Lake Lanier revealed: A photographer's essay

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Lake Lanier revealed: A photographer's essay

Atlanta Journal-Constitution photographer Rich Addicks recently spent a day on Lake Lanier capturing these eerie scenes when the lake was about 15 feet below its full level.

As the drought continues and water levels drop, Lake Lanier reveals more and more of itself. The shoreline grows; the landscape metamorphoses into the surreal. A lunar-looking scene appears on a peninsula, exposed by the lower water, at an area near the Aqualand Marina.

This sandy area near Aqualand Marina comes with its own leftover beach chair. This beach should be submerged, as acknowledged by the water marker (upper left). Atlanta Journal-Constitution photographer Rich Addicks recently spent a day on Lake Lanier capturing these eerie scenes when the lake was about 15 feet below its full level.

Carl Hansson throws a ball for his dog, Taylor, after his daily check of the water near his dock (background) just off Chattahoochee Bay near the Aqualand Marina. Hansson, who has lived on the lake since 1990, said it's the lowest he's ever seen it. If the lake were at its normal level, Hansson said, he would be standing at water level in this picture.

A common sight along the shore is empty clam shells, like these near Buford Dam Park.

On new high ground, just off Chattahoochee Bay near the Aqualand Marina, the roots and stump of an old tree show the effects of years of erosion. The top of the trunk stands about 5 feet in the air, which would easily be under water during a full-pool year.

This dock off Chattahoochee Bay, by all predictions, will be out of commission for quite a while.

James Dellana of Braselton and his daughter, Ariel, 3, look for shells at Van Pugh Park (west of the Aqualand Marina), where the shore is more than 100 yards from the park's swimming area.

The scene often looks more like an ocean beach than a North Georgia lake. Ariel Dellana sprints past the swimming buoys at Van Pugh Park.

The swimming area at Van Pugh Park is empty.

At the bridge at Lake Lanier Islands, a normal passage for boats, only ground can be found. This sink was either thrown off the bridge or used as an anchor. In the background is a small patch of blue, the point where the lake has receeded.

A growing island rises above the water near Buford Dam. Normal water levels would be closer to the trees on the island.

With the lower water, stumps covered in fishing line are a testament to the more popular fishing locations, like this one near Buford Dam Park.

A parched shoreline is revealed near Buford Dam Park.

At the bridge at Lake Lanier Islands, this flag, which is about 13 feet above ground, could only have been painted from a boat tied to the pillar. The picture was taken using a camera on a monopod held above the photographer's head.

At the bridge at Lake Lanier Islands, the numbers represent the distance to the top of the bridge. Passage under the bridge is not possible today.

This water marker advises boaters to be careful. Normally, water would probably be up to the white portion of the marker.

Objects common to lake activity surface out of context: A picnic table, long submerged near Lake Lanier Islands, is exposed in low water.

Lake bottom near Aqualand Marina is a stark reminder of the drought.

Early morning light illuminates a receding shorline near Chattahoochee Bay, not far from Aqualand Marina. In the background is a dock abandoned to the lowering lake.

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As the drought continues and water levels drop, Lake Lanier reveals more and more of itself. The shoreline grows; the landscape metamorphoses into the surreal. A lunar-looking scene appears on a peninsula, exposed by the lower water, at an area near the Aqualand Marina.

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