Wilbur D. Mills Dam.

Wilbur D. Mills Dam spans the Arkansas River in southeast Arkansas as the final dam on the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System. Sixteen wide steel gates line the spillway, each one pivoting up and out of the water to let the river through. The whole structure flows as a long, industrial wall cutting straight across the river. It is fun to experiment with capturing the scale of it, the churn of white water below the open gates, and the birds that gather in the tailwater to feed. It's easy to shoot from Wilbur D. Mills Park just downstream for a straight view across the gates. The nearby boat ramp allows you to set up at a low angle right down at water level. Turbulence below the dam pulls in catfish and bass, and with them the anglers and wading birds that make unique subjects to contrast all that steel and concrete. Morning and evening light both work well here, since the water throws a lot of it back and softens the hard industrial lines of the structure. The park has camping and a boat launch, both free to use, and makes a comfortable base if you want early and late light on the same visit. Release schedules change the amount of water coming through the gates day to day, so a quiet, low flow visit looks very different from a high flow day. Make sure to check the current conditions before you head out if the amount of white water matters to your shot. (Arkansas Post, Arkansas, USA)