Weekly Photo Challenge: Change – A Few Interpretations.

Alaska, Photography, Portraits, Weekly Photo Post

Change is something we all deal with daily. Seasons, cloths, tastes, locations, personal attitudes and feelings, just to name a few. Change is good and bad, but in its very nature something different. Adjectives for change abound: life-changing, quick, slow, small, large, relative, unexpected and necessary.

Enjoy my multiple interpretations of change.

One of the most wide-spread changes in popular culture is Halloween, where people change into whatever form they desire.

Halloween at UAF’s Pub, 2012.

Changing into triceratops and sagittarius for the night.

Changing lightbulbs at night in UAF’s metal smithing room.

Music Monday: TIm Robb at Creamers Field.

Alaska, Black & White, Film, Music, Photography, Portraits, Street

First things first: My condolences go out to all those affected by today’s Boston Marathon tragedy. I have spent some time viewing photos and watching videos, it truly is horrific. I can’t imagine the utter shock and chaos felt during what should have been a time of jubilation.

I was riding my bike to school, just about this time in 2012, and stopped by Creamers Field to shoot some 35mm, B&W film. I happened upon an unexpected scene.

Fairbanks musician Tim Robb watched the arrival of Canada goose while practicing guitar, his dog in attendance. Robb is a very enjoyable, mellow yet enthusiastic musician. The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner correctly critiques his work: “Robb… typically blurs the style lines through free-form interpretation and improvisation.”

I was worried I didn’t have anything for Music Monday, then I found these gems in my archives. The first image is a lesson in micro-composition. A few extra seconds in the viewfinder and I may have panned up and to the right, eliminating the rear-door handle and “Outback” emblem, at the same time getting all the lettering on the barn and the vents on the roof.

Tim Robb practices guitar while his dog hangs out at Creamers Field, April 2012.

Tim Robb practices guitar while his dog hangs out, Creamers Field, April 2012.

Bright morning light causes squinty eyes, but doesn’t diminish smiles.

Sporting Thursday: Christmas day jog.

Alaska, Landscapes, Photography, Street

It may be a little dated, but as I mentioned in my last post, winter has decided to stick around in Fairbanks. It was probably a lot nicer out Christmas day, 2012, then it is now in the middle of April.

I was capturing some of the gorgeous light from the sunset walking to my grandma’s house, just before 3 p.m., . Suddenly a pair of runners turned off a subdivision onto the main road. I had time to capture one frame as the ran off into the winter wonderland.

Runners make their way up Steel Creek Rd. on a Christmas-day run in a white wonderland.

The winter sun in Alaska never gets very high. Here it is seen setting through trees just before 3 p.m.

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Weekly Photo Post: Color at Washington Park Arboretum.

Macro, Photography, Travel, Uncategorized, Weekly Photo Post

It’s been a long time since I participated in Weekly Photo Post, and what a perfect theme since my return from Washington and Oregon. While Fairbanks has been receiving a mid-April snowstorm, resulting in lots of white, the Washington Park Arboretum had very-vibrant warm, spring hues.

My botanical identification skills are sub-par, and the only plant species I recognize are tulips, which were actually in someone’s front yard. The first three images are of pink flowers. Pink is a subset of red, a warm hue which is known for psychological responses of passion, love, and happines. But also blood and anger and danger. The pink petals with green leafs are also complementary colors.

The final image is a pretty purple, a cool color, which in western culture is asosciated with royalty, luxury and occassionally magic.

David E. Sanger lecture at UAF.

Alaska, Photography, Portraits

Chief Washington correspondent for the New York Times, David E. Sanger, recently visited University of Alaska Fairbanks to meet with journalism classes and give a public lecture.

Over 100 people attended his lecture in Schaible Auditorium as he spoke about his most recent book, Confront and Conceal: Obama’s Secret Wars and Surprising Use of American Power. Critics and pundits consider the most important section of Sanger’s book a chapter titled “Olympic Games,” the codename given by the White House for the stuxnet computer worm. Though still never admitted by U.S. officials, stuxnet was determined a collaboration between the U.S., Israel and Germany, its goal – to inflict severe damage on Iran’s nuclear centrifuges.

Other topics included the dichotomy between covertness and admission with the U.S. drone operations, as well as surrounding legalities and ethics. Foreign policy triumphs and blunders in Afghanistan, Pakistan, China, North Korea and handling of the Arab Spring all came up in discussion.

Sanger spoke about his books, Confront and Conceal and The Inheritance.

A diverse crowd turned out to hear Sanger speak on March 25, 2013.

Sanger has been to Fairbanks on multiple occasions, but admitted this was the first time he wore a tie in our town.

David Sanger was brought to UAF through a endowment by Helen Snedden in honor of her late husband, former Fairbanks Daily News-miner owner, publisher and journalist, C. W. Snedden.

Music Monday: Clinton Fearon

Alaska, Music, Photography, Portraits

Please excuse my lack of posts in the previous week, I had been traveling with limited use to internet.

Jumping back into posts today with a brief Music Monday. Clinton Fearon, Jamaican Reggae artist, played a solo show on Alaska Live with Lori Neufeld March 8, 2013. Check out his podcast on KUAC’s website.

There was a shortage of light during this particular shoot, so even at ISO 3200 my shutter speed was a somewhat testy 1/25th of a second. Thanks to a steady hand and image stabilization I was able to get a few sharp shots. One cool effect of a slow shutter is the blurring of Clinton’s strumming hand.

Clinton Fearon uses music to spread his message of hope and love on Alaska Live, with Lori Neufeld.

Music Monday: Steve Brown and the Bailers at the UAF Pub

Alaska, Black & White, Music, Photography, Portraits

Fairbanks-based rockabilly band Steve Brown and The Bailers will perform at the UAF Pub this Saturday, March 30, 2013. Here’s a great show poster created by Sue Sprinkle of 5th Avenue Design & Graphics.

Their most recent show was also at UAF’s Pub, February 24. After helping set up microphones and patch them into the snake I hung around to dance and photograph.

I’ll be the first to admit, this isn’t my finest edit. First off, none of my images are exceptionally sharp, rather they’re quite fuzzy. Second, either I misplaced, or didn’t even shoot RAW images, so my hack-job edit today was of small, unforgiving JPEGs.

For those who don’t know, a RAW image is 16-bits per color, uncompressed and the complete, unaltered file captured by the camera. In comparison, JPEGs are an 8-bit, compressed file. While a RAW file can be many-times bigger then a JPEG, the nature of the file allows for digital manipulation without altering the pixels. There are drawbacks other then large file sizes, but for all intensive purposes, shoot RAW.

Hope you enjoy!

Steve Brown and the Bailers at the UAF Pub, Feb. 24, 2013.

Steve Brown and Robin Fienman on guitar and vocals sing together February 24, 2013.

With their groovy melodies, expert playing and relatable lyrics, Steve Brown and the Bailers inspire a dance floor of all ages and abilities

Making sure everyone hits the last note of the night together.

Making sure everyone hits the night’s last note together.

Fine Art Friday: World Water Day

Photography, Uncategorized

It’s another inaugural themed post, “Fine Art Friday.” Today I’m combining it with World Water Day. Since 1993 World Water Day has advocated for the sustainable management of freshwater resources and brought attention to the importance of freshwater.

World Water Day was brought to my attention by fellow blogger FrizzText, who linked to a lovely collection of water-related photos assembled by boston.com. It even includes an night shot from the 2012 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race of a racer collecting snow to melt.

Musher Bill Pinkham collects hot water during his stop in Takotna, Alaska, during the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on March 7, 2012. (Marc Lester/Anchorage Daily News/Associated Press)

My World Water Day image is of unwanted water. It’s springtime, and more then a few structures at UAF have leaky roofs. At the Fine Arts Complex – hence the relation to Fine Art Friday – the rhythmic drip-drop of water leaching into the building did a good job distracting from class.

Ripples radiate on a window sill in UAF’s Fine Art Complex during a warm March afternoon. March 8, 2013.

Sporting Thursday: Snowshoe Hair tracks and a Geocache.

Alaska, Landscapes, Photography, Travel, Uncategorized, Wildlife

Cross-country skiing, either skate or classic, is a great way to exercise and get outside during the long Alaskan winters. Sticking to a groomed trail or breaking your own through the woods both provide ample opportunities for fun sights.

A trip on March 13, traversing trails just north of Fairbanks from my house to a friend’s, had a few hidden surprises.

While stopped to discuss which direction to go I spotted some snowshoe hair tracks off the trail. My shadow provides a little perspective while some unidentified tracks disappear off frame.

Snowshoe hair tracks and shadow.

From there we followed what appeared to be a well-tracked snowmachine trail. While continuing to appear well traveled, it quickly delved into a walking only trail, then abruptly stopped in a clearing. Again, while debating our next move, I glanced around, noticing a cache in snow.

After a brief inspection it was discovered to be a geocache. Geocaching is a global game where people upload the longitude and latitude of a cache online for others to find. Inside was a variety of objects: a pipe cutter, crayons, paint, playing cards, a Pez dispenser and a mosquito net to name a few. The rules simply state if you take something you must leave something.

Glad our lives didn’t depend on the contents.

We fell under the “found by accident” category.

The ski was close to 10 miles, and that worked up an appetite. So to finish off “Sporting Thursday” is a picture of a fellow winter adventurer captured while waiting for pizza.

A winter biker casts a long shadow outside Corner Campus Mall, March 13, 2013.

Music Monday: Nor’easter, With Video.

Alaska, Black & White, Music, Photography, Portraits

Boston-based band Nor’easter, founded by Max Newman of Fairbanks, spent some time sharing music in the KUAC studios Feb. 1, 2013. This contra-dance band features Max Newman on guitar and mandolin, Cedar Stanistreet on fiddle and Julie Vallimont on piano and accordion.

Being a band with Alaska roots, Nor’easter got the filming treatment during their Alaska Live session, which I will embed at the end of this post. Want more? Check out their full Alaska Live podcast.

It’s evident they have fun sharing their music, which indeed induces foot tapping.