Farmers Loop, just north of Fairbanks, still lives up to it’s name. Multiple residences have horses right along the road. There’s still a hayfield and the occasional garden visible. This photo shows a horse, at what must be a common spot for him to stand, watching people and traffic pass by. Shot at 9:26 p.m., June 16, the low sun illuminates his mane nicely.
A horse looks longin
I recently took a short, part-time job for UAF Summer Sessions photographing classes and events. Included in those events was concert in the garden, a weekly, outdoor concert held in UAF’s Georgeson Botanical Gardens. The lovely settings, typically great weather and lively music drew large, energetic crowds. On June 20, 2013, Will Putnam and Trudy Heffernen delighted the audience with their country-bluegrass rock.
Alaska Railroad trains may make music harder to hear, but add fun picture elements.
Playing and laying.
Always working: Josh Bennett, of Sound Reinforcement Systems, mixes the music.
Roses in the foreground, musicians in the background.
More excited exploration.
I recently wrapped up my professional media internship for my undergraduate degree at UAF. I couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity then working with Lori Neufeld and KUAC. I got to help with the live-radio program Alaska Live, be an on-air host for all the fantastic NPR shows, and even host my own music programs. My audio skill set has grown dramatically.
One of the last projects I worked on was an Alaska Live with Fairbanks-raised cellist Patrick Hopkins, who recently graduated from Juilliard Music School. Check out the podcast with music and conversation on KUAC’s website.
One of my favorite music images came form this shoot. It has more layers then a standard shot, and includes my work station.
Recording levels, wavelengths and board lights in the foreground, cello playing in the background.
Patrick Hopkins concentrates on the music.
My passion for photography began when I took a darkroom class in high school. To this day I continue to shoot film and make fiber prints, admittedly, not as much I would like.
I have long been working on a portfolio titled Creamers Field on Film. Creamers Field is an old dairy farm turned migratory waterfowl refuge. The criteria for the portfolio is simple: shot on film, at Creamers Field. Right on the northern edge of Fairbanks, with beautiful historic buildings and an incredible range of landscapes, I highly recommend a trip there for anyone visiting Fairbanks.
The three images today were shot on B&W 35mm Illford Delta 100, the digital files are scans from 8×10 fiber prints.
Shot just one day before the first snowfall, the moss was all but dead, resembling skin draped over bones.
Fairbanks is fortunate to receive the late-night light that blankets high-latitude lands. There rarely seems to be a shortage of it, and it makes many activities available all times of day. May 15 the sun had set just before midnight, while I was out riding my bike. The afterglow provided some fun photo effects.
My favorite was illuminated railroad tracks and a descending plane above. Shot at 11:57 p.m.
A Boeing 737 approaches Fairbanks International Airport. May 15, 11:57 p.m.
A few things attracted me to the next shot, the soft sliver of a moon contrasted the flattened and fragmented patterns of the car carrier and building.
Car transport parked with crescent moon above. May 16, 12:02 a.m.
According to my grandma, Claire Thomas, D-Day June 6, 1944, was a day everyone knew was coming. The question was, when? At the time Thomas was the editor of her school newspaper, the AP syndicate and still operating Michigan Daily. I am incredibly impressed by the ability of my grandma not only to rise to the position of editor, but to do so through what must have been very limiting sexual discrimination. Her hard work and attention to detail surely played a role. That attention to detail often finds typos in my writings, for which I thank you grandma.
When I was visiting a few years ago she had recently found a copy of the very issue printed on D-Day. Listening to her anecdotes of waiting by the phone, rushing to the office late at night to put the paper together, and the tension felt by Americans from every upbringing was fascinating. In retrospect it would have been a great conversation to record.
Here she is holding the June 6, 1944 issue on the porch of her house, Lake Washington in the background.
Claire Thomas holds a copy of The Michigan Daily from June 6, 1944. She was editor of the paper during the D-Day invasion of Europe.
Saturday, May 25, a group of friends and I did an out-and-back from Savage River, 12 miles into the park. Completely clear skies allowed the sun and cool air to compliment each other nicely. We split into two groups part-way through, and mine made it a few miles past the mostly frozen Teklanika River. The frozen river is a reminder that weather near the tallest peak in North America is very dynamic.
Savage River, as far as the public is allowed to drive.
Visitors can bus, bike or simply hike into the park.
Snow and melt water were both prevalent, and crews were on hand to try and keep them heading the right directions.
Road work crew.
This includes keeping culverts clear of ice, which can be a tricky operation.
Deeper then expected.
We started at 11, and biked roughly 50 miles before returning just before 6 p.m. A fantastic time to bike, but difficult time to photograph. But this trip was about having a good time with friends, and we managed to meet up right before the final uphill, before relaxing and snacking at the top.
Left to right: Charlie, Louise, Denali, Nick, Robin and David.
Budding willows with Denali in the background.
Between performances of The Firebird Wendy did a quick photo shoot in the graffiti hall, right outside the Salisbury Theatre.
With only time for a short shoot, and unsure the aesthetic I was going for, I decided just to experiment with the lively and colorful background. The difference between color images and black and white is stark. Even with slight desaturation, there is a color discord which emphasizes certain forms and elements. Black and white images seem to be more about mood and design.
I think I like the black and white. I’m sure I’m biased.
A beehive in a bird house at Creamers Field, late April, 2013.
Snow flies as a redpoll eyes its nest.
A redpoll warms the eggs, May 17, 2013.
Three of the four light-light blue eggs in a rotting birch tree.
Bright blue and broken.
Orbital.
Wedding portrait session at Discovery Park in Seattle, March 29, 2013.
Fellow photographers at Discovery Park’s Lighthouse.
A sailboat passes behind a house where shrubs overgrow the front door.
The view from Magnolia Bluff shows pedestrians walking the beach, with the lighthouse barely visible.
Far North Light 