It's one of the strangest places on earth, which makes it a wonderful place to be.
The Bonneville Salt Flats -- legendary home to land speed racing -- are nothing but salt, sky, mountains, and light, for as far as the eye can see. No grass, no gravel, no trees, no bushes, no asphalt, and no concrete for miles in every direction -- just an endless expanse of white and blue. All of which makes it perfect for racers, and photographers.
Timing tower, Bonneville, August 2011. (All photos copyright John Edwin Mason, 2011. Click on any of the images to see larger versions.)
I was at Bonneville for Speed Week, shooting a story about Robin Dripps, a record-setting land speed racer, who just happens to be a professor of architecture at the University of Virginia. (The story will run in the Charlottesville [Virginia] Daily Progress sometime within the next few weeks.)
Spectator, Bonneville, August 2011.
Bonneville was an intermediate stop on an epic three-week road trip that I gave myself as a present. Going out, I followed the legendary Route 66, basking in nostalgia and looking for cool examples of 1920s to 1950s architecture. (I found plenty, and will be posting them on my photography blog.)
Along the way, I got into the habit of making a lot of photos with my iPhone. It was a way of keeping a visual diary of the trip that quickly developed into a habit. Even though I did most of my shooting at Bonneville with my Nikons, I kept the iPhone ready. It was great to be able to quickly email photos to friends or post them on Instagram.
Hot rod on the salt, Bonneville, August 2011.
Over the next few days, I'll be posting many photos from Bonneville. Some will follow Dripps' struggle to set a new record in her '32 Ford roadster. Others will capture something of the look and feel of Speed Week. Please stop by and take a look.
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