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A blog by Bill Hess

Running Dog Publications

P.O. Box 872383 Wasilla, Alaska 99687

 

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Wasilla

Wasilla is the place where I have lived for the past 29 years - sort of. The house in which my wife and I raised our family sits here, but I have made my rather odd career as a different sort of photojournalist by continually wandering off to other places to photograph people and gather information, which I have then put together in various publications that have served the Alaska Native Eskimo, Indian and Aleut communities.

Although I did not have a great of free time to devote to this rather strange community, named after a Tanaina Athabascan Indian chief who knew Wasilla in the way that I so impossibly long to, I have still documented it regularly over the past quarter-century plus. In the early days, my Wasilla photographs focused mostly upon my children and the events they participated in - baseball, football, figure skating, hockey, frog catching, fire cracker detonation, Fourth of July parade - that sort of thing. 

In 2002, I purchased my first digital camera and then, whenever I was home, I began to photograph Wasilla upon a daily basis, but not in a conventional way. These were grab shots - whatever caught my eye as I took my many long walks or drove through the town, shooting through the car window at people and scenes that appeared and disappeared before I could even focus and compose in the traditional photographic way.

Thus, the Wasilla portion of this blog will be devoted both to the images that I take as I wander about and those that I have taken in the past. Despite the odd, random, nature of the images, I believe they communicate something powerful about this town that I have never seen expressed anywhere else. 

Wasilla is a sprawling community that has been slapped down hodge-podge upon what was so recently wilderness of the most exquisite beauty. In its design, it is deliberately anti-zoned, anti-planned. In the building of Wasilla, the desire to make a buck has trumped aesthetics and all other considerations. This town, built in the midst of exquisite beauty, has largely become an unsightly, unattractive, mess of urban sprawl. Largely because of this, it often seems to me that Wasilla is a community with no sense of community, a town devoid of town soul.

Yet - Wasilla is my home and if I am lucky it will be until I grow old and die. Despite its horrific failings, it is still made of the stuff of any small city: people; moms and dads, grammas and grampas, teens, children, churches, bars, professionals, laborers, soldiers, missionaries, artists, athletes, geniuses, do-gooders, hoodlums, the wealthy, the homeless, the rational and logical, the slightly insane and the wholly insane - and, yes, as is now obvious to the whole world, politicians, too.

So perhaps, if one were to search hard enough, it might just be possible to find a sense of community here, and a town soul. So, using my skills as a photojournalist and a writer, I hope to do just that. If this place has a sense of community, I will find it. If there is a town soul to Wasilla, I will document it. I won't compete with the newspapers. Hell no! But as time and income allow, it will be fun to wander into the places where the folks described above gather, and then put what I find on this blog.

 

by 300...

Anywhere within a 300 mile radius of Wasilla. This encompasses perhaps the most wild, dramatic, gorgeous, beautiful section of land and sea to be found in any comparable space anywhere on Earth. I can never explore it all, but I will do the best that I can, and will here share what I find and experience with you.  

and then some...

Anywhere else in the world that I happen to get to, such as Point Lay, Alaska; Missoula, Montana; Serenki, Chukotka, Russia; or Bangalore, India. Perhaps even Lagos, Nigeria. I have both a desire and scheme to get me there. It is a long shot. We shall see if I succeed.

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Thursday
Jun112009

India, Wasilla, work - I have hit that proverbial wall

DateThursday, June 11, 2009 at 6:26PM

To the 3.578 billion people out there who read my blog daily, you who hardly sleep at night because you are so excited to get up to see what I have posted that you can't even shut your eyes, let me say that I am perplexed. I am confused. I do not know how to proceed.

I just don't.

I am a perplexed, confused, man.

Anyway, here is a picture from India - a Hindu temple at a place called Hampi, which was a thriving city until Muslim invaders destroyed and ruined it in the 1600's, then left it to fall into the earth.

The temple did not fall, however. Much of Hampi did, and is now rising once again from the earth, but the temple stood tall through all the centuries that have since passed.

When I returned home, it was my plan to spend two weeks posting pictures and a narrative from my India trip. In that time, I planned to cover the entire experience. But here it is, two-and-a-half weeks later and I have not even finished my account of the first three days, including Sandy's wedding.

I have nearly two weeks of work beyond that wedding to cover, work that I shot over a fairly large swath of southern India and risked not only my own life but that of my beloved daughter to get.

You will see what I mean, if and when I get to the images that make the point.

I skimmed through the entire take the other day and was rather amazed at some of the images I spotted. For two weeks plus a day, I did pretty good, I think.

I have hardly even posted a hint of it, so far.

What is to become of all this India work? Will it just be buried, unseen, in my computer, as was my last trip to India? As is so much of what I shoot? Where do I find the time to edit, process and post it? Before it becomes ancient history?

Meanwhile, life is moving on in Wasilla. People need to know that the antics of our most famous citizen are not indicative of us all. Other than the short time I spend each day riding my bike and snapping pictures as I go, I am so overwhelmed that I cannot document this town, as I planned when I started the blog, as I promised to do. And in nine or ten days, I head north, to the Arctic Slope, where I plan to stay until late July.

So, what do I do?

I don't know.

My black cat knows what I should do.

He has a perfect understanding of everything.

I wish I were as wise as he.

Yet he can be very silly.

I think maybe I will eat some enchiladas.

I really love enchiladas.

AuthorWasilla, Alaska, by 300 | Comment5 Comments |
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Reader Comments (5)

I look forward to whatever you decide to post. I enjoy stopping by almost daily to see your beautiful photos and read your funny and sweet words. The India pictures have blown us away, I've shared your site with my Honey as well as a few of our friends. So beautiful and conversationally inspiring, if that makes sense. Take care of yourself and hug everyone for me please. I actually might get a chance in a few weeks...we'll see. Jake says there's a small possibility of meeting up!

June 11, 2009 | Unregistered Commenterangel

Bill; hii--

I've enjoyed your blog just as much as the other 3.5 billion daily visitors. I note your recent comments on the Canon G10. I've just purchased one and I'll be doing an 8 day bike tour of the West of England next month. I'm wondering how you manage a G10 on a bike. Do you carry in in a jersey, a bag, or...? As you know, it's significantly heavier than most small cameras but as a photographer I felt the extra quality--and the additional control-- would be worth having.

Thanks,

Gordon

June 12, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterGordon Inkeles

Angel - yes, you might get to hug Jacob, Lavina, Kalib and Margie, but not me. I will remain behind in Alaska.

Gordon - Thanks. I think you will figure it out pretty fast, but, from my experience, I would advise not to sling the strap over your shoulder, but keep it around. Keep it short enough that the camera does not bang into any part of the bike. It is also good to have a pocket in your t-shirt (or whatever top you are wearing) so that you can place the camera in it when you get tired of it swinging about, but can still retrieve it quickly when you need it.

I hope to see some of your pictures.

June 12, 2009 | Registered CommenterWasilla, Alaska, by 300

I've found the G10 doesn't fit in a shirt pocket. Are we talking about the same digicam?

June 13, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterGordon Inkeles

Gordon - There's only one G10, so, yes we are. You just have the wrong shirt, with the wrong pockets. I have these t-shirts and it fits very nicely into the pocket.

June 13, 2009 | Registered CommenterWasilla, Alaska, by 300

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