I’ve been to the Salton Sea several times now, but this was the first time I went without needing to shoot a couple. I went when Samm Blake came to visit San Diego (she’s from Australia), and it was the first time we actually MET, after knowing each other online for many many years (before we even became wedding photographers). I decided to post a few, since it has been a while since I’ve posted anything personal that wasn’t a polaroid.

The backstory of the Salton Sea is that it was created when the Colorado River flooded around the turn of the last century. It was originally touted to be a resort area, with yacht clubs, and boats and water skiing and swimming. But due to many factors (dying fish, high saline content, flooding), it didn’t survive this dream, and now it’s abandoned except for the few people who decided that the Salton Sea is home. Going to the Salton Sea is always a surreal experience, especially at what I think is the most beautiful time to visit it, sunset. The whole place transforms to this serene and abandoned beauty. We stayed well past sunset, as evidenced by some of Samm’s photos on her blog.

What also intrigues me about the place is whenever I see other photographer’s photos of the place – it’s like you can see time pass through it. (For example, we did this shoot a few years ago using that blue chair we found there, and then I found this photo from another photographer of the same chair over a year later. In a different location and totally decayed.) Everytime I see a new photo from a different photographer, you can see how much it decays.

But it is beautiful, and I definitely think worth the 3 hour drive. :)

Enjoy!

P.S. that motel that we shot in is gone! they tore it down :(