Lens-Artists Challenge #282: Dramatic
For this week’s Lens-Artists challenge, Patti poses the question: what makes a photo dramatic? I thought that one place in the US defines dramatic for me: Carlsbad Caverns National Park. The caverns are dramatic in size, color, and features.
Established on May 14, 1930, the park is located in Southeastern New Mexico covering a section of the Guadalupe Mountains and the Permian Basin. Those two diverse terrains are primarily limestone (in the mountains) and gypsum (in the basin). According to the National Park Service, Carlsbad Caverns NP has “120 caves known at this time.” Inside the cave, the temperature is 56ºF (13ºC) year-round, and that is the best place to be in the heat of the summer. Since December 1995, Carlsbad Caverns NP has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Natural Entrance trail to the caverns will take you down 1.25 miles (2 km). To put that into perspective, it is the same as about 79 stories down from the entrance to the Big Room, the largest section of the cave. Here are a few dramatic visual highlights a visitor can experience in the caverns.
Look at the lively colors and details in the photo above. In the Hall of the Giants, you will stop to admire the Giant Dome and the Twin Domes. Those iconic landmarks stand tall right before you enter the Big Room. The Giant Dome (the large one in the forefront, on the right side) is a column. Some people prefer to refer to it as a stalagmite, but since it touches the cavern ceiling, it is technically called a column. The Giant Dome measures 16 feet (4.8 meters) in diameter and is 62 feet (18.9 meters) high.
If you are not sure of the difference between stalactites and stalagmites, the former grows down from the cave ceiling, while the latter grows up from the cave floor. A good mnemonic to differentiate them is to think that stalagmites (the word with a G) grow from the ground up, whereas stalactites (the word with T’s) grow from the top down.
The next photo brings the dramatic view upon entering the Big Room.
The handrails you see in the photo above (going across in the dark area around the bottom of the image) may not properly give you a sense of how large this room is. Measuring approximately 4,000 feet (1,220 m) long, 625 feet (191 m) wide, and 255 feet (78 m) high at its highest point, the Big Room is a massive limestone chamber. The floor size is 357,469 square feet (33,210 square meters). In plain terms, that size is larger than six American football fields or four and a half soccer fields! According to Wikipedia, the “Big Room is the fifth largest chamber in North America and the twenty-eighth largest in the world.” Again, the NPS says that the “Big Room is 8.2 acres (3.3 hectares) — the largest, readily accessible cave chamber in North America.” Here in the Big Room, a visitor is nearly 800 ft (243.8 meters) below the surface!
This is the Crystal Spring Dome, where you will find the largest active stalagmite in the caverns. On a side note, if you were a fan of the TV show Timeless, like me you’ll probably think of the travel ship used in the show when you look at my photo.
Perhaps you will agree with me that I saved the best and most dramatic feature for last.
Near the end of the Big Room, you will come upon one of the most beautiful and dramatic structures in the caverns: the Doll’s Theater. It is an extremely fragile collection of soda straw stalactites and columns. Some of those straws are just as thin as a pencil! A visitor can walk around and marvel at the shapes, colors, and shadows this structure provides. For me, that is arguably the most impressive of everything I saw in the cave. The dramatic colors and sheer number of stalactites are mind-boggling. To make things even more dramatic, remember that these stalactites are still growing and new ones are also appearing.
The easiest part about touring Carlsbad Caverns is that when you finish the tour, you can easily take the elevator up to the surface. There is no need to hike back up to the surface.
It was fun looking at everyone’s 2023 photo retrospective last week. Thanks to Patti for leading this week’s Dramatic challenge. Join us next week when Ann-Christine will introduce a new challenge. To learn more about the Lens-Artists Challenge along with a bit of its history, please see this page.
Inside the Mind of Isadora
WOW … It’s the first word that came to me as I viewed your photographs.
Ironically, I visited the caverns back in 1975. Yes, a long time ago. It was summer.
I was very surprised at how cold it was as we continued further intot he caverns.
We weren’t prepared for that.
I enjoyed the walk down memory lane. It’s a grand place to visit. Thanks for sharing
your phenomenal photos.
Isadora 😎
Egídio Leitão
Isadora, I am glad this brought back good memories. Thanks for your kind words.
Inside the Mind of Isadora
You’re 😎 welcome
Marie A Bailey
These are truly awe-inspiring photos, Egidio. I haven’t been in a cave in many years, and I’m not sure if I could go in one again. Like Tina, my claustrophobia has gotten worse as I’ve gotten older. I do remember visiting the Florida Caverns State Park in Marianna. I was fine until the tour guide announced that he would turn off the lights so we could “see” how dark it was in the cave. I think I held my breath the whole time we were in the dark, which felt like hours but was probably only 10 seconds 😉 Thank you for these beautiful photos!
Egídio Leitão
Thank you for your kind words and comments, Marie. I appreciate the feedback.
sandyjwhite
A fascinating place!
Egídio Leitão
I appreciate your comment. Thank you.
sandyjwhite
My pleasure.
Perpetua
Incredible! Beyond dramatic.
Egídio Leitão
Perpetua, that is very kind of you to say. Thank you.
aekshots
Fantastic images Egidio. What an amazing place and you did a great job of putting it on display for us. Well done 🙂
Egídio Leitão
Andy, I’m glad you enjoyed seeing the photos. Thank you.
Leya
Stunningly beautiful and dramatic, Egídio! You made everything in these caves come alive in detail as well as light – outstanding photography. Thank you for taking us!
Egídio Leitão
Ann-Christine, many thanks for your compliment. I appreciated it.
SoyBend
Wow! That is so cool! I like the way they placed the lights in there. I really liked your photo of the Crystal Spring Dome, Egidio.
Egídio Leitão
I am happy you liked the photos, Siobhan. Thank you for the feedback.
myrelar
<3
Egídio Leitão
Thanks for the reaction.
janet
Your spectacular photos do justice to a stunning place. Haven’t been in years. Now I want to go tomorrow. 😉
janet
Egídio Leitão
Thanks, Janet. I hope you re-visit Carslbad soon.
janet
Glorious photos of a stunning place, Egidio. I haven’t been there for ages. Your photos inspire me to think about going again.
janet
Egídio Leitão
Thank you, Janet. I’m glad the photo caused a good reaction.
Amy
Stunning photo of Carlsbad! I love the details you capture. We visited years ago. it is magnificent!
Egídio Leitão
Amy, thanks for your feedback.
I. J. Khanewala
Wow! The light certainly makes these dramatic.
Egídio Leitão
I.J., yes, they have added artificial light to highlight the cave features. It turns the space otherworldly.
Tranature - quiet moments in nature
Wow, what a fabulous place to visit Egidio and you have captured it so beautifully 😊
Egídio Leitão
Xenia, thank you so much for your kind words.
Yanti
whoaaa… those stalactites! and the sheer size of the cavern! dramatic, indeed!
Great photos, Egidio, thank you for sharing.
I went to similar (smaller, only more meandering perhaps) caves on my trip to North Vietnam. looking at your photos reminds me of the feeling being inside making me feel a bit claustrophobic even though it’s actually quite spacious…
Egídio Leitão
Yanti, thank you very much for your comment. I’m glad the photos resonated with your own experiences.
pattimoed
Great choice for the challenge, Egidio. I’m submitting this comment again because the first message was identified as “unacceptable.” I never saw that before! Strange. But….I love your post. I’ve never been to Carlsbad, but I clearly should go, based on your beautiful images. The last room is astounding. And the stalactites are still growing! Wow.
Egídio Leitão
Thanks for the feedback, Patti. So, what is this “unacceptable” from WP? Go figure! I hope you get to go to Carlsbad. It’s a fascinating place.
JohnRH
WOW. Great photos, great response. Beauties!
Egídio Leitão
Thanks, John. Glad you liked the photos.
Wind Kisses
Outstanding selection for the challenge, Egidio. For those who havn’t been there, to capture photos, any photos is a treasure. You managed to bring us stellar images from such an impressive place. Color, lines, texture, lighting as well as the explanations are fantastic. I love this place when we visited last year. It is fascinating. You brought it to life for all of us.
Egídio Leitão
Many thanks, Donna. I’m glad the photos brought you good memories. I appreciate the kind words.
Anne Sandler
Well chosen Egidio. There’s nothing like a cavern for drama, color and form. I’ve not been to this one, but we do have several choices close by. Maybe it’s time to revisit some.
Egídio Leitão
Anne, thanks for your response. My first visit there was not so productive because of an old camera. Nowadays, low light conditions are no problem with newer cameras and noise reduction software.
Sylvia Bacon
Wonderful pictures from inside Carlsbad Caverns, Egidio, you did a beautiful job capturing the lovely colors and details there!!
Egídio Leitão
Sylvia, thank you for your comment. I’m glad you liked the photos.
André
wow, what a scene 👍
Egídio Leitão
André, I’m glad you enjoyed the scene.
photobyjohnbo
We visited the caverns last fall. Your images are beautiful reminders of what we saw. Photos in caverns can be challenging, but you’ve met that challenge as well as the theme for this week!
Egídio Leitão
John, as I mentioned to Sofia, the first time I visited the caverns, the photos were awful. There was a lot of noise. Now, with a better camera and better noise reduction technology, I was pleased with the photos I got. Thank you for your feedback.
margaret21
This is just extraordinary. Thanks so much for the tour.
Egídio Leitão
Margaret, I am happy that you enjoyed the tour. Thanks for the feedback.
Ritva Sillanmäki Photography
Those are great dramatic shot of drama nature can bestow us with
Egídio Leitão
Nature never fails. Thanks, Ritva.
Sofia Alves
This is obviously an amazing place, Egídio but the thing is, you captured it in a way only you can… which makes this post even more special. The detail is awesome, the light, everything. I loved this.
Egídio Leitão
Sofia, thanks for your kind words and compliment. I remember the photos I got the first time I visited Carlsbad. The low light situation resulted in noisy photos. So, I went back a couple of other times when I had a better camera and noise technology had improved.
Tra Italia e Finlandia
Veramente impressionante!
Egídio Leitão
Grazie mille!
Tina Schell
You know Egidio, I have a faint memory of going through the Carlsbad Cavern with my parents many many years ago. But I must say I have very little memory of it so I must have been quite young. I will also tell you I will NEVER be there again because as I’ve aged I’ve developed a terrible fear of being enclosed underground, who knows why. In any case, I don’t need to go because your images are amazing! Drama at its finest. The lighting is incredible. A perfect response for the week!
Egídio Leitão
Tina, thank you for your comment. I remember many years ago, I went spelunking with a group of friends. I wanted to find out whether I would experience any fears being in such confined spaces. Well, it all went well, but I discovered I would not do it again. Our group was on knees and hands for an hour and a half. Then we did the same coming back. Knowing there was a whole world above us made me reconsider that spelunking is not for me. Carlsbad doesn’t have that effect on me, though, It’s so spacious that I don’t worry much. I’m glad you liked the photos and can experience Carlsbad through them. Thanks.