Spring Pond and Reflections
Alaska

20×24″ prints are $1,500
30×40″ prints are $3,000

In June of 1993 I went on a month long photo expedition to Alaska with my friend Jack Popowich, traveling in my camper van. We covered much of the Alaska territory including driving all the way up to Prudhoe Bay. I had never been to Alaska before and didn’t know what to expect. I found the best photographic potentials in the coastal areas. The vast interior that we drove through was mostly permafrost with stunted black spruce trees that had a hard life which I found to be rather dismal looking from a photographic perspective.

However, we passed this one pond which compelled me to stop and see what I could find. As with a number of my photographs this image is composed of several interactive visual layers. There is the pattern of the green plants and white blossoms; the water reflecting the sky, clouds and spruce trees, with subtle details under the blue part of the water; and the surpris-ing and somewhat puzzling black leaf reflections. I made two identical exposures with my 600mm lens at F/32-2/3 at 1/4 second on Fujichrome 100 film.

When I view the Cibachrome print from a distance the scene is peaceful but active. As I view it closer the razor sharp details grab my attention as my eye begins to examine the multitude of intriguing details. For me this image is both simple and complex. We know what it is and yet those interacting layers give it a sense of mystery. This image is more than the sum of its parts.