Salt
of the Earth
Exploring the Salton Sea through light and color.
photos
and text by Kevin Key
My
current focus has been centered on the Salton Sea. The Salton Sea is a fascinating
place - where else does one see a huge body of water in the middle of a desert?
And, because of some unfortunate events in the Sea's history, there are plenty
of abandoned buildings to explore in the area.
In recent months, I've began experimenting with light painting - using a
handheld camera flash, colored filters, and long exposures to "paint"
with light.
My main equipment is a Canon
EOS Digital Rebel XTi, a Sigma 18-200 DC OS
3.5-6.3, and a Sigma 15mm F2.8 fisheye.
Above:
Light
painting inside the abandoned North Shore Yacht Club at nighttime.
Above:
Bathroom building at
an abandoned Adobe Mineral Springs Spa Resort in Niland.
Below: Abandoned
North Shore Motel. This motel was torn down in late November of 2008. It was
used in a scene for the movie 'The Island'.
Right:
Abandoned trailer at Salton Sea Beach. Rising salinity caused massive fish die-offs.
In addition, there were a couple of hurricanes that caused home and trailers
surrounding the Sea to flood out a few decades ago.
Above:
Looking out at the Salton Sea through a rotting boarded up window at the North
Shore Yacht Club.
Left:
Candyman, Candyman, Candyman, Candyman, Can...dy...mannnnnn... Creepy bathroom
inside the abandoned North Shore Motel.
Above:
Looking out at the Salton Sea from a porthole in the North Shore Yacht Club.
Left:
Abandoned apartment building in Salton City.
