predictably hot.  I shot some desert landscapes, some wheat fields, and a rather mediocre sunrise on Mt. Rainier. Along the way, I also stopped at the legendary Grand Coulee Dam, where, in summer, they put on a "laser light show" every evening.  With a hokey narrative and cartoon-like visuals, it was a colossal waste of technology,  squandering what may be the world's greatest IMAX screen on dopey 1970's graphics. On a whim, I tried photographing the show, though the constantly shifting images wreaked havoc with my six-second ISO 1000 exposure.s..  This is one of the few that worked - and actually makes the show look better than it was!  
What you can't see, however, are the mosquitos. To keep the grass lush and green in the middle of the desert, the Bureau of Reclamation has sprinklers on constantly... guaranteeing clouds of blood-sucking insects during the evening show.  Nice... 


Nikon D3, 70-200mm lens, 6-second exposures, ISO 1000

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