GOWLAND POOL - Built in 1955


"A $2,400 pool then would cost $40,000 today - and $2,000 a year
  to maintain! Today. I would think twice!"


By day, a restful oasis for the local animals!
5 deer, 2 ducks & 2 feral cats.
 A peaceful oasis in the day, classic Southern California lifestyle at night.


Many of Peter's favorite photographs involve water in some way. The pool was often the best way to combine glamour and water. Below, an underwater shot in the pool with a Nikonos 35mm.

Underwater work with 35mm Nikonos. The pool provided a rich environment for Peter's favorite work.

 

Below, members of the Gowland Ducks Union, local 600 toe the line. Ducks and other animals are welcome guests. Peter loves animals.

Ducks R Us Local 431 toe the line.

At night, its right out of Sunset Magazine or Architectural Digest!

"In my early years, my father bought a one bedroom house in a canyon on Pacific Coast Highway for $500. Ground lease $10 a month, Considering that I was born in a $7 a month shack in Hollywood, this seemed fair. I could never understand why the PCH builder could be so dumb, building across a canyon, Heavy rain would race down the canyon, through the back door, down the hall and out the front door!

Gibson Gowland's house on PCH

I must have forgotton all this, because 26 years later, we built our 12 room studio-home in another canyon. A big rain came and left 5 truck loads of rocks and soil in the bottom of our new pool, causing replastering and installing an 18” drain pipe to by-pass the pool. Since then, we have not had that problem.

If you’re considering a pool, ask yourself if it will be a liability. There’s a considerable upkeep cost, necessity to fence, insurance against pool related accidents, how often will it be used? Heating it in the winter.
Ours has served us well in not having to pay rental to another property for the hundreds of times we’ve used it for commercial jobs, as in the above pictures. For our personal lives it has been a beautiful setting to many a festive evening.

We prefer ocean swimming. I once swam two miles; from the canyon to the Santa Monica pier. But today all the street water goes down to our beach. While they say it’s okay to swim there, we’re not taking chances at this stage of our lives."

Celebrating 50 years in the pool!

Time flies when you're having fun. At fifty years, the Gowland pool still provides all the buoyancy needed to fill this Christmas card shot with joyful colors and relaxation. Can you tell if the pool was heated then?

Bustin' out of the water, celebrating life!

Tamara in pool with artifical waterfall prop.

Tamara
In the pool or on location?

How to take exotic location shots in the tropics - use the pool! Note Gowland camera stand in action!

How to photograph exotic location glamour shots. Peter uses his Gowland Camera Stand and
favorite Hasselblad to capture the moment.



Robert and Terry Kiss underwater...Robert Wagner and Terry Moore - happy together in the Gowland pool!

Many celebrities visited the Gowland pool over the years. Above are
Terry Moore and Robert Wagner.


 

Alice Gowland goes glam in graceful underwater pose.

Alice Gowland strikes a graceful underwater pose above. Below, Peter continues
to explore his lifelong fascination with his favorite photographic elements.

Underwater work in the well lit pool.Natural beauty...Near weightless water pose...


Sorry, the over-pool Gowland stand is sold out!

Sorry, the Gowland Pool Mount is sold out and no more will be built.
The overhead point of view allowed remarkable angles of view. The overhead system is just one example of how far photographers will go to
achieve their goals or satisfy their urge to do something different.

Gowland Pool Construction

Pool Algae

The film strip on the left shows workers plastering the pool for the first time. Above, bright green algae coats the pool bottom after we drained it during the 2006 pool rennovation.


Pool before replastering

Above, pool cleaned and ready for work on the new plaster. Below, workers chip away at the old plaster. It was noisey, dirty work to get all of the old plaster off.

Replastering the pool

 

Alice Gowland and Family

Above, Alice shares time with her family in the pool - that was one of many good times our pool witnessed.

Today, the pool is back in shape, ready for many more
happy moments. We're thinking of inviting the neighbors
over for a group pool party photo in the nude. Should we do it?

 

 



This page updated Decembert 2006

Return to Gowland Home Page | Purchase Gowland Cameras | See Prints for Sale