Salton Sea Photography Tour

Spend a day exploring and photographing the east side of the weird, fascinating, and beautiful Salton Sea.

Sandi Wheaton is a photography instructor based in Windsor, ON, and the Salton Sea, CA. After downsizing from General Motors in 2009, she took a life-changing drive across America on historic Route 66, creating three photography projects and an award-winning travel blog. One of Sandi’s greatest passions and long-term photography projects is the ecologically troubled Salton Sea in southern California.

The Salton Sea, California’s largest lake, was formed by accident in 1905 by an engineering mishap during irrigation of the Imperial Valley. Over time, it has been a hotbed for sports fishing, a recreational area boasting more visitors than Yosemite, an important wetland for migratory birds - and more recently, a haven for artists. The sea's decaying ruins, intriguing arts culture, birdlife, and gorgeous light have made it a Mecca for photographers. Photography instructor/tour guide Sandi Wheaton has been photographing the Salton Sea landscape for two decades and recently moved there full-time. She knows the people, the culture, and the cool spots for photos. Your tour will start with coffee/tea and a slideshow at Bombay Soleil (Sandi’s studio in Bombay Beach), which will introduce you to the area, its history, and the sites you will visit. You will then head out to explore and photograph the many interesting sites on the east side of the sea, including Leonard Knight’s inspiring Salvation Mountain (featured in the movie “Into the Wild”), East Jesus sculpture garden, the art community of Bombay Beach, “dead tree beach” and burrowing owls at the south end of the sea. Please note that the Salton Sea is constantly changing, and some of the iconic structures popular for photography are rapidly disappearing – but new great photo locations are also revealing.

Participants must bring All required items for your course: a daypack to carry food, water, and any personal items you need for the day. A notebook and pencil are always good to have, a camera (a smartphone camera is fine; this is about capturing images however you like to), lenses (zoom and/or prime lenses that range from wide-angle to telephoto), your camera user manual (if you will need technical support with it), extra camera batteries, camera bag, lens cleaning cloths or tissues. Additional recommended items: Tripod (recommended for sunset and night shots, if you stay after dark), Filters (optional), UV (UV filter is important to protect lenses), Polarizer (circular polarizing filter is recommended), Extra memory cards, Camera battery charger and car adaptor/inverter, to charge batteries in car, Remote shutter release (optional, not really necessary if camera has short self-timer, option, best used in low-light situations like at sunset or inside buildings), Rubber boots (if you want to get close to the water’s edge, or into the water for a better, photo, these will be beneficial), please make sure you check the weather ahead of time and dress accordingly.

This outing is particularly strong in photo ops of art installations, graffiti, urban ruin, local people, and some nature (the sea itself). Although we will be shooting sunset at a beautiful land/seascape, this is not primarily a landscape photography workshop. Bombay Beach has no fuel, so please gas up before you head there (the best bet is to fill the tank on your way down to the Salton Sea no later than at the large ARCO station at 90480 66th Ave in Mecca).

Photo credit: Benazir Erdahl, Desert Institute Manager