Salton Sea

Colorful Exposed Tilapia Nests at the Salton Sea

As the water level in the Salton Sea recedes, previously underwater fish nests like these are becoming exposed. Spawning occurs when the water temperature exceeds 68° F. Males dig large circular nests with their mouths in shallow water over a sandy bottom. The male swims out to a passing female and leads her to the nest where courtship occurs; female lays eggs and immediately takes into mouth after male fertilizes, after which she swims off, possibly to mate with another male. The males continue to guard nests and may spawn again with another female. I believe a combination of algae, bacteria, and possibly minerals are what cause the interesting mix of colors in the water here. To produce this panoramic image, I shot several frames side-by-side and then stitched them together in Lightroom. This was shot around sunset when the shadows and colors are more intense. As always, prints are available on my website: www.KevinKeyPhotography.com

Bird In A Dead Tree During Twilight At The Salton Sea

A dead tree with large birds nests stands on the playa on the southeastern shore of the Salton Sea. This is a single frame from one of several time lapse sequences I recently shot around the Salton Sea (video coming soon). While reviewing the frames, I noticed this bird appearing on the tree. It looks like it might be an owl, but I'm not certain. This area was once under water, but the sea is now rapidly drying up due to changes in water apportionments agreed upon for the Colorado River under the Quantification Settlement Agreement (QSA) of 2003. The Salton Sea is a shallow, saline, endorheic rift lake located directly on the San Andreas Fault, predominantly in California's Imperial and Coachella valleys. The lake occupies the lowest elevations of the Salton Sink in the Colorado Desert of Imperial and Riverside Counties in Southern California. Its surface is 236.0 ft (71.9 m) below sea level as of January 2018. The deepest point of the sea is 5 ft (1.5 m) higher than the lowest point of Death Valley. The sea is fed by the New, Whitewater, and Alamo rivers, as well as agricultural runoff, drainage systems, and creeks.

Dead Tree At The Salton Sea

Nighttime scene with a dead tree with large birds nests that still stands on the playa on the southeastern shore of the Salton Sea. Tree and playa illuminated by a nearly full moon and the bright orange floodlights at a nearby geothermal power plant. This area was once under water, but the sea is now rapidly drying up due to changes in water apportionments agreed upon for the Colorado River under the Quantification Settlement Agreement (QSA) of 2003. The Salton Sea is a shallow, saline, endorheic rift lake located directly on the San Andreas Fault, predominantly in California's Imperial and Coachella valleys. The lake occupies the lowest elevations of the Salton Sink in the Colorado Desert of Imperial and Riverside Counties in Southern California. Its surface is 236.0 ft (71.9 m) below sea level as of January 2018. The deepest point of the sea is 5 ft (1.5 m) higher than the lowest point of Death Valley. The sea is fed by the New, Whitewater, and Alamo rivers, as well as agricultural runoff, drainage systems, and creeks.

Transition From Day To Night At the Salton Sea

The sky transitions from day to night over a somewhat choppy Salton Sea. Shot at the abandoned Niland Marina. Light pollution in the background is from Bombay Beach. Bright object in the upper center of the sky here is Venus. Foreground illuminated by a nearly full moon.

Choppy Water Under A 95% Full Moon At The Salton Sea

Shot at the abandoned Niland Marina County Park on the east shore of the Salton Sea.

Come Sail Away At The Salton Sea

Abandoned boat and star trails - with the Milky Way as a bonus feature - on the shore of Bombay Beach at the Salton Sea. To produce this image, I shot 666 frames with my Canon 6D and Sigma 15mm EX DG lens at 20 sec f/2.8 ISO 3200 and stacked the images using StarStaX.

Star Trails Over Obsidian Butte

Obsidian Butte at the southern shore of the Salton Sea. To produce this image, I shot 371 images with my Canon 6D and Tokina 17-35mm lens at 10 sec f/4 ISO 3200 and then staked them in StarStaX. Obsidian is produced when magma cools very suddenly so that there is no time for mineral crystals to form. The resulting rock has a structure similar to glass. In ancient and modern times obsidian has been honed into ultra-sharp arrowheads, knives, and cutting tools.

Moonlit Butte

Obsidian Butte at the southern shore of the Salton Sea illuminated by a setting 16% moon (out of frame). I had hoped to shoot the Milky Way here, but the light pollution was far worse than I had anticipated. Obsidian is produced when magma cools very suddenly so that there is no time for mineral crystals to form. The resulting rock has a structure similar to glass. In ancient and modern times obsidian has been honed into ultra-sharp arrowheads, knives, and cutting tools.

Bombay Beach Blue Hour Boat

Panorama of an abandoned boat and a portion of the shoreline of Bombay Beach at the Salton Sea. To produce this panorama, I combined 28 overlapping vertical frames shot at 0.4 sec f/8 ISO 320 with a Canon 6D and Sigma 15mm EX DG lens.

Obsidian Butte Sunset at the Salton Sea

Obsidian is produced when magma cools very suddenly so that there is no time for mineral crystals to form. The resulting rock has a structure similar to glass. In ancient and modern times obsidian has been honed into ultra-sharp arrowheads, knives, and cutting tools.

And He Sailed Off Into the Galaxy

Sailing into the Milky Way in an abandoned boat from Bombay Beach at the Salton Sea.

Come with me to the Salton Sea - take 2

Self portrait of me sailing into the Milky Way in an abandoned boat at Bombay Beach at the Salton Sea

Come with me to the Salton Sea

Self portrait of me sailing into the Milky Way in an abandoned boat at Bombay Beach at the Salton Sea

Camping under the Milky Way at Bombay Beach at the Salton Sea

I spent a night camping in my trailer at Bombay Beach. The sky was clear, but the humidity was much higher than I had expected. Bright light pollution from some geothermal power plants to the south made this image a bit challenging to process. The Milky Way should look much better here in another month or two when the core of the Milky Way is in the west where there is much less light due to the mountains blocking out the glow from San Diego. To create this panorama, I shot 19 vertical frames with my Canon 6D and Sigma 15mm EX DG lens at 20 sec f/2.8 ISO 3200.

Tilapia nests at the Salton Sea

With the sea drying up and receding, tilapia nests like these are being newly exposed. I like all the different colors seen here.

Tilapia nests at the Salton Sea

With the sea drying up and receding, tilapia nests like these are being newly exposed. I like all the different colors seen here.

Tilapia nests at the Salton Sea

With the sea drying up and receding, tilapia nests like these are being newly exposed. I like all the different colors seen here.

Tilapia nests at the Salton Sea

With the sea drying up and receding, tilapia nests like these are being newly exposed. I like all the different colors seen here.

Tilapia nests at the Salton Sea

With the sea drying up and receding, tilapia nests like these are being newly exposed. I like all the different colors seen here.

Tilapia nests at the Salton Sea

With the sea drying up and receding, tilapia nests like these are being newly exposed. I like all the different colors seen here.

Tilapia nests at the Salton Sea

With the sea drying up and receding, tilapia nests like these are being newly exposed. I like all the different colors seen here.

Tilapia nests at the Salton Sea

With the sea drying up and receding, tilapia nests like these are being newly exposed. I like all the different colors seen here.

Star Trails Above Pilings at the Remains of the Salton Sea Navy Test Base

To produce this image I shot 62 frames - each at 25 sec f/5.6 ISO 3200 - using a Canon 6D and Tokina 17-35mm lens. I then combined the images in StarStaX. Much of the actual road that leads here is covered in deep sand. The only way to get here is to drive along a wash and be sure to stay on the established path. If you stray too far off the path along the shoreline, you WILL get stuck - sometimes in very soft, sticky, and deep quicksand-like wet clay. You have been warned! The Salton Sea Naval Station was an auxiliary field to NAS San Diego commissioned in 1942, had a barracks for over 600 men constructed there. It was disestablished in 1946. NAF El Centro then took over the facility using it for parachute tests of the manned space program and other military systems until 1979. There remains little if anything of the former field. The Salton Sea has taken over much of the runway. In 2001 the United States Bureau of Reclamation used the site to remove salt from the Salton Sea, as high salinity is a major problem facing the inland lake. They used modified snowmaking equipment and mine waste removal vehicles and continued testing for a year; however high energy costs and air quality issues forced the termination of this project. Purchase prints of my photos www.kevinkeyphotography.com

Spinning Star Streaks above a Somewhat Secluded Secret Scenic Spot on the Southern Shore of the Salton Sea on a Saturday in September

Some star trails and interesting landscape around the southern shore of the Salton Sea. The top of the mound here is illuminated by some very bright High Pressure Sodium lights nearby. To produce this image I shot 96 frames - each at 25 sec f/5.6 ISO 1600 - using a Canon 6D and Sigma 15m EX DG lens. I then combined the images in StarStaX.

Star Trails At The Salton Sea Alien Portal

This strange abandonment is located southeast of Bombay Beach at the Salton Sea. Star trails made by combining 220 frames shot at 25 sec f/6.3 ISO 1600 17mm in StarStaX. About midway down towards the left an Iridium flare can be seen. Back in the 1960s, Bombay Beach was the kind of Salton Sea resort town where celebrities such as The Beach Boys would spend their weekends sunbathing and waterskiing. Today, it's a town of mostly dilapidated double-wides, nine blocks deep and five blocks wide. There are just over 100 full-time residents, and two bars to keep their thirst quenched.

Bombay Beach Drive-In Theatre sign

This mock drive-in theater was created as part of the Bombay Beach Biennale, a "secret" art festival, now in its second year, that's been described as a cross between an art conference and Burning Man. The white dot above the sign towards the left is the moon. The lights on the sign are real, but they're actually battery-powered LED lamps designed to give the warm glow of old-fashioned incandescent light bulbs. At first I thought the lights around the sign weren't really operational and were just light bulbs glued in place. Upon closer examination, I found out the battery packs and wires leading to the lights. I went to the only open store in town, bought some size AA batteries, returned to the sign, installed the new batteries, and voila! I simulated the image on the screen as there is no working projector here. Back in the 1960s, Bombay Beach was the kind of Salton Sea resort town where celebrities such as The Beach Boys would spend their weekends sunbathing and waterskiing. Today, it's a town of mostly dilapidated double-wides, nine blocks deep and five blocks wide. There are just over 100 full-time residents, and two bars to keep their thirst quenched.

Star Trails and a Drive-In Movie

This mock drive-in theater was created as part of the Bombay Beach Biennale, a "secret" art festival, now in its second year, that's been described as a cross between an art conference and Burning Man. The lights on the sign are real, but they're actually battery-powered LED lamps designed to give the warm glow of old-fashioned incandescent light bulbs. At first I thought the lights around the sign weren't really operational and were just light bulbs glued in place. Upon closer examination, I found out the battery packs and wires leading to the lights. I went to the only open store in town, bought some size AA batteries, returned to the sign, installed the new batteries, and voila! I simulated the image on the screen as there is no working projector here. Back in the 1960s, Bombay Beach was the kind of Salton Sea resort town where celebrities such as The Beach Boys would spend their weekends sunbathing and waterskiing. Today, it's a town of mostly dilapidated double-wides, nine blocks deep and five blocks wide. There are just over 100 full-time residents, and two bars to keep their thirst quenched.