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...

Colour_Film_Scan_19.jpg

Colour_Film_Scan_19.jpg, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

Film, same wall - I have to thank Evaan Kheraj for painting this wall for a shoot he had - we share a studio. The colour is great.

Colour_Film_Scan_04.jpg

Colour_Film_Scan_04.jpg, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

Another shot from last week's shoot. Large format film.

Polaroid_Scan_03

Polaroid_Scan_03, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

I did some testing last week - something to keep me sharp, I suppose. I wanted to shoot of the last of my Polaroid Type-55 black and white film but it was all kaput - I only managed one frame out of about 8 or 9.

However, I did have some old Fuji Instant film - it's a bit magenta because of the age, but it looks pretty cool. I just scanned in the print. Of course, there is the small matter of dust and scratches and some very prominent thumb prints, but I still think the shot is nice...

Rasberries

Rasberries, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

Old shot - I took this years ago of my sister-in-law's hands and my Mother-in-Law's garden. The berries were fantastic. I shot this just after sunset - one of my favorite times of the day from a light point of view. You only get a couple of minutes but that strange blue hue you get from a bright summer sky is pretty cool...

T55-Molly-1.jpg

T55-Molly-1.jpg, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

Another shot from the Summer on Polaroid Type-55 and the Linhof. I love the dropoff of focus in this image.

Monique_Testing_05

Monique_Testing_05, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

Another shot of Monique, on grey seamless. Little vignette for effect...

Monique1

Monique1, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

Some testing last week. Monique is a good sport...

Christina_Lake_06

Christina_Lake_06, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

Margot, in Gill Creek at Christina Lake. Her aunt bought her this dress - I love it against the green of the trees.

Christina_Lake_05

Christina_Lake_05, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

Elise, standing still just long enough for me to get a single frame off. Shot on 4x5 neg film with the Technikardin.

T55 George

T55 George1, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

My Nephew, George. On the dock - Type 55 Polaroid and the Linhof again... It's funny, he's not much of a pose-for-the-camera kind of kid, but I was really blown away by his pose for this shot. Lucky, I guess...

T55 Elise

T55 Elise 1, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

Elise on the dock - another Type 55 Polaroid photo.

T55 Margot

T55 Margot 1, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

On the dock at Lake Simcoe. Margot, trying to stand still in the high wind. Shot on 4x5 with Type 55 Polaroid film.

CH Shoes

CH Shoes, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

My niece's shoes, left on the dock.

Margot sitting

400NC Margot 1, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

She's pretty patient, for a 5-year-old. Well, for any age, really. At any rate, this is Margot, only too happy (although you wouldn't know it from the photo) to pose for her dad. Shot on a 4x5 camera with neg film of some sort or other. I used that Xenotar 150mm lens again - my favorite.

SunYatSen Pond

SunYatSen Pond, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

This is the pond at Dr Sun Yat Sen Gardens in Vancouver. I was out shooting early(ish) in the morning a while ago, and got this shot. It was taken with film and my Hasselblad - I just got around to scanning it last week.

New York

New York, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

Bedroom in the Metropolitan Museum. I took this shot for reference, just in case I think about getting an inlaid headboard or gilt wallpaper... Amazing, but not to my taste...

Knife on Plate

Knife on Plate, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

This is my homage to one of my most favorite photos, La Fourchette, by Andre Kertesz This is another old image, scanned in and among some other images I recently found.