Drumheller May 30 09 0009

Drumheller May 30 09 0009, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

Photo from a recent trip to Calgary to visit my in-laws. We spent a couple of days spinning around the fields. I didn't know that red barns even existed any more... This one was pretty run down but extremely cool... I added a bit of Alien Skin Exposure love to get it to look this way.

Margot at Wedding 2

Margot at Wedding 2, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

Margot, posing for me at a friend's wedding in Vancouver recently. She (and her sister) were flower girls. I have another shot around here that I like more than this one, though...

Garibaldi Open House03

Garibaldi Open House03, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

Elise, unsure how to pose. Actually, I think she was eyeing the playground and was just humoring her father. It'll happen again, I'm sure.

Palm_Springs

Palm_Springs_10, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

During the wind storm in Palm Springs the pool filled up pretty quickly. They tried to keep it clean but gave up after a short while.

Palm_Springs

Palm_Springs_06, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

Another shot from the Salton Sea - shot on film with my Hasselblad 203. and the 110f2 lens. I have no idea why the colour went the way it did, but I do like the look...

Palm_Springs_02

Palm_Springs_02, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

...sort of the quintessential view of Palm Springs - palm trees and the hills behind.

Korakia_02

Korakia_02, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

...another shot from Palm Springs - just a quick grab, as you can see by the horizon...

Palm_Springs_03

Palm_Springs_03, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

I studied Art History in University - and one thing I spent a lot of time working on was modern architecture - you know, Le Corbusier, Mies Van Der Rohe, Johnson, etc. We looked at all kinds of houses and buildings and I was always taken at how beautiful they looked, especially the ones from Southern California.

Palm Springs, if you can look between the Mesa and the stucco-look buildings, has all kinds of amazing mid-century architecture. This is the facade of one of the (unfortunately, but hardly surprisingly) empty bank buildings on Palm Canyon Drive.

Palm Springs Trees

Palm Trees_02, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

When we were in Palm Springs there was this EPIC wind storm - it must have been blowing 50 or 60 knots - high winds - The palm trees took it surprisingly well, with the exception of the old fronds that blew off - otherwise I don't think I saw a single palm tree blow over. Saw lots of other things blow over, though - trees, awnings, nose cones off of windmills...

Korakia Fountain

Korakia Fountain, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

The fountain at the front of the Korakia Hotel in Palm Springs. It was pretty bright, and I love how the water drops are frozen in time - 1/2000 of a second, I think - pretty amazing from my old Hasselblad 203fe...

Windmills 0029

PS - Windmills 0029, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

...another few windmills.

Windmills 0028

PS - Windmills 0028, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

Some of the many windmills around Palm Springs. I wonder how much energy they generate...

Salton Sea 0073

Salton Sea 0073, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

Another view of the Salton Sea - just at sunset. There is the most amazing light in Southern California...

Salton Sea 0007

Salton Sea 0007, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

This was on the Beach of the Salton Sea - well, I use the term 'beach' advisedly. The shore is covered in barnacle shells, with a few fish bones here and there.

It's a strange place, the Salton Sea - I had an idea in my mind that it was going to be some sort of a series of ruins in a most romantic mid-20th century sort of a way. Full of old motels and tumble-down places... It is - in order to get to the beach in Salton City we had to meander down a number of roads, all of which obviously were laid out for the coming real estate boom that never happened... Beach Vista Road; Beach View Road; Beach View Crescent - you get the idea.

...but it's not entirely deserted. There are some newer houses there, some old ones, too. Many of the houses, new and old are deserted, with foreclosure notices in the front windows, and George, who was traveling with us pointed out that most of the people who live around here probably have a gun for protection. It was much more a statement of fact than a commentary on the area - we were a LONG way from any sort of police station or any help whatsoever.

Beautiful place in its decay, but much more sobering and real than I had envisioned...

Museum of Flight 02_09 0025

Museum of Flight 02_09 0025, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

The interior of a DC-3 at the Canadian Museum of Flight.. I love the old fabric - straight out of the 60s. It was actually surprisingly roomy in there. I always thought they were more cramped.

Museum of Flight 02_09 0041

Museum of Flight 02_09 0041, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

I was wondering how to shoot this plane - it's a Handley Page Hampden from the The Canadian Museum of Flight in Langley, BC. It was dredged out of 600 feet of water many years ago and then rebuilt.


However, a snowfall in December snapped the wing on the left side and damaged it quite significantly. I think it'll take a while to put it back together, but at least they're not starting at square one again...

Margot Jan_09 027

Margot Jan_09 027, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

Final one - my favorite. I love the expression in her eyes.

Margot Jan_09 004

Margot Jan_09 004, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

Another - all shot with the Hasselblad CF-39 and on an old 503CW.

Margot Jan_09 048

Margot Jan_09 048, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

I was on a hat kick. This is Margot, of course, with a borrowed hat - one of three we took last week that I thought worked pretty well...