Folsom Lake at one of it’s lowest levels.
For several years now California has been experiencing a severe drought. So severe that earlier this year the Governor as well as state agencies implemented various water conservation measures. The citizens also stepped forward to help alleviate the grave water shortage. I like many just stopped watering my landscape and let it die out. I eventually removed the lawn on my quarter acre property because honestly it did not make any sense whatsoever. It also slashed my water bill in half which means more resources for photography! Yay! …LOL.
Like many, I didn’t fully grasp the gravity of the water shortage we are facing until I took a hike to the bottom of the Folsom lake reservoir with my good friend and fellow photo geek, Sasha January of this year. It was a eye opening excursion. I was blown away by the fact that I could take a leisurely stroll on the lake bed where several years ago I was boating with friends and enjoying summer on the lake. The water level dropped so low we were able to explore old gold mining settlements and ponder a piece of this great state’s history.
Finally this winter we have been getting rain most days of the week with little sunny breaks on the weekends. We are still far from where we need to be (as far as rainfall) to get out of the drought, but we are most grateful. I thought now would be a great time to look back in retrospect and post about it. See the California Drought page for updates. I also found this Insightful NASA Report. Below are some choice shots from that excursion.
PhotoSnob 
I think the USA spoils more water than any other country, so good for you to take a step!
Some nice photos you’ve shared! One suggestion: in a few photos you have brought down the highlights very drastically in the bright sky. This creates a “halo” around trees on a few places. You could under expose some pots to create silhouettes and a nice sky, or use a graduated natural density filter 😉
Still, lovely work!
Kind regards,
Tieme
Yes indeed Tieme. There is a very real shortage of water in the Golden State, one sure to befall any part of the world that goes through a persistent drought for several years. Add to that the fact that everybody wants to live in California – and rightfully so – it is only the 8th largest economy in the world by itself.
Thanks for the feedback buddy. I am aware of the halo effect when taking HDR bracketed composite shots. I post most of my shots straight out of the camera. I choose not to edit them because they are merely intended to tell a story and I simply do not have the time or patience to tweak every photo to “perfection”. I only process and edit those single shots that I originally set out to capture and make print ready.
Thanks again for stopping by and sharing your thoughts.
Take care.
PS: WordPress holds any first time comments (I get a lot of spam unfortunately). You should be able to comment with no problems from now on.
Hi Bryan,
This reply is a little overdue, my apologies for that. Work has been very busy the past months, and almost got the best of me. But now I am free for 2 weeks to enjoy nothing but whatever I want to do 😉
Thank you for your reply! I have never been to the USA, and obviously to California , but it seems nice to me!
I guess everybody has their reasons for photography and editing/not editing their photos 🙂 Maybe setting your camera to a little less dramatic HDR would help? Just a thought 😉
Happy shooting! And Happy Holidays!
Kind regards,
Tieme