According to Wikipedia, “Watson Lake is one of two reservoirs at the Granite Dells, in Prescott, Arizona, that was formed in the early 1900s when the Chino Valley Irrigation District built a dam on Granite Creek. The City of Prescott bought the reservoir and surrounding land in 1997 to preserve it as recreational land.
Before heading to Tucson, Arizona, for the PSA conference, John and I visited Prescott, where my stepson Bob and his wife Lourdes live. Bob, also an avid photographer, showed me this place a number of years ago at sunrise and every time I visit I go back there. It is a very unique landscape with lots of changing views depending on the time of day. This photo was taken from the overlook in the late afternoon, when the sun was casting a warm glow on the rock formations. Lightroom adjustments for exposure, lightened the shadows a bit.
Technical:
Camera: Sony ILCE-7M3 (full frame mirrorless)
Lens: FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II
Focal Length: 81 mm
Exposure: 1/200 sec; f/11; ISO 200
Handheld
This round’s discussion is now closed! 7 comments posted
Dr. Isaac Vaisman
(Group 4)
Carolyn, what a fascinating geological formation. Great light and composition. All the lines/cracks on the boulders are just beautiful and crisp. Posted: 01/06/2025 16:39:46
Tom Tauber
Interesting shapes and wonderful light. Great Posted: 01/06/2025 17:04:49
Phyllis Peterson
I have been to Watson Lake a number of times at sunrise. What I like about your photo is the warm, afternoon light on the rocks. The photo really shows the scene of geological formations much more dramatically which is so different from the sunrise light. Well done! Posted: 01/07/2025 17:50:20
Laurie Bergner
This is a beautiful picture and beautifully done. The light is just beautiful and the texture is great. I might try cropping just a little bit from the bottom to increase the focus on the rest of it. I'm not sure about it so you'll have to try it. Posted: 01/11/2025 11:41:27
Pinaki Sarkar
Nice image. I would saturate the colors a little more and bring down the whiteness a tad little for the foreground rocks. Otherwise it is excellent image. Posted: 01/14/2025 21:26:51
John Larson
A nice image taken during the blue hour. I am glad we took the time to visit this beautiful lake. I would be interested to see how it does in competitions. Posted: 01/23/2025 14:56:38
David Somali-Chow
The fascinating pattern formation of the rocks in the warm afternoon light is captivating. Posted: 01/23/2025 23:51:15
