Alien Invaders March Through The Valley
A few hours after a couple of my colleagues declared that power lines were most definitely the most boring sight in the world, I decided to see if I could find an interesting perspective.
I drove out to a great lookout point, about 40 kilometres (25 miles) away from the city centre. There is a long, deep valley here and although I was hoping for a dramatic sunset, there was no flaring colour to work with.
Then I suddenly realised, as dusk faded, that all I had to do was swap my 18-125mm lens for my 70-300mm lens and use the wonderful series of shapes and silhouettes that surrounded the gentle arc of the power lines, against the monochrome of the sky.
By shooting from this angle and keeping the frame asymmetrical, I was able to highlight the shapes, while allowing the pylons to disappear into the distance.
I do not crop, enhance or post-edit my images in any way. Shot with a Pentax K100D, using a Sigma 70-300mm lens. F5.6, 1/45 sec, ISO 800, focal length 300mm.
Featured in SKYSCAPES, November 2009.
Featured in 60s GLORY, November 2009.
Featured in A VIEW SOMEWHERE, November 2009.
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sfmilner 20 days ago
Greetings David; Excellent effect and title. Nicely done. I hope your friends changed their minds about power lines.
steve
David McMahon replied 20 days ago
Thank you very much, Steve. They did have a chuckle when I showed them this image – and it drew some VERY interesting feedback when I posted it on my blog at the time!
Diana-Lee Saville 19 days ago
Pretty SHOCKING but I like it!!! :))
David McMahon replied 19 days ago
Full marks for humour. The perfect spot for an AC/DC concert!
Diana-Lee Saville 19 days ago
David McMahon replied 19 days ago
Thanks, Di
Diana-Lee Saville 19 days ago
A good spot for a Frank ZAPPA concert too :))..lolololol…i am soooo funneeee
David McMahon replied 19 days ago
I concede defeat – you take the points in this contest. But the atmosphere is electric!
Helen Corr 19 days ago
it’s easy to find beauty in the obvious places – flowers, pretty people – i think the power lines are beautiful too!
David McMahon replied 19 days ago
Thank you so much, Helen. My parents would be delighted to read that comment, because I was raised to appreciate beauty in the most unexpected places.
photoloi 19 days ago
great!
David McMahon replied 19 days ago
Thanks very much, PhotoLoi.
Shulie1 19 days ago
You can even make the unsightly into a work of art – great shot!
David McMahon replied 19 days ago
That’s a huge compliment, Shulie – thank you so very sincerely.
Mike Oxley 19 days ago
Great shot, David. Might be a good venue for the Electric Light Orchestra, too.
David McMahon replied 19 days ago
That’s a top pun, Sir Michael. Yes, ELO would have been very ``switched on’’! Or even Sir Cliff Richard, singing Power To The People!
Mike Oxley 19 days ago
Or Monty Pylon’s Flying Circuit…..
David McMahon replied 19 days ago
I bow to genius …. but I’m glad this is not a ``power struggle’’!
Mike Oxley 19 days ago
Nope. Just keeping up on current affairs. Cheers!
David McMahon replied 18 days ago
Like Buzz Lightglobe!
Cathleen Taraw... 19 days ago
Congratulations, this is featured on the Skyscapes group homepage :)
David McMahon replied 18 days ago
Thanks very much, Cathleen. That’s wonderful news. A great way to end the day here. My humble thanks!
valandsnake 19 days ago
great composition, well spotted. These technology/nature shots hold an endless fascination, well done and congrats on the feature
David McMahon replied 18 days ago
Thanks very much, ValandSnake. Very kind of you. Glad you like the shot.
Cee Neuner 19 days ago
Great lines!!! :D
David McMahon replied 18 days ago
Thanks so much, Cee – good thing it wasn’t a ``power’’ struggle!
retsilla 19 days ago
very artistic!
beleive it or not, there is a an RB group here
David McMahon replied 18 days ago
Thanks so much for letting me know, Retsilla. That’s very kind of you.
Paula McManus 17 days ago
fabulous! :)
David McMahon replied 17 days ago
Thanks so much, Paula.
Evaldas 17 days ago
Nice.
David McMahon replied 17 days ago
Thanks very much. Glad you liked it.
Richard Veal 16 days ago
Well seen and captured.
David McMahon replied 16 days ago
Thank you very much. I saw beauty in the shapes and the slack of the wires – and it’s great to see that this image has attracted quite a few comments.
PhotosByG 13 days ago
Congratulations! Your photo has been featured in “A View somewhere…..”
This photo was chosen because it was of a very high quality and it captured exactly the sort of work we are looking for in this group.
Please keep up the great work and we hope you continue to add more of your excellent photographs to this group.
David McMahon replied 13 days ago
Thanks so much, Graham – wonderful news. Hope you have a great weekend.