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

Pictured are 5-deer, 2-ducks, and 2-feral cats.

A peaceful oasis in the day, classic Southern California lifestyle at night.

"A Many of Peter's favorite photographs involve water in some way.  The pool was often the best way to combine glamour and water.  Pictured is an underwater shot in the pool with a Nickonos 35mm.

Viewing from left to right...  Master Bedroom, Living Room and Kitchen, and our Studio (where the piano is shown).

Members of the "Gowland Ducks Union, Local 600" toe the line!  Ducks and other animals are welcome guests; Peter loves animals.

"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!

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."

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?

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

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