About

The Work

These photographs are made from low altitude over Alaska terrain — typically 500 to 2,000 feet above ground level, where the scale of the landscape reads clearly but the fine structure of surface geology, hydrology, and ice remains visible. The aerial perspective compresses distance and removes the horizon line. What remains is form: the pattern of a braided river, the texture of a medial moraine, the geometry of tundra polygons repeated across a drainage basin.

The subject is Alaska as physical fact — terrain, water, ice, light. The approach is documentary rather than interpretive. Flights are planned around light conditions, season, and the specific qualities of each type of terrain. Nothing in the frame is arranged.

Equipment

Aircraft

1947 Luscombe 8E. A high-wing, two-seat tailwheel aircraft with good forward and downward visibility, a cruise speed that allows deliberate framing, and the ability to operate from short strips throughout Alaska. The Luscombe is the right platform for this work — it goes where larger aircraft cannot, and it is slow enough to use.

Camera and lens

Camera body and primary lens to be confirmed.

Printing — Piezography system

Black-and-white prints are produced using the Piezography carbon pigment ink system, printed on 100% rag fine art paper. Piezography replaces the standard color ink set with a linearized set of carbon-based gray inks, resulting in a neutral, continuous-tone monochrome output with an extended tonal range. The carbon pigment is chemically stable — manufacturer estimates exceed 200 years under standard display conditions. Standard inkjet cannot produce equivalent tonal quality in black-and-white. Color prints are archival pigment on baryta paper.

Process

Flight planning for photography is primarily about light — the angle and quality of the sun relative to the terrain. Low sun angles produce long shadows that reveal surface topography; flat overcast produces a different kind of clarity useful for ice and water. Flights are scheduled around these conditions and around airspace, wind, and visibility. Raw files are processed for maximum dynamic range. Black-and-white conversions are made selectively by image, not by formula. Prints are produced in-house on a dedicated Piezography-configured printer.

Background

Based in Anchorage, Alaska. Professional aviator with 37 years and 22,400+ hours of flight time.