"Lake Havasu"
Located on the border of Arizona and California, Lake Havasu is 3 hours west of Phoenix, 2.5 hours south of Las Vegas and 5 hours east of Los Angeles. As part of the Colorado river, the lake was created with the completion of the Parker dam in 1938, and has since become a year round tourist destination with more than 400 miles of coastline and a multitude of outdoor activities including boating, fishing, camping, hiking and camping.
The nearby planned community of Lake Havasu City was founded in 1964 and was really “put on the map”, when the original London Bridge was moved and re-built brick by brick. Before dismantling the original bridge, each brick was numbered, then shipped to Long Beach California where it was then transported overland to Lake Havasu. Reassembly began in 1968 and was completed in 1971.
This photo was taken along the south-east shores of Lake Havasu. I drove past it on the way to Lake Havasu City, and then returned before the sunrise the next morning. As I waited for the sun to fill the bay with its warm rays, I found this composition; yikes, it was on a ridge that was very steep on both sides, with a 6 foot landing to stand on (I watched my step!).
You’ve likely noticed the color of the water, which occurs when the sun hits the naturally dissolving magnesium and calcium carbonate but did you notice how it’s so different than the blue sky? What I love about this photo is how the peninsulas lead your eyes to the bay, and then they keep your eyes in the bay. This, by the way, what is called a “settling point” (where the viewer’s eyes settle). Also, notice the white sand-hill crane at the end of the right peninsula, it sat perched there for about a hour.
*Two 36 mm horizontal images were stitched together in post processing to create this photograph.