Wanderings

Anaktuvuk Pass was settled only 50 years ago and I was curious how this had changed the lives of the traditionally nomadic Inupiat people. In addition to getting shots of the Aurora Borealis that I was after, I chose to focus on the faces of the people and also the environment in which they live. There are many challenges to living in this extreme environment and mixing their ancient culture with western culture has created numerous new ones.

Shooting in temperatures between 0 and -30 degrees fahrenheit presented many challenges and advance preparation was absolutely necessary. I carried extra batteries for my cameras and also hand warmers that I would tape to the exterior of the cameras to keep them warm. It is impossible to work the camera’s focus, exposure and other controls with gloves on, so I also had to worry about exposing my bare hands in the cold for too long. In the end I had no problems with my equipment and I returned with all of my fingers and toes intact!

This amazing experience affirmed my desire to shoot natural history films and programming and I look forward to the next opportunity to continue this work.