Weekly Photo Challenge: Foreign. National Hunger and Homeless Awareness Week

Alaska, Photography, Portraits

Winter has arrived. Sparkly-white snow dominates the landscape, already scarce daylight will continue to diminish and temperatures hitting negative numbers will likely drop another 50 degrees. Though these are conditions I have enjoyed my entire life thanks to stable housing and adequate clothing, not all do. My weekly photo challenge of “foreign” will focus on the life of those who do not.

Every year UAF takes part in National Hunger and Homeless Awareness Week. Volunteers stand outside all day, even camping in tents if UAF deems it’s not too cold, to raise awareness for the homeless in Alaska. I’m used to cold weather, but these people are brave.

Alaska has scary homeless statistics. According to University Alaska Anchorage Justice Center Alaska ranks 10th nationally for estimates of homeless people based off total population, one-quarter of one percent, and it’s rising quickly. When including those people who stay in shelters, with friends or in temporary housing the number is estimated at 4,500.

These pictures do not illustrate actual homeless people, just those trying to raise awareness. Perhaps I will use this occasion to find some truly homeless people in Fairbanks and document their trails and tribulations.

Volunteers warm their hands around a barrel fire, November 16, 2011.

Volunteers during National Hunger and Homeless Awareness Month at University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Uniquely Alaskan towing expedition.

Alaska, Landscapes, Photography

I don’t like to be overly critical of people I don’t know. Don’t judge someone until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes. But multiple encounters with a failed towing operation has led me to conclude these people were largely unprepared, and should have more thoroughly thought out their chosen expedition.

En route to school last week I happened upon an interesting scene. An older-model Chevy dump truck was towing a trailer of some sort down Farmers Loop, a mostly two-lane road connecting east and west Fairbanks. According to the trooper the dump-truck’s engine blew. There are multiple violations I can determine: lack of appropriate flagging, reflectors, license plates or safety triangles. Though they did have bright-orange milk crates.

An Alaska State Trooper arrives on the scene of a dead vehicle to direct traffic.

Directing traffic on Farmers Loop Rd. in west Fairbanks.

I left right as a tow truck arrived on the scene, expecting never to see the uniquely Alaskan towing operating again. Wrong. Returning home late that night I found the truck and trailer sitting on the side of the road, having moved only a few-hundred yards.

Yellow streetlights and the moon illuminate a broken-down vehicle in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Finally, a full day after first encountering the operation, the truck was gone. Thinking never to see it again I was pleasantly surprised when five miles away I came upon a very slow-moving truck with hazard lights flashing. In front was the dump-truck and trailer combination, being pulled incredibly slowly by a John Deere loader.

Towing broken-down vehicles along Farmers Loop.

It’s anyone’s guess why this was being relocated in the first place. Maybe it’s a habitable trailer and someone needs it to live in. From a photography standpoint, any one of the situations – troopers directing traffic, night time or towing – would have made an interesting picture. But all three together tell a more complete story and provide a lovely sense of time passing.

Soundslides: “Song of the Sikuliaq”

Alaska, Music, Photography

“Song of the Sikuliaq” is an eight-minute piece of music composed by UAF graduate student Emerson Eads. Performed by the Fairbanks Arctic Chamber Orchestra, audio and video recordings will be played during the launch of UAF’s new Research Vessel Sikuliaq, Saturday Oct. 13, 2012, in Marinette, Wis. Click on the above links to view articles published in UAF’s Sun Star, relating specifically to the musical composition and the capabilities of the research vessel.

Soundslides is a multimedia story tool combining still images with audio. The purpose is to tell a more complete story then audio or images could individually.

The full-length video of “Song of the Sikuliaq” can be viewed here.

Weekly photo challenge: Solitary

Alaska, Black & White, Film, Landscapes, Photography, Portraits, Travel, Weekly Photo Post

Solitary: being, living or going alone or without companions. The word instantly conjurs images of some distant wayfarer or contemplative individual. For this installment of the Weekly Photo Challenge, I will show you three of my interpretations of solitary, images I believe convey the mood through subject matter and compositional elements.

First: a very literal interpretation of solitary. In Denali National Park, a lone-grazing caribou is seen in vast tundra. I wont even begin to speculate on the distances, however it was shot with a 300MM telephoto lens on a Canon 7D. The importance of the 7D is the smaller APS-C sized sensor increases the 300MM lens to an effective focal length of 480MM! As focal length increases, the depth of a picture is flattened, making the relationships of everything seem closer.

In short, this caribou is very alone.

Please click on the images to view full size.

Lone caribou in Denali National Park, Sept. 16, 2012

My second image is more metaphorically solitary. The model and her shadow are all the viewer has to dwell on. I think her gaze off the edge of the frame, often deemed poor composition because the viewer wonders what the subject is looking at, gives the feeling that there is nothing besides more wall, adding to the solitary feeling. Also helping is the edge of the 4×5 film, terminating any curiosity about what else there may be.

Crystal at Creamers Field

Finally a somber event that would leave anyone feeling solitary. A woman walks past a cutout to honor a victim of domestic violence. The plaque reads,

“Nancy Tegoseak, Age 40, April, 2004. Nancy was born in Tanana and the loving mother of five children. She was beaten to death by her boyfriend. She leaves behind three children.”

More music: Dr. Dog @ UAF Pub

Alaska, Arts, Music, Photography, Portraits

UAF’s fall concert series had a rocking start, complete with crowd surfing and beach balls. Pennsylvania based Dr. Dog made a big trip to a small venue, small when compared to some of their previous performances, such as Austin City Limits and Coachella. The indie-rock band played to a sold-out crowd that packed the dance floor. The band’s retro rock, modern sound-effects, almost-raspy vocals, smooth harmonies and meditative lyrics all blended seamlessly. Not to mention, they are incredibly friendly people. After viewing my pictures check out the playful music video to “Shadow People,” one of my favorite songs.

Please click on images to view full size.

Dr. Dog seen through wine glasses illuminated by stage lights at the UAF Pub.

Dr. Dog rocks out at the UAF Pub

Mountain Stage

Alaska, Arts, Music, Photography, Portraits

West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s show Mountain Stage recently made a trip to Fairbanks, Alaska. For those unfamiliar with this production, it’s live-concert recording with multiple bands, aired nationally after some post-production work. Here’s a link to an article I wrote which talks more about the event, “Mountain Stage unites Alaska with national music scene,” including pictures of the event, which took place at UAF’s Davis Concert Hall in the Fine Art Complex.

Here are a few teasers from the article I linked to above.

Tim Easton plays in the Davis Concert Hall

Fairbanks band Steve Brown and the Bailers open the second night of Mountain Stage

Shooting concerts can be difficult, when not dealing with lack of light it’s often harsh spotlights, causing highlights to blow out and shadows to be lost. I cranked up the ISO to 3200 or 6400 and just hoped for the best.

Fishing in Valdez: The people, the fish and the boat.

Alaska, Landscapes, Photography, Portraits, Travel

Here are two images of life on the water in Valdez. The first image I believe is a combination of family and friends that work together commercial fishing Silver Salmon. Trollers go out in smaller skiffs deploying nets before they are winched back in. It’s hard work, and despite the apparent calm in the fishermen there is noticeable tension in their postures.

Please click on the images to view full size.

Next, a fishing boat sits in the shade as the light falls on the hill behind. The boat had overnighted in Sawmill Bay, sometimes it’s easier to find calm water to sleep on then sail back to the harbor. Even though in this case Sawmill Bay is only 15 miles outside Valdez.

Raindrops and Spirits. One of the spirits.

Alaska, architecture, Arts, Black & White, Film, Landscapes, Photography, Portraits, Travel

It’s only four days until my first solo show, I’m excited and busy, but feel it should come together nicely. There are already things I wish I had done differently, but it’s not in my nature to worry, so I’m chalking it up to lack of experience.

As I said previously, my show is to deal heavily with the role of people within place. Even when people take a a large portion of subject matter they are meant to complement the surroundings. Such is the case with today’s image “David in Kennicott,” A large, strong figure in a commanding environment. Also worth noting is location, most of the images are paired, some in multiple ways. This is at the same location as my title piece “Rain Apparition,” Kennicott in the Wrangell St. Elias National Park. With pairings the viewer is allowed to view locations with many more meanings; the ability to step back, taking in the scene, then moving in closer for detail.

Please click on the image to view full size.