“The essence of all great art is gratitude” said a wise man. Those who aspire to great photographic art in Juneau have much to be grateful for - glaciers, fjords, waterfalls, ice caves, northern lights, our exuberant bronze whale, the jewel-like “Aquilinean” sculptures on the boardwalk, Christmas lights on boats, colorful houses on hills, fireworks shows, historic mines, totem poles, tour ships, and abundant wildlife. In many ways, God has blessed Juneau with beauty and allure.
One thing that distinguishes me as a photographer (and some say, in general) is that I am slow. It takes me a long time to capture a scene, mainly because I take many images (60 or more in some cases) to create a print. Software allows me to combine images to attain extreme resolution, panoramic coverage, and retention of detail in shadows and highlights.
Recently I have become interested in the inclusion and drama of landscapes and cityscapes that are horizontally squashed and vertical stretched. Also, I particularly enjoy home photography. I like to find ways to show the full picture - home interiors and occupants as components of their exterior environments, particularly at twilight, when the natural and artificial lighting comes into a revealing balance. Although I haven’t done as much of it, this approach works well for boat photography also.
I hope you enjoy this display of my appreciation for Juneau, Alaska, and "Lesser Places". Kurt Smith
P.S. "Large Prints of Slow Photos of Juneau", a display of my work, was shown in May at the Juneau Arts and Cultural Center Gallery.