Cargill Salt Ponds – Industrial Photography from the Air

One of my most memorable assignments was a helicopter photography project over the Cargill salt plant on San Francisco Bay. This vast industrial site is instantly recognizable for its patchwork of geometric ponds that shift through a striking spectrum of colors. From above, it almost looks like an abstract painting laid over the Bay—a natural subject for industrial photography.

The operation itself is straightforward in principle: seawater is pumped into shallow evaporation ponds where sun and wind slowly concentrate the brine. As the water evaporates, minerals precipitate in stages until pure salt can be harvested. What makes the aerial view so extraordinary is the biology at work along the way. Different salinities encourage different microorganisms and algae to thrive, which in turn produce vivid hues ranging from pale green to deep magenta. Each pond is, in effect, a living color swatch mapping the evolving chemistry of the water at that moment. At the end of this process, the salt is gathered into enormous white mounds—dramatic, geometric landmarks that underscore the scale of the operation and provide bold visual counterpoints to the colorful ponds.

In this particular project, choosing helicopter photography over a drone offered several key advantages—especially in tightly regulated airspace like the Bay Area. Flying from a helicopter allowed me to operate more quickly, safely, and economically, while maintaining altitude flexibility, using a broader selection of high-quality lenses, and covering a much larger area in less time. It was especially valuable given that Cargill’s active salt operations stretch across roughly 16,500 acres—about 26 square miles—of evaporation ponds, crystallizers, and salt-processing infrastructure.

Photographing the plant from a helicopter enabled me to capture both the immense scale of the operation and the delicate textures within each pond. It’s a rare subject that blends industry, ecology, and artistry into a single visual story—exactly the kind of project that highlights how aerial industrial photography can reveal patterns and perspectives invisible from the ground.