Salton

Just came from the Salton Sea. What a mess of a place this is, but great for photographers.

Unfortunately, they're in the process of cleaning it up. The old north shore Motel is gone, and they've also hauled away a number of the old vehicles and buildings at the Sunken City at Bombay Beach :(

Here's a shot at Bombay Beach. It was still 110F at about 7:30 pm.

http://www.gregbulla.com/Photography..._2970_1000.jpg

i really like the lines created by the waves GB. the subtle hills in teh BG make this shot for me. maybe even a nice b&w conversion might take shot up a notch. but i like it as is. simple and effective, the kind of shots i like.

GB,

Have not been out to the Salton Sea in a long time. With your report herein, it may be a good long while before I go again. Too bad really, it could be such an attraction. Your photo shows the stark reality of the place. Nice shot. Love the waves, such as they are, gives the shot some texture.

CF

Thanks Liban, CF. Yep, this one is simple. The SS normally doesn't have waves, so I think a boat must have cruised by, though I didn't see or hear it. It added some interest. There was a haze over the water, probably due to the intense heat, that made the scene a bit more interesting.

Stay tuned - I have more images of this place.

CF, it's funny as it seem like everyone in S. Cali has been there to the Salton Sea at least once, and almost always "a long time ago." I person I spoke with yesterday said that she was there back when it was popular and had resorts! I think that must have been at least 20 years ago, maybe 30 or 40.. ha ha... times have sure changed, for the worse :)

G

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Originally Posted by GB1

What a mess of a place this is, but great for photographers.

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Why so? I've never been there but seen a few photographs of that place, and, they all look good.

Nice shot !

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Originally Posted by AgingEyes

Why so? I've never been there but seen a few photographs of that place, and, they all look good.

Nice shot !

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Thanks AE.

Salton Sea, why r u so nasty? Could be the thousands of dead fish that line the shore (see my Salton Stumps post. I had to clone out a dead fish in the water foreground: see if you can tell where :) ), where you walk on the bones of dead tilapia instead of sand. Could also be the terrible stench that goes along with it though I think algae is partially to blame.

But this place is pretty desolate to humans too. Many people live is extreme poverty there, their house literally falling apart. Junk everywhere on the east side, nobody seems to have the motivation to clean it up. The north side is a little better and has a significant amount of agriculture, though it's runoff is what's killing the the Salton Sea (it's too salty and oxygen-deprived). The west side is hit and miss.

They built a number of little villages and resorts there that went belly up awhile back. Many of the abandoned buildings remain and are a feast for photographers. Unfortunately, they're knocking them down one by one. The Sunken City is now mostly gone :cryin: The old Motel along the North Shore has been removed, too. An old abandoned gas station near the border patrol station disappeared (it had some NEAT old pumps!), and the state park there is shutting down due to budget cuts. I don't expect the park to reopen anytime soon, if ever.

Yep, things are changing there. Maybe my old photos will be classics?

G

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Originally Posted by GB1

Thanks AE.

Salton Sea, why r u so nasty?

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Me, the guys whose eyes are aging, is nasty?? :confused: :p

My apology !:blush2:

Thanks for telling me more about Salton Sea, G ! I still remember the movie " The Salton Sea" (like that kid who sells gun to Val Kilmer ). The Salton sea in that movie looked pretty much like the one in your photo: peaceful and beautiful. And so I though it was a beautiful place :D I guess it would be interesting to see photos of the surrounding areas.

Yup, you never know. In time, any photograph could become important.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AgingEyes

Me, the guys whose eyes are aging, is nasty?? :confused: :p

My apology !:blush2:

Thanks for telling me more about Salton Sea, G ! I still remember the movie " The Salton Sea" (like that kid who sells gun to Val Kilmer ). The Salton sea in that movie looked pretty much like the one in your photo: peaceful and beautiful. And so I though it was a beautiful place :D I guess it would be interesting to see photos of the surrounding areas.

Yup, you never know. In time, any photograph could become important.

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Ha ha .. I never saw The Salton Sea, but I've seen amateur video documentaries, model shots and so on from there. You can definitely catch pretty scenes just as easily as you can capture bad ones. It must be one of those half empty/ half full perception things, I suppose.

Here's a picture show of previous Salton Sea photos. A bizarre mixture, I would say. The Hotel is gone now. They have fish dies there yearly. Oh and yeah the shore doesn't have sand, but tilapia bones, as shown here.

http://www.gregbulla.com/Photography...45_1_px800.jpg

http://www.gregbulla.com/Photography...08_1_px800.jpg

http://www.gregbulla.com/Photography...ath1_px640.jpg

http://www.gregbulla.com/Photography...ine1_px640.jpg

http://forums.photographyreview.com/...1&d=1270699691

http://forums.photographyreview.com/...1&d=1270928149

http://forums.photographyreview.com/...1&d=1216597791

http://forums.photographyreview.com/...1&d=1207107694

http://forums.photographyreview.com/...1&d=1179782080

http://forums.photographyreview.com/...1&d=1171862980

http://forums.photographyreview.com/...1&d=1171862980

Thank you for showing me "the other side" of Salton Sea, G ! It does looks messy there :)

.. And the next time you all eat tilapia, I want you to think of these images :D :lol: :p