above, Band Yakchel, Iran
It often surprises people to find out that I started life as a portrait photographer. I'm well known for my adventure and underground work, but I learned about light and photography by assisting Doug Merriam on portrait jobs.
I received a terrible email this morning informing me that the Rabaul Queen has sunk while sailing between New Britain and the main land of PNG. Hundreds are feared dead. This tragedy got me thinking about ThePhotoSociety's Reality Check section. How many boats and airplanes have we been on that later sank or crashed?
I've not been on the Rabaul Queen, but have been on a sister ferry that later sank and a freighter out of Rabual that later sank. It gives me pause. But then if you actually live in Rabaul, or New Guinea, or Africa, or the Philippines sinking ferries are a fact of life. If you are a journalist interested in working in those places sinking ships become part of your landscape too.
One of the best night's sleep I have every had was on the deck of this freighter out of Rabaul headed toward Jacquinot Bay. The air was warm and the sea was gentle, every now an then a deep shudder would run down the ship. I slept like a baby on deck. I was later told the ship went down shortly after dropping us off in Pomio.
My heart goes out to the victims of the Rabaul Queen.
Stephen Alvarez
Sewanee, TN
![A bat count in Hellhole cave WV run by West Virginia Department of Natural Resouces [Craig Stihler craigstihler@wvdnr.gov]. The count was not scheduled this year but was done because large numbers of WNS positive bats were flying in the snow around the entrance. Hellhole is WV's largest bat hibernaculum. At the last survey in 2007 there were more than 112,000 bats hibernating in the cave including the world's largest population of Virginia Long Eared Bat. The survey found many sick, dead and dying bats. But the disease seems to mostly be effecting the more common Little Brown Bat. Michael Chu [michaelkchu@gmail.com climbs the 160 foot deep entrance pit after a bat survey.](http://medias.photodeck.com/bebc4ad8-fe6d-11df-bb19-c726cc937351/mm7869_100220_03456_xlarge.jpg)
Almost 2 years ago I hung over this 150' pit in West Virgina as part of a survey team looking at how White Nose Syndrome was effecting hibernating bats. The incredible thing about this photo is not the guy hanging in in space or even the bat flying around but the capture date. It was February and there were bats flying around in the cold and snow.
The disease seemed to be spreading south and the great fear is that it will infect the large bat colonies that we have in the southern cumberland plateau. So far we haven't seen great mortality in Tennessee, but this winter is when the disease would seriously hit. Fingers are crossed here.
Chattanooga, TN
above a wedding near Shahmirzad, Iran
There were lots of bad things about being an American photojournalist in Iran last year. Primarily I had no freedom of movement. I could not go where I wanted to go, I could not do what I wanted to do. I really couldn't even talk to the people I wanted to. For the month I was there I was only alone in the bathroom and even then...?
Continue reading "There were lots of bad things about being an American in Iran" »
Spindrift surrounds us at 15,000 feet on Iran's Alam-Kuh. Last year's trip to Iran was full of surprises. Big mountains, difficult government, but as with most places in the world, wonderful people.
Stephen Alvarez
Sewanee, TN
The canal Saint Martin, with the Paris Fire Brigade
A year and a half ago when I made this picture the firemen told me "Martin Scorsese was just here, he is filming a movie in Paris." At the time I didn't think anything of it. All I wanted was to watch them dive in Paris's Canal St Martin. As it turns out Scorsese had just been there, scouting the movie Hugo. I don't think the canal made it into the film. Too bad, it is a very cinematic place.
More Canal St Martin pictures here.
Stephen Alvarez
On the road again this week shooting more corporate work. I have posts planned about some of the mountain of lighting
Stephen Alvarez
With Greece seemingly poised to default on its debt and send the richer countries in Europe into further financial crisis, this picture from Athens this summer seems appropriate.
Stephen Alvarez
Sewanee
Happy Halloween. Halloween is celebrated a lot of different ways in different places. In Santiago Atitlan a statue of Saint Francis is carried to the church the evening before Halloween. San Francisco oversees the righteous dead.
Stephen Alvarez
Sewanee
