Pano-rific!

I was up in Seattle over the summer and I found myself in a Goodwill hunting for cameras. This particular Goodwill was pretty big with a wide selection of cheap, cheaper and even super-cheaper cameras. I was only really looking for any Polaroid camera's I didn't have, but one little plastic black 35mm, an "Ansco Panoramic" camera, caught my eye. Here's one out of the package, brand-spanking new. I bought it for a whopping $2, packed it up and took it home with me to sunny California.

I honestly really didn't think too much of the camera and forgot all about it for a few months. However, I ended up heading back to the Salton Sea area last month so I decided to take my little pano with me.

Ch...I'm pretty stoked I did. I really like what I got with the first roll. I have never shot with a pano-type camera before and I really like wide frame! The colors, for the most part, are pretty so-so, but I chalk that up to my crappy expired Kodak I loaded into it. I think some b&w would look sweet.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with my new cheap little plastic pano :)

There & Back Again.

Without a doubt, one of my all time favorite places to explore and shoot is the Salton Sea in Southern California.
The Salton Sea is California's biggest lake. The lake's salinity is increasing by about 1 percent annually and it contains more salt than the Pacific Ocean. Once part of a vast inland sea that covered a large area of Southern California, the Salton Sea was the site of a major salt mining operation. Back in 1905, heavy rainfall and snowmelt caused the Colorado River to swell and breach an Imperial Valley damn. It took almost two years to control the flooding into the formerly dry Salton Sea area, also known as the Salton Sink. The sudden influx of water and the lack of any drainage from the area resulted in the formation of the Salton Sea that exists today.

The Salton Sea area was once a popular destination for Southern Californians with it's relative proximity to Palm Springs and Los Angeles. However, most of the buildings and structures have currently been forsaken and abandoned. Old houses and trailers rot close to the Sea, being eaten away by the water's high salinity. Altogether, the Salton Sea is unlike any other place I have ever been to before. Placed deep in the desert, this vast body of water highlights the surprisingly contrast between life and death. The resulting images and scenes are surreal and somewhat erie, quite the photographers dream. 

Originally uploaded by Stephanie.....

To check out some of the photographs I've been able to capture from this strange place, please check this out.