listening to The Helio Sequence
Showing posts with label the last road north. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the last road north. Show all posts
Nov 24, 2008
Nov 19, 2008
simplicity
I'm up late tonight, scanning film from my trip to Prudhoe Bay last month. A box of negatives, a surprisingly solid new cd by John Mellencamp (yes, The Cougar), a stout, and my dog curled up at my feet under my desk. It doesn't get much better.
The forecast predicts our first night of 35° below tonight, and I'm content to have a pile of film to hold me over for a while.
oil rigs, Prudhoe Bay, November 2008
The forecast predicts our first night of 35° below tonight, and I'm content to have a pile of film to hold me over for a while.
oil rigs, Prudhoe Bay, November 2008
Nov 3, 2008
inventory
3 days
2 nights sleeping in the truck
1,024 miles
$4.69/gal gas above the arctic circle
42 sheets of film
42 instances of a patented mixture of doubt and confidence
1 (new) crack in the windshield
0 conversations about politics
5 conversations about the weather
1 rereading of Self Reliance
6 listens of Cease to Begin
17 musk ox
5 lynx
4 fox
1 snowy owl
1 hawk
countless caribou, ptarmigan, and raven
1 Halloween pumpkin
1 impromptu mushing ride in Coldfoot (thanks Victoria)
mile 301
this trip solidified so much for me. i figure things out during long stretches of driving in a fraction of the time i do at home. something about the world flying by out my window that speeds time- an urgency and clarity that i've failed at replicating elsewhere. i'm exhausted. more later.
2 nights sleeping in the truck
1,024 miles
$4.69/gal gas above the arctic circle
42 sheets of film
42 instances of a patented mixture of doubt and confidence
1 (new) crack in the windshield
0 conversations about politics
5 conversations about the weather
1 rereading of Self Reliance
6 listens of Cease to Begin
17 musk ox
5 lynx
4 fox
1 snowy owl
1 hawk
countless caribou, ptarmigan, and raven
1 Halloween pumpkin
1 impromptu mushing ride in Coldfoot (thanks Victoria)
mile 301
this trip solidified so much for me. i figure things out during long stretches of driving in a fraction of the time i do at home. something about the world flying by out my window that speeds time- an urgency and clarity that i've failed at replicating elsewhere. i'm exhausted. more later.
Oct 26, 2008
road trips and opportunity
i've been enjoying Simon Roberts' blog lately and his unabashed love of the road trip as a photography vehicle, as he produces photographs for is new series We English. he and i share the same love, and it speaks as much to my last post as to anything i suppose. i find the idea of setting out into unknown visual and emotional vistas ridiculously romantic. reading his past several posts feels like reading through unpublished drafts on my blogger dashboard.
his words on Sternfeld, Shore, Frank, Soth, Stein, Paul Graham, and Roberts himself, resonate as true as anything with me. during my lonely trips up north, i have conversations with them all, to myself of course- sometimes internally, sometimes aloud. it's taken a while, but my internal dialog of "what would Alec do" has been replaced by a comfort and understanding of my own methods and solutions. of course, actually engaging the shutter is such a small part of the experience. the responsibility to oneself to see things clearly, to adhere to an internal rhetoric, to not miss the plot is tremendous. i realize i'm guilty sometimes of getting too wrapped up in place. but, the fact is i wasn't a photographer when i moved here. i made photos, but i wasn't a photographer. it's taken me a long time to take photos of Alaska as anything other than a tourist. i've found it difficult to see past my ideologies to find my reality, and to find my own answers as a photographer. it's a messy place much of the time. my love of the road north in itself is full of hypocrisies, but it's this messiness that i find most compelling.
Balance, 2008
© Ben Huff
i'm heading to Deadhorse for the last time this year in a few days. i've picked this time, a few days before the upcoming election, intentionally. i'll be looking for, among other things, signs of the election and that of the Alaskan temperament right now. i doubt i find much overtly political, even at Prudhoe Bay, but i'm open to whatever develops. the thing that i find encouraging lately, is that the idea of "what is Alaskan?" is seeping into everyday conversation here. it's a question that us short timers, as well as longtime residents are asking themselves and each other. our Governor, come pitbull, has spawned a surprising conversation in this red state, and has made the whole landscape of Alaska a little more messy. the reality of her tumbling approval rating here in Alaska, the denouncement of her ticket by Alaska's biggest newspaper and the words of esteemed authors Nick Jans and Seth Kantner have articulated what many here feel.
as a photographer, i feel a weight right now. with the exception of my vote (which i cast last week for Obama/Biden) my photography is my voice. i'm entering a pivotal time. this final trip of the year will be the last before i construct a final edit for a show here next year. i'm far from being done with this project, but in two weeks i'll have closed the book on the first chapter, so to say.
i'm confidant about many things these days, which is a fairly new to me lately. one thing i am confident in is that the days of beautiful photos of Alaska simply for the sake of it are effectively dead in the age of Palin. it's time for an honest dialog.
his words on Sternfeld, Shore, Frank, Soth, Stein, Paul Graham, and Roberts himself, resonate as true as anything with me. during my lonely trips up north, i have conversations with them all, to myself of course- sometimes internally, sometimes aloud. it's taken a while, but my internal dialog of "what would Alec do" has been replaced by a comfort and understanding of my own methods and solutions. of course, actually engaging the shutter is such a small part of the experience. the responsibility to oneself to see things clearly, to adhere to an internal rhetoric, to not miss the plot is tremendous. i realize i'm guilty sometimes of getting too wrapped up in place. but, the fact is i wasn't a photographer when i moved here. i made photos, but i wasn't a photographer. it's taken me a long time to take photos of Alaska as anything other than a tourist. i've found it difficult to see past my ideologies to find my reality, and to find my own answers as a photographer. it's a messy place much of the time. my love of the road north in itself is full of hypocrisies, but it's this messiness that i find most compelling.
Balance, 2008
© Ben Huff
i'm heading to Deadhorse for the last time this year in a few days. i've picked this time, a few days before the upcoming election, intentionally. i'll be looking for, among other things, signs of the election and that of the Alaskan temperament right now. i doubt i find much overtly political, even at Prudhoe Bay, but i'm open to whatever develops. the thing that i find encouraging lately, is that the idea of "what is Alaskan?" is seeping into everyday conversation here. it's a question that us short timers, as well as longtime residents are asking themselves and each other. our Governor, come pitbull, has spawned a surprising conversation in this red state, and has made the whole landscape of Alaska a little more messy. the reality of her tumbling approval rating here in Alaska, the denouncement of her ticket by Alaska's biggest newspaper and the words of esteemed authors Nick Jans and Seth Kantner have articulated what many here feel.
as a photographer, i feel a weight right now. with the exception of my vote (which i cast last week for Obama/Biden) my photography is my voice. i'm entering a pivotal time. this final trip of the year will be the last before i construct a final edit for a show here next year. i'm far from being done with this project, but in two weeks i'll have closed the book on the first chapter, so to say.
i'm confidant about many things these days, which is a fairly new to me lately. one thing i am confident in is that the days of beautiful photos of Alaska simply for the sake of it are effectively dead in the age of Palin. it's time for an honest dialog.
Jul 26, 2008
company and the landscape
as a general rule i shoot by myself. i feed on the quiet of my surroundings, and the deafening possibilities in my head. the people i meet out on the road are my friends. twenty minutes at a time- fleeting semi-anonymous relationships.
sometimes though, i can get too involved with the singularity of it all, and i lose sight of the plot. when Dennis proposed that we make a quick trip north together a couple weeks ago, it couldn't have come at a better time.
Dennis knew that i've been struggling a bit with my landscapes (by a bit i mean that i can't seem to get out of my own way). it feels like i can't see them because there is too much to see. he reckons i'm scared of the space. i reckon he's right.
his company, and insight, this past weekend was just what the doctor ordered. i propose no exaggeration when i say that Dennis is a master with the horizon. thirty years of studying Alaska through the ground glass of his Deardorf has earned him a refined brilliance. watching him work was priceless.
i created some solid photos this trip, i'm fairly confident of that, but to be honest, if all of the film came back botched i would still count this trip a success. as singular as i believe i am, truth is i need trips like this. two guys careening down dirt roads in a van full of film, listening to Dylan, talking shit about photography, books, the state of Alaskan art, the price of oil ($5.60/gl in Coldfoot), music, anything. everything.
this blog has proved to be an indispensable outlet over he years. i've made good friends here (always seems strange to say that), but nothing can replace the good old fashioned road trip. so, anyone want to come up to Alaska and hit the road?
bring your mosquito dope...
Jul 1, 2008
new work
some of the folks i've met up the road over the past few months -
Mike
Joyce & Dave
Merle
Phylis
Jeremy
Mike
Joyce & Dave
Merle
Phylis
Jeremy
Jun 29, 2008
the trip of a lifetime (x3)
in the past few weeks i have met three separate duos who are traveling from Prudhoe Bay to Tierra Del Fuego. all are taking at least a year out of their lives, leaving loved ones, jobs, and their homes, to travel the length of the continent. the thought of it makes me sick with jealously.
first, were Vincent and Michael from France. they are making the trip by bicycle. i met them up on the road in early June and made a photo. our time together was brief but their enthusiasm left an impression.
second, were Anna and Alister from Australia. they are also making the trip on bicycle. i met them two weeks ago at a party that two good friends were hosting in their honor. communication was poor (on my end no doubt) and i understood that Anna ans Alister were just beginning their journey, but to my disappointment, they had already done the road at that point and were on their way South. for the next two years, going South.
finally, Dirk and Torsten. two Germans driving the Haul Road, only 414 miles of their 15,000+ mile journey, in a '52 VW Beetle. i met them this weekend, as they were staying for a couple days with my friend Ed. they seemed as excited about my project as i was about their upcoming adventure, and a fast friendship was made. so today, after too much wine last night, we set off for the Haul Road. i followed them up the Elliott and several miles up the Haul Road to make a few photos. the weather today was grim, but perfect. they stood in the rain, took my direction, and gave me exactly what i wanted.
first, were Vincent and Michael from France. they are making the trip by bicycle. i met them up on the road in early June and made a photo. our time together was brief but their enthusiasm left an impression.
second, were Anna and Alister from Australia. they are also making the trip on bicycle. i met them two weeks ago at a party that two good friends were hosting in their honor. communication was poor (on my end no doubt) and i understood that Anna ans Alister were just beginning their journey, but to my disappointment, they had already done the road at that point and were on their way South. for the next two years, going South.
finally, Dirk and Torsten. two Germans driving the Haul Road, only 414 miles of their 15,000+ mile journey, in a '52 VW Beetle. i met them this weekend, as they were staying for a couple days with my friend Ed. they seemed as excited about my project as i was about their upcoming adventure, and a fast friendship was made. so today, after too much wine last night, we set off for the Haul Road. i followed them up the Elliott and several miles up the Haul Road to make a few photos. the weather today was grim, but perfect. they stood in the rain, took my direction, and gave me exactly what i wanted.
Jun 23, 2008
back at it
i'm back in town tonight from a trip up the road (my second since my last post). it was Dea's birthday on Friday, she was itching to get out of town, and i was pleasantly surprised when she wanted to go north for a few days. of course i packed my camera, and loaded all my holders, but swore i would mellow out a little. it was a different kind of trip- less intense, less impulsive. the perspective was good, and the result was unexpected. i'm at ease shooting around her. i do it very rarely, but it feels easy. it feels good.
back in Fairbanks now, and the inevitable low strikes. why try to fight it. i find though, that it gets easier as this project grows. i feel less desperate, but i'm always saddened when i come off the dirt of the Dalton onto the pavement of the Elliott. for a couple days i throw myself into that road, the landscape, and the people, and the thought of assimilating back into my day job and necessary responsibilities of life trips me up.
this trip felt like a turning point though, and being home is easier. this body of work is finding itself. i'm finding myself. this weekend above the arctic circle, on solstice no less, with Dea grounded me in a way. the landscape transcended a sort of fantasy and became a little more real.
and, as i sit here catching up on some email, and checking in on a few blogs, i feel like writing again. the film is in the mail, things are going well, and i missed you dear readers (all 6 of you).
more words and photographs soon.
back in Fairbanks now, and the inevitable low strikes. why try to fight it. i find though, that it gets easier as this project grows. i feel less desperate, but i'm always saddened when i come off the dirt of the Dalton onto the pavement of the Elliott. for a couple days i throw myself into that road, the landscape, and the people, and the thought of assimilating back into my day job and necessary responsibilities of life trips me up.
this trip felt like a turning point though, and being home is easier. this body of work is finding itself. i'm finding myself. this weekend above the arctic circle, on solstice no less, with Dea grounded me in a way. the landscape transcended a sort of fantasy and became a little more real.
and, as i sit here catching up on some email, and checking in on a few blogs, i feel like writing again. the film is in the mail, things are going well, and i missed you dear readers (all 6 of you).
more words and photographs soon.
Apr 24, 2008
Alaska Positive
i posted a few weeks ago that Bill Owens was in Juneau to judge the Alaska Positive competition. at the time i hoped to get a piece in the show and to have a few beers with him. i'm happy to report that i accomplished both.
i was awarded a 2nd place honor for the photo of Mickey below- a part of my ongoing project on the Haul Road. i'll have three photos traveling the state with the show for the year. you can view the press release here.
Mickey, Yukon River
i was awarded a 2nd place honor for the photo of Mickey below- a part of my ongoing project on the Haul Road. i'll have three photos traveling the state with the show for the year. you can view the press release here.
Mickey, Yukon River
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