Ron Paul in Fairbanks, Alaska

Alaska, Black & White, Film, Photography, Portraits

Ron Paul became the only presidential candidate to visit Alaska today with trips to Fairbanks and Anchorage. He spoke to a full house at the Westmark Gold Room for near an hour. My first opportunity to shoot such a large profile figure, what I expected to be slow, possibly even mundane turned out to be a bit of a scramble. In retrospect it was silly to think it would be slow. Moments are unexpected, crowds are alive and energy bounces off the walls. As always keeping the shutter clicking and working the scene were the most important things. There’s no way I would have passed up the opportunity without shooting some film, and shot two rolls of 120 on my Hassleblad. It was dark and hard to focus and obviously limited opportunities, though I feel some of my best shots were on film. Here’s one of those. Check back often this week as I have lots of posts lined up covering many subjects.

Fishy Inspiration

Alaska, Arts, Photography, Portraits

Artists find inspiration from many venues. Other art, personal visions, but most often from the world around them. Henry David Thoreau wrote about the trails he frequented, Warhol made designs from unavoidable pop culture and Bradford Washburn photographed the mountains he loved so much. It’s easy to tell where my cousin Iris Sutton gets her inspiration. Her large scale paintings with vivid colors of Alaska landscapes, animals and mushing culture hark to the raw beauty and grandeur of Alaska. A finisher of the Yukon Quest, she was chosen in 2012 to make the poster artwork.

Fish, long a common theme for Alaska art, surfaced in one of her recent paintings. A subject I also look to for inspiration, as well as sustenance. Here is Iris with her painting of salmon hanging, and a picture of salmon hanging before the smoking process.

Everyone dances

Alaska, Arts, Black & White, Photography, Portraits, Wildlife

While down in Anchorage photographing a character study of Sue Perry, a seamstress making costumes for Alaska Dance Theater’s production of Othello, I took some time off to photograph rehearsals. The fluid movements and long extensions often seen in ballet were there, but wonderfully contrasted with sharp, edgy lines and tense, jerky motions showing both internal and external character struggle. I was lucky enough to have my telephoto on when through the window I caught raven making his own graceful movements. I couldn’t find the mythological view of ravens as tricksters, shape shifters and on rare occasions sinister, more fitting while looking at the dancers practice this dark play penned by Shakespeare. Sometimes life shows true serendipity.

Denali at dusk

Alaska, Landscapes, Photography

After one of the coldest winters I can remember, including the 5th coldest January on record, February has started off with temperatures hovering around the freezing mark. Needless to say a wonderful change. Not only is it warmer but the light is coming back, making it all around a much more enjoyable place to call home. One can not forget that it is still winter, and temperatures could easily plunge far below zero. Here is a picture I took November 18, 2011, a day we set a record at 41 below zero. The foreground of Fairbanks city lights are back-dropped by Denali, the tallest peak in North America. Cheers to summer.

Denali background and city lights, November 18, 2011.

Yukon Quest

Alaska, Photography, Sports

The Quest is off an running. Each year the start alternates between Fairbanks and Whitehorse, this year it was in Fairbanks. Sadly, due to a very amateur mistake while I was attempting to shoot film at the start I only have a few digital files to work with. Thankfully it’s easy to shoot a lot of digital pictures very quickly, so I got some frames to work with. There’s lots of places to follow the Quest, my Extreme Alaska class is running a storify feed.

Marcelle Fressineau, a rookie from Whitehorse, Yukon in Canada comes out of the gate during the 2012 Yukon Quest.

Hugh Neff of Tok, Alaska, shoots out of the starting gate waving an Alaskan Flag on the Chena River during the 2012 Yukon Quest.

Alaska Highway Diptych

Alaska, Black & White, Landscapes, Travel

Alaska’s highways are often beautiful. And often terrifying. A diptych is two photos that attempt to tell a more complete story then just one. These two were taken just outside of anchorage on the Glenn Highway in early January, I wanted to capture a classic Alaskan view, and the feeling of impending death that often accompanies winter driving.