The Elan Valley reservoirs are a chain of man-made bodies of water created from damming the Rivers Elan and Claerwen within the Elan valley in Mid Wales. The reservoirs were build by the Birmingham Corporation water department, to provide clean water for Birmingham and the West Midlands.

The six dams are known as, Craig Goch, Garreg Ddu, Pen y Garreg, Caban Coch, Claerwen, and the unfinished dam of Dol Mynach. The water is carried from the reservoirs to Frankley Reservoir in Birmingham via the Elan aqueduct. Pumping isn’t required because the network drops 52 metres along the 73 mile route.

Built in 1893 and first flooded in 1896, a remarkable feat of engineering in its day. The Elan valley is also an internationally acclaimed Dark Sky Park, perfect for photographing the milky way, and other terrestrial beings.

Living in beautiful Worcestershire, I have easy access to to this beautiful location and I have been visiting it since I was child, with my parents, who loved it here.

The Elan valley was a favourite location for my own children, especially my youngest son Ben, who loved to ride his bike around the dams at breakneck speed. Unfortunatley we lost Ben to cancer aged 18. So this is why I love to return to this beautiful valley as often as I can as I can feel and hear Ben’s excited screams as he rode his bike along the tracks around the dams.

As normal I planned the 65 miles drive over to the Elan Valley a few days ahead. Checking the weather forecast here is paramount as the valley has an eco system of its own, and you can have sun, rain, sleet, and snow all the same day. After checking the forecast, things looked very promising with little or no wind, so the chance to finally get an image I had in mind for some time seemed possible.

I made a very early start so that I could arrive well within time to get set up and hopefully have a sunrise. As I pulled into the lay by the sight, I was greeted with absolutely stunning colours and reflection – everything was near perfect, the only thing missing was some cloud cover.

I had a little stroll to find the best vantage point to set up and find a composition I felt would result in an image worthy of the trip. Fortunately for me there was still some autumn colour in the surrounding pine trees which would add some very nice hues and tones to the image. Also, I wanted to include the lovely old church of Nantgwyllt (built in 1898 and designed by the architect Stephen W. Williams). It sits at the southern end of Garreg Ddu and makes a great subject to include when the conditions are in your favour. I took six images in total and finally settled on this one as I felt the wide version gives the viewer more to see.

What do you think are the TWO most impactful features that make your image a good photograph? Don’t be shy!

Firstly, I think the reflection is key to the shot – without it the image would lack any impact. Secondly, the colours are important as they give the image plenty of punch. The inclusion of the Nantgwyllt church certainly pulls the eye through the image as if the viewer would be looking along the bridge towards the southern end of the dam.

If you would be able to make this photo once again, what would be the ONE thing you would like to do better or different?

That’s a difficult question, but hopefully when I visit this place next time, the inclusion of some clouds would be perfect, and would make for a near perfect shot.

John Starkey shared his photograph in the FRAMES Facebook Group.

Photographer

John Starkey, Worcester, Worcestershire, UK
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Equipment and Settings

Canon 5D Mark IV+ Canon 16-35mm f/2.8 LII
Filters: Nisi LCPL, Nisi 0.9 Soft ND Grad
1/6 sec., f/11, ISO 100