Salton Sea - misunderstood treasure of California

[Kerry Perkins]

Captured at dawn on the eastern shore of the Salton Sea. For me, this image captures the essence of the serenity, landscape, color, and bird life of this place. It is one of the most misunderstood and maligned wildlife areas anywhere. Many people think that it is a toxic waste dump or something, but it just isn't true. It is a beautiful place that is host to millions of birds every year, some nesting and living there year-round. Over 30% of the species that use the Pacific flyway make their home and breed here at some time during the year. \<rant>

Processed with Topaz filters - DeNoise, Detail, and Adjust. I used one of the HDR presets in the Adjust filter. I was going for a faded postcard look, to communicate the fact that this has been a recreational area since the 1950's.

[denise ippolito]

Kerry, I've always loved your Salton Sea images. The soft color tones and the sweep of the clouds feel very peaceful.

[Steve Adkins]

Hi Kerry! Great undulating lines of pelicans and mountains. Love the soft tones.

[Dennis Bishop]

I really like the look, but it's even better now that I know the story behind it. It's wonderful that the diagonals of the mountains, clouds, and pelicans are pretty much parallel and lead back to the left. I like that there's a solitary pelican followed by a group of three and that the wing positions are so good. Very nice image.

[Mark Fuge]

Very nice image and application, Kerry.

You accomplished your goal. All you need is a '58 Vette in the foregound!

[Judy Howle]

What a lovely composition with perfect balance between the line of pelicans and the mountains. The colors are beautiful. Thanks for the information. I can see why you love the place.

[Paul Lagasi]

Kerry, what struck me first was how the pelicans were almost line up perfectly with the mountains..a lovely composition, the color of the sky and mountains, priceless

[Jay Gould]

How very cool; I may even go over there in March when I have a couple of weeks to burn. Cheers Kerry,

[Anita Bower]

The line of pelicans following the line of the mountains makes this image for me. Good capture! I like the soft colors. I wish the water were a less muddy color.

[Michael Gerald-Yamasaki]

Kerry,

Greetings. Your defense of the Salton Sea made me smile. It is truly an interesting place with natural characteristics unlike any I've ever seen. I mean, once you get beyond the recently dead fish (who had the misfortune to stray from the fresh water in the middle of the lake to the too salty water near shore) and the realization that the beach you're walking on has, uh, sand that is entirely made up of fish bones (since the fish have been dying this way for decades), er, did I mention the smell ?... I mean, once you get beyond those things, you begin to see the really thin line between beauty and the surreal .

All kidding aside, the Salton Sea has it's form of beauty and I like the part that you've captured in your image.

Cheers,

-Michael-

[Kerry Perkins]

Michael, I had to defend her honor over in ETL and now here... The smell is not from dead fish, it is from microorganisms consuming the algae blooms. The beach is made up of barnacle shells, not fish bones. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but I personally love it there.

[Michael Gerald-Yamasaki]

Michael, I had to defend her honor over in ETL and now here... The smell is not from dead fish, it is from microorganisms consuming the algae blooms. The beach is made up of barnacle shells, not fish bones. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but I personally love it there.

Kerry, To be fair I've only been there once some years ago (when I first took up digital photography) so my sampling of conditions may have been unusual...




So maybe I wasn't smelling dead fish (though I could see dozens) and, yeah, most of the beach that I was at was made up of barnacle shells (but with a healthy dose of fish bones thrown in).

We're certainly in agreement that, uh, it's not everyone's cup of tea The photographic opportunities are wide and varied there!

Cheers,

-Michael-

[Kerry Perkins]

Hi Michael, yes there are definitely dead fish and bones, but they are way beyond having any smell left. You typically see the fish bones right at the edge of the water. It is strange walking on all those shells - they crunch when you step on them! I have however been there right after a massive fish die-off and that is a different story...