Blowin' in the Wind

Janice Kleinschmidt. Arts & Entertainment

Bill Brewer used a four-second exposure to capture the movement of the wind turbines in the San Gorgonio Pass. He prints his panoramic images at 39x13 inches.
COURTESY BILL BREWER

The windmills north of Palm Springs have inspired many a photographer, but Bill Brewer of Morongo Valley, who specializes in panoramic shots, particularly wanted to capture motion.

“I have always been interested in that kind of thing — movement in a still photo,” he says. He’s made about a dozen photographic sojourns to San Gorgonio Pass vistas with his Hasselblad and Fuji 6×17 cameras. One trip cost him $1,600.

“You want the wind to make the turbines spin, but sometimes it is howling so hard the camera is shaking,” he says. On one occasion, he recalls, “I was getting of the car, and the wind blew the door right out of my hand and whipped it open so hard that it dented the door and put the hinges out of alignment.” The costly repair to his Toyota FJ Cruiser, however, failed to dampen his interest in the windmills. He’s ready to try some night shots.

The images Brewer has taken on infrared black-and-white film have been exhibited at his studio at The Brewery in Los Angeles and in an Orange County show. From Dec. 30 to Jan. 24, 2010, his photographs will be exhibited at Twentynine Palms Art Gallery in the High Desert. An opening reception is scheduled for Jan. 3, 2010. Information: 760-367-7819.