In the meantime, here's a taste of subjects:
Birch Hill
a forested area near Bobb's cabin
TTV photography galore
panoramas (should that be panorami?)
an area about 85 miles north of Fairbanks ("12 mile road"?)
HDRI
Angel Rocks (in Chena Recreation Area)
abstract light and color play
macro (nature)
faux fisheye
a cat's kill
a bit of area around UAF (Botanical Gardens and Large Animal Research)
the road from Fairbanks to Chicken
the road from Chicken to Valdez
Valdez
the road from Valdez to Fairbanks
Overflow of imagery~
I particularly enjoy the shades in this shot. The full color version didn't strike as much as it does reduced to quieter elements. Remember to click on pics for an enlarged view.
These plants were everywhere, and the magenta color kept catching my eye. I've contemplated removing the water drop to increase movement around the composition.
The plants' softness worked wonderfully with evening light.
We happened upon Valdez on a very nice day. Not shown in this image was the amazing amount of--what appeared to be--cottonwood fluffs floating around. Our lunch waitress referred to them as "fairies."While traveling, I was thinking of some ideas for future series. Some of them have been mulling about for a while. Staring out the window of a moving vehicle, watching the road approach and recede, clears my head. They have not all been implemented, but will be.
What marks a person in a place? What do we know about someone from where they've been or what they've left? Conversely, what can be inferred about the place in which the remains wait? Images of these fragments will be a series of Remnants. An example of this series may be viewed here. At least one more will likely be uploaded this month.
Seeing a place takes time. I make pictures of many landscapes simply because the vast sublime is so appealing, but a vista of hills and mountains does not describe the whole. While visiting Alaska for the first time, two and a half years ago, a stark contrast emerged between the glossy tourist facade and the quieter, hidden environment. Often, such areas appear neglected or completely abandoned. These images will be the blend of the real with the ideal. I would rather they be an exploration than an exploitation, documenting what exists within an environment. In some cases these photographs may overlap with the Remnants series, where clues about a place may be inferred from casual remains. At other times, these images may be portraits or something completely different. They are not limited to the sad and lonely, though those facets may be uncovered. Imagine a rusted car growing out of the corner of a scenic view pullout, looming in the foreground against a mountainous backdrop. The background is what many observe, but everything has its position in describing a place—its whole history, present and future.
How much of your tourism experience is your own, and how much is it directed by someone else? Who decides what's scenic, worth viewing? In the words of Bobb, as we passed a sign indicating a pullout in 1500 feet, "oh goody, finally something pretty to look at." I like the signs that are just camera icons and distance, as they're a great shorthand for the message: ideal picture, just around the bend (or, here's the spot where it's been decided that you can safely pull over to make the picture you've been itching to create for the past few miles). This series will document scenic view indicators paired with the site one is supposed to appreciate.
