James A. Van Altvorst
A Southeast Alaska Intertidal Imaginarium
Betwixt ‘n Between
Copyright © 2017 James A. Van Altvorst All rights reserved. No part of Betwixt ’n Between: A Southeast Alaska Intertidal Imaginarium may be reproduced in any form or by any mechanical or electronic means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author.
A Southeast Alaska Intertidal Imaginarium
Betwixt ‘n Between
Contents Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 SoFoBoMo 2017 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Betwixt ’n Between: A Southeast Alaska Intertidal Imaginarium . . 1 The Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 The Intertidal Zone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 The Photographs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 The Book: An Imaginarium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Photographs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Notes re the Photographs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Appendices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Appendix 1: Location Charts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Ketchikan to Moira Sound – Two Possible Routes . . . . . . 45 Moira Sound. Entrance to North Arm and Clarno Cove. . . 46 North Arm of Moira Sound. Entrance to Clarno Cove. . . . 47 Clarno Cove - Detail. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Appendix 2: Tide Graphs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Colophon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Introduction SoFoBoMo 2017 SoFoBoMo is an acronym for Solo Photo Book Month. Originally conceived in 2008, SoFoBoMo is an annual “group event where photographers all around the world make solo photo books in PDF form in 31 days, start to finish.”1 The requirements to participate in SoFoBoMo for 2017 are few and very simple: The resultant photo book • Must include at least 35 photos. • Must be completed in a contiguous stretch of 31 days, start to finish, and the 31 days must all fall inside that year's two month “fuzzy window.” • Must take the form of a PDF file, which can be uploaded to the SoFoBoMo web site. The period July 1 through August 31 defines 2017’s SoFoBoMo “fuzzy window”. Betwixt ’n Between: A Southeast Alaska Intertidal Imaginarium is my SoFoBoMo project for 2017.
Betwixt ’n Between: A Southeast Alaska Intertidal Imaginarium The Setting Location All the photographs included in this book feature segments of the intertidal zone within one small unnamed basin near the inlet to Clarno Cove within North Arm of Moira Sound on Prince of Wales Island. I live in Ketchikan, Alaska, which is located on nearby Revillagigedo Island, along the region’s famed Inside Passage. 1
Introduction
See the SoFoBoMo website, http://www.sofobomo.com/, for further information
Clarno Cove lies approximately 20 miles “as the crow flies”, 35 nautical miles by boat, southwest of Ketchikan. 2
The Intertidal Zone The intertidal zone is “the area of a seashore that is covered at high tide and uncovered at low tide.”3 Near Ketchikan, the intertidal zone is quite large as the level of the sea changes upwards of 24 feet between predicted high and low tides at certain times of the year. As a result, the rhythmic flood and ebb of the tides can create rather dramatic changes in the visible landscape throughout a given day and from day to day. When such changes are combined with ever changing light and weather conditions, new and often amazingly different views are constantly available for photographing. Additionally, the intertidal zone teams with life adapted to tidedriven cyclic immersion and exposure. It is a rich ecosystem comprised of animals and plants, living, dying, dead and decaying, all adding color and texture to the scene. Thus, the intertidal zone offers nearly endless opportunities for discovery by any and all. Rewards await those willing to invest some patience, planning, and a willingness to “work the tides.”
The Photographs The photographs included in this book represent a very small, limited sample of photographs I took between July 17 and 19, 2017, while aboard my boat anchored in Clarno Cove. A low tide, calm water, and cooperative light were essential to making these images. The low tide reveals an otherwise hidden part of the intertidal zone with its rich patterns of color and texture.4 The See Appendix 1 for additional location information.
2
Tides are generally predictable. Detailed information regarding area-specific tides is available from public and private publications, via the internet, or through use of any of several tide prediction software programs.
3
See Appendix 2 for relevant tide graphs.
4
1
calm water provides the opportunities a mirror image might offer. Early morning and late day lighting add dimensional qualities. Rotating the “real world” horizon, helps abstract the scene and offers interesting opportunities to see otherwise “hidden” elements. Cropping the “real world” image, sometimes severely, can highlight otherwise hidden gems for discovery and interpretation. Most of the images included in this book are based on an individual exposure. However, different treatments of a single exposure can often offer interestingly different interpretations of an image. A few examples are included in this book. A list identifying these images is included at the beginning of the Photographs chapter.
The Book: An Imaginarium Looking betwixt and between the tides, I discover a continuously changing phantasmagoria, an “imaginarium” populated with creatures of all sorts. My fascination with the intertidal zone provided the motivation for this book. Leaf through the following pages to view a small sampling of the possibilities. Allow your imagination to wander freely as you discover images within the images, some imagined, some real. In fact, you might spot an actual black bear, a real human being, one very real but quite small dog, and a trustworthy canoe lurking among the imaginary critters. I hope you enjoy your adventure.
~ Jim Van Altvorst
Introduction
2
Photographs
Photographs
3
Notes re the Photographs Most of the following images are produced from an individual exposure. Several images offer different treatments of an individual photograph. Images included on the following pages demonstrate the potential for differing interpretations of a single photograph: • Page 8 • Page 14 • Page 18 • Pages 25 and 39 • Page 28 • Pages 31and 32 • Page 37 • Pages 39 and 25 • Page 40
Photographs
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Photographs
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Photographs
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Photographs
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Photographs
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Photographs
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Photographs
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Photographs
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Photographs
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Photographs
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Photographs
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Photographs
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Photographs
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Photographs
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Photographs
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Photographs
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Photographs
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Photographs
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Appendices
Appendices
43
Appendix 1: Location Charts
Appendices
44
Ketchikan to Moira Sound – Two Possible Routes
Approximately 21 miles by air
Approximately 35 miles by sea
Clarno Cove
Appendices
Source: Charts published by NOAA Office of Coast Survey, http://www.charts.noaa.gov/InteractiveCatalog/nrnc.shtml. 45
Moira Sound. Entrance to North Arm and Clarno Cove.
Clarno Cove Source: Charts published by NOAA Office of Coast Survey, http://www.charts.noaa.gov/InteractiveCatalog/nrnc.shtml. Appendices
46
North Arm of Moira Sound. Entrance to Clarno Cove.
Clarno Cove Appendices
Source: Charts published by NOAA Office of Coast Survey, http://www.charts.noaa.gov/InteractiveCatalog/nrnc.shtml. 47
Clarno Cove - Detail.
Unnamed basin within Clarno Cove. The intertidal beach offered the inspiration and subject matter for all photos in this book. Source: Charts published by NOAA Office of Coast Survey, http://www.charts.noaa.gov/InteractiveCatalog/nrnc.shtml. Appendices
48
Appendix 2: Tide Graphs
Appendices
49
Niblack Anchorage, Moira Sound, Alaska Feet July 2017
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
01:28 07:22
3 03:46 09:50
2.4 15:35 10.3 21:51
4 3.7 04:44 13.0 10:52
10 01:53 08:32
14.9 14:54 -1.5 20:35
2.4 13:28 11.0 20:00
13.2 02:29 2.8 09:04
17.2 14:35 -4.0 20:26
14.8 15:28 -1.5 21:11
2.6 02:45 13.5 08:47
1.7 14:38 10.8 21:04
13.3 03:05 2.7 09:38
16.9 15:17 -3.6 21:12
3.9 06:12 13.7 12:28
14.5 16:02 -1.2 21:51
3.1 03:55 14.1 10:05
0.5 15:50 11.3 22:08
13.3 03:43 2.7 10:14
16.1 15:59 -2.8 22:00
3.7 24:03 06:50
14.0 16:40 -0.8 22:35
3.2 04:57 14.8 11:11
-0.9 16:56 12.2 23:06
13.2 04:27 2.8 10:52
15.0 16:41 -1.6 22:50
12.2 24:41 3.4 07:24
13.3 17:20 -0.1 23:25
2.8 05:53 15.7 12:09
-2.2 17:54 13.2
13.2 05:15 2.8 11:36
13.6 17:25 -0.1 23:42
2
3.1 13:35 11.1 20:01
14.5 13:44 -1.0 19:23
2.2 02:40 12.9 08:36
❍ 12.7 01:17 3.1 07:58
12.5 18:06 0.8
2.2 24:02 06:43
16.5 13:01 -3.2 18:48
13.1 24:23 06:13
12.2 18:11 1.4
3.1 12.8
9 14.8 14:20 -1.3 19:59
2.7 12:28 11.6 18:58
13.0 2.9
☾ 1.7 13.2
23 14.2 24:54 1.5 07:31
29 13.9 05:38 2.0 11:53
2.9 14:35 10.4 20:59
16
22
28 14.6 04:48 1.4 11:07
1
15
21
27 15.1 04:02 0.8 10:25
14.1 13:08 -0.4 18:45
Sunday
8
14
20
26 15.3 03:16 0.6 09:43
0.2 18:05 11.7
7
13
19
25 15.3 02:30 0.6 08:59
0.9 17:21 11.2 23:23
6
12
18
24 01:42 08:17
3.9 05:32 13.3 11:44
11
17 01:31 07:25
1.7 16:33 10.6 22:41
5
Saturday
17.0 13:49 -3.9 19:38
30 13.2 24:40 06:38
2.6 12:43 10.9 19:03
14.9 0.9
☽ 2.9 12.6
31 01:48 07:48
3.0 13:41 10.0 20:01
Appendices
4.0 12.2
Source: Mr. Tides. Version 4.3.8 (592). Copyright © 2012 Hahn Software. All rights reserved. (en) 50
Niblack Anchorage, Moira Sound, Alaska
18.0 16.0 14.0 12.0 10.0 8.0 6.0 4.0 2.0 0.0 -2.0 -4.0 01:32 07:26 13:29 19:59
24 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
AKDT 2.41 Feet AKDT 10.97 Feet AKDT 2.58 Feet AKDT 13.51 Feet
Appendices
Monday, July 17, 2017 Source: Mr. Tides. Version 4.3.8 (592). Copyright © 2012 Hahn Software. All rights reserved. (en)
51
Niblack Anchorage, Moira Sound, Alaska
18.0 16.0 14.0 12.0 10.0 8.0 6.0 4.0 2.0 0.0 -2.0 -4.0 02:44 08:46 14:37 21:05
24 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
AKDT 1.66 Feet AKDT 10.85 Feet AKDT 3.13 Feet AKDT 14.06 Feet
Appendices
Tuesday, July 18, 2017 Source: Mr. Tides. Version 4.3.8 (592). Copyright © 2012 Hahn Software. All rights reserved. (en)
52
Niblack Anchorage, Moira Sound, Alaska
18.0 16.0 14.0 12.0 10.0 8.0 6.0 4.0 2.0 0.0 -2.0 -4.0 03:56 10:04 15:49 22:07
24 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
AKDT 0.51 Feet AKDT 11.34 Feet AKDT 3.19 Feet AKDT 14.85 Feet
Appendices
Wednesday, July 19, 2017 Source: Mr. Tides. Version 4.3.8 (592). Copyright © 2012 Hahn Software. All rights reserved. (en)
53
Colophon Betwixt ‘n Between: Southeast Alaska Intertidal Imaginarium was laid out using Adobe InDesign CS6. Text is set in Adobe Garamond Pro. Image source files were created between July, 17, 2017, and July 19, 2017, using Sony A700 and A900 DSLRs, and a Fuji X-E2 mirrorless camera. No filters were used. Capture One 10 was used to convert raw image files; to perform limited adjustments and occasional cropping; and to create variations, some of which were included in this book. The image on the rear cover, taken while cruising along East Behm Canal within the Misty Fjords National Monument in 2016, is courtesy of Kitty Maguire.
James A. Van Altvorst PO Box 8251 Ketchikan, AK 99901-3251 www.vanaltvorst.com