Picture Stories by Stephen Alvarez

Good bye to Wes Skiles

This week I had intended to write about Wes Skiles wonderful article on the Bahamas Blue Holes (here). Caves are hard enough to photograph, but underwater caves? I don't know how Wes made the fantastic images he did in an environment where communication is impossible and shooting time is so limited.

Instead I have to write about how sad it is that this wonderful man is dead (here). Wes was many many things; photographer, filmmaker, explorer, adventurer, father, husband, trusted colleague... He was larger than life. It isn't surprising then that his memorial service this week at Ginnie Springs was larger than life as well. Hundreds of people poured out to share stories about Wes, and his impact on them. Few people have the ability to draw so many diverse folks together. 

It was the perfect way to honor his memory and make us all just a little less sad for a while. There was crying and laughing (mostly laughing) and fireworks and viking fire barge that burned over the springs. As one of my friends said, "when I die you can just dust this plan off for my memorial."

Goodbye Wes

Stephen Alvarez

Sewanee, TN

 

Spilling Over from UNC

From UNC/Powering a Nation about Venice, La and the oil spill. 

Heartbreaking.

-Stephen Alvarez

Joel Sartore and I share Communication Arts Photo Annual Prize

Joel Sartore and I share prizes in Communication Arts Photo Annual (here) for editorial series. 

Stephen Alvarez

Valdosta, GA

Fiery Gizzard is for sale, donate and win a print

Sunlight filters through the hemlock forest in Fiery Gizzard, TN

Last week I pointed out that a large part of Fiery Gizzard is up for sale and that the Land Trust for Tennessee is trying to raise money to purchase land that has been enjoyed as a public park but is in fact in private hands (here).

This week I am giving a print of the photo above to the first person who donates $500 or more to the purchase. The process is simple, follow this link (donate) and make your donation. Then send me a note (info at alvarezphotography dot com), if you are the first one, you get the picture. I'll confirm with the land trust and mail you the photograph.

The print is approximately 20 x 7.5 inches on a 17x22 inch archival paper signed and dated by me. 

You can use the same link to make a donation of any amount, none is too small. 

-Stephen Alvarez

Sewanee, TN

Star trails and moonlight over the Grand Tsingy, Madagascar

Stars and moonlight over the Grand Tsingy. Tsingy de Bemaraha, Madagascar.

-Stephen Alvarez 

Wes Skiles

It is with great sadness that I learned my friend Wes Skiles died yesterday diving off of Palm Beach (here).  Wes was an incredible photographer, filmmaker and explorer. He was also one of those people who reminds you that you can be successful and be a good, generous person at the same time.

16 years ago I was a young and ambitious photographer who badly wanted to work for National Geographic. I had heard that Wes was involved with a cave story in Mexico so I called him up out of the blue. Wes didn't know me from Adam but he invited me to visit in High Springs. Wes was always generous with his time and ideas. We never worked together, but did remain friends through the years. Whenever I would see Wes in the office in DC we wouldn't talk about his many many achievements, we'd talk about his family and how proud he was of them.

He was a wonderful man.

-Stephen Alvarez

Sewanee, TN

Printing in the digital age

In Paris I had 50 photos of this lemur printed for a NG advertising event and now at home I've had some big (6+ feet long) prints made. Printing has been on my mind a lot lately. 

Whether I'm are using a professional lab or my office printer there are a couple of color management tricks I use to get the best results possible.

Fiery Gizzard, Tennessee

 Amazingly, this is Tennessee. It is hard to imagine that there is this much undeveloped, beautiful land left in the east, but here it is Fiery Gizzard. For years this land has been managed by the State of Tennessee as a public park even though most of it is privately owned. A full 6,200 acres are now for sale and the Land Trust for Tennessee is trying to raise enough money for the purchase (info here). If you've ever been to Fiery Gizzard or ever want to go there, donate a some money. This chance won't come again.

-Stephen Alvarez

Sewanee, Tennessee

Good news from the Gulf?

 Big eye scad off Destin, Florida

Not sure if there is such a thing as Good News about the BP oil disaster, but CNN is reporting that the new BP well cap is working (here). BP is "cautiously optimistic." Yes it is funny to hear the words caution and BP in the same sentence. Even if the oil stops today it will be generations before the effects dissipate. NYT has a story about the destruction of Louisiana's Oyster Economy (here).

Blind Descent by James Tabor

A friend sent me this interview with James M. Tabor author of Blind Descent (amazon here). Tabor has been getting some much deserved good press lately (on the Daily Show here, and npr here). Tabor frames the book as a race by two cave teams -one American, one Ukrainian- to find the deepest cave in the world. As I've said before only the American team viewed it as a race. 

To the Ukrainians who actually blew the doors off the world depth record, the American team was in a race by themselves, in the wrong place.

Still the book is a good read, buy it for the cover alone...

-Stephen Alvarez

Sewanee, TN