Eagle River High School opened its doors in 2005.  Two years after I moved here.  I contacted Principal Barnett, well before the school opened about doing photos for the sports teams, but she never got back to me, so I went the team route.  I knew the first basketball coach from living next door to my sister and he use to go to my church.  Basketball was the first major sport Eagle River had that was a varsity program.  So, I went to a booster club meeting, and shooting boys and girls basketball after one season, and boys American Legion for part of that season, I started shooting more.  Football, flag football, wrestling, volleyball, baseball, track and field and ROTC comps.  That grew into Senior Photos for many of the athletes who had gone through ERHS.  Even some family photo gigs came up and some corporate work.  But next year there will be something missing from the ERHS sidelines.  Me.

In May of this year, my sister and her family will be moving to Denver due to her husbands job.  In Early July, my mom, who many of you know I am the primary caregiver for, and I will be following them to Denver, and within the next year, I expect my  brother to move from Fairbanks to the Denver area.  This was an unexpected change.  I had big ideas for the 12/13 football and basketball seasons.  I really was excited about the new coaching staff for football, and after this last basketball season, well it just wet my appetite for next season.  I did have senior photos lined up for this summer, that I have had to cancel.

I do not have anything lined up for a regular day to day job at this time.  Right now I am focusing on finding a home in the Denver area.  I have some shooting gigs lined up for later this summer.  The one main thing I am looking forward to is being able to shoot more high profile sports.  There are 8 professional teams in and around the Denver area, so between the NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, Pro Lacrosse, MLS, and two Pro women’s soccer teams, plus Pac-12 sports with the University of Colorado and Division 1 hockey and downhill skiing, not to mention Winter X-Games, and the fact that MaxPreps holds the contract for the high schools in Colorado, I will be busy shooting a lot.  I just hope the money starts flowing quickly.  A drawback is, I will not be shooting for one, single school.  I will shoot mainly NW Denver schools.  It could be one school one night, another the next.  I will not be doing senior posters like I was for Eagle River, and I will not have the one on one connections I have made with the boosters, parents, and kids like I have over the last 7 years.

I am also excited about getting out and about the Denver area.  Red Rocks sounds like a pretty interesting place to shoot, and with the Denver Zoo, and 300 days of sunlight, besides sports, I will have many various opportunities to get some great shots.

The weather will also be a good thing for my mom’s health.  She should be able to get out in the sun more without having to worry about a bear or moose in our driveway, and with 6+ months of winter and less than 6 months of road construction in Alaska, it will be a nice change.  Plus I will be able to get my Fiat out year round instead of just pulling it out after all the snow and ice is gone.

I know with my leaving, that leaves a hole in ERHS sports for the posters, action photos, and all the little extras I have done over the years.  At this time, I do not know who will fill my roll.  I have some ideas, but they may not pan out.  I had the luxury of knowing many of the parents that came through Eagle River High School through my work previously with Knik Little League and the Alaska Quakes baseball programs.  I will let some of the local photographers whom I know that I think would be a good fit know, and we will see what we can come up with.

I may have graduated 2 decades ago from a Seattle high school, but for the last 7 years I have been all Eagle River Wolves.  I will continue to be root for the blue and silver and I expect to hear from the players, parents, and coaches on how the teams are doing.

2011 Eagle River Bear Paw 5k and Parade (Carl Auer)

Photos from this years 5k race and parade at the Eagle River Bear Paw festival in Eagle River, Alaska are up in the Bear Paw 5k and Parade Gallery

2011 Eagle River Bear Paw 5k and Parade (Carl Auer)

I have lived in Alaska 7 year this go around.  Before moving to Eagle River in 2003, I lived in the Seattle area (North Seattle and Edmonds) for almost 20 years.  Before that 3 years in Valdez, and 6 years in Fairbanks.  My first 9 years in Alaska, when Christmas came around, my family was all into the go out for Christmas events stuff.  Going to local churches (mainly the ones my dad was the pastor at), schools, peoples houses for various musical performances, tree lightings, Santa, and parties.  I remember some years it seemed like every night during the holidays something was going on.  I especially remember the Messiah performances in Valdez.  After moving back to Alaska and living here in Eagle River for 7 years, I have been to two or three Messiah performances in Anchorage (the last directed by my sister, the previous ones she sang in), I have been to the Anchorage tree lighting once, been to Girdwood during the holidays for their festivals at least once, but I never went to a Eagle River Christmas event.  I knew about the Merry Merchant Munch… well, I knew it took place, but I did not really know what it was.  So, on Friday night I decided to grab my cameras and head into downtown Eagle River to see what the Merry Merchant Munch was.  I know what I saw was just a little part of it, but it surprised me.  I had no idea it would be so fun and so disturbing at the same time.

The fun part was everyone was in the holiday mood.  Kids from the local elementary schools were singing carols, people were really in the Christmas spirit, local businesses had stands set up with hot cocoa, hot apple cider, coffee, all waiting in anticipation of Santa Claus and his reindeer showing up and the lighting of the town center Christmas Tree.

And then the disturbing part.  Santa showed up.  It was pretty amazing at first.  People swarmed over to one side of the park when local representatives of the Eagle River Rotary Club and their families carried torches as they escorted Santa and his reindeer into what was going to instantly turn into total chaos.

People started crowding around Santa’s sled, before it stopped moving.  I saw kids being dragged by their parents and thrown onto Santa’s lap, people pushing in to get a photo of Santa, whether their kid was on his lap or not.  The photo above of Santa, and the next two I used a slow shutter speed and dragged the flash to give a feeling of the constant movement going on around Santa and his reindeer.

Some of the kids were smiling at Santa, some were screaming, I actually felt claustrophobic as I waded in to the crowd to grab a couple shots.  I decided that as long as Santa is mobbed, I will get some nice shots of his sleigh pullers.  They should not be as mobbed as St. Nick.  This is where I was heartbroken.  Not for myself, but for the poor reindeer.  Now let me first say, I am a strong believer in PETA (People Eat Tasty Animals, right), I am all for hunting for food, and I do not like teasing animals, domestic or wild.  But I saw kids all but hanging on antlers, mobs of hands reaching out to pet the reindeer, a couple kids almost being speared by an antler or two, parents shoving kids in front of a body part of one of the animals to get a snapshot.  It was out of control.  

Trying to get a clean shot without someone just standing in front of me was nearly impossible.  But once I got a couple shots, I decided to call it a night.  Hot apple cider was not keeping me warm anymore.  I was not in a real Christmassy mood any more, and my toes were cold.  So I left.

Will I go back?  You bet.  I had a lot of fun before Santa arrived.  It is a lul for me between high school football and basketball, and I saw a lot of parents and kids that I know from shooting high school sports, so it gave me a chance to chat with them, there really was a holiday feeling in the air, and if there is a chance of me getting a shot of a reindeer revolt, I will be there.

West High have recently been renovating their auditorium and the work is almost complete. The renovations have helped to make it a much nicer venue for not only school plays, but community events like the Messiah performance. However, I discovered one thing that will drive photographers crazy. It appears that each light on stage have different gels on them. This is fine for viewing a performance, but for photography, not so much. On the edges of the stage I saw a variety of different colors in my images, mainly reds, but some blues and greens mixed in. Now, where these different colored lights came together, the look was fantastic. It will probably be ok for photographing plays, but when you have almost 200 people (community chorus, soloists and an orchestra) taking up the entire stage, ugh, no two pictures side by side had the same look I wanted. But that was my problem. The singers, the musicians, and the audience did not have to worry about my issues, and they all seemed to enjoy the performance.

I have photographed the chorus before, but this time was special for me. My sister, who started college when I first moved to Alaska (before I started kindergarten), was this years conductor.

To view all the images from the Messiah performance or to buy copies, please visit the 2010 Messiah Gallery

And I predicted it.  But I did not know for sure until the final pitch thrown in the 2010 MLB World Series.  The World Series?  What does baseball have to do with a senate race?  What do the San Francisco Giants have to do with an Alaskan senator?  Well, more than you know.  The San Francisco Giants beat the Texas Rangers in the fall classic to win their first World Series in San Francisco.  The last time the Giants won the World Series they were the New York Giants and they beat the Cleveland Indians.  The year was 1954.  56 years ago.  56 years ago the late Strom Thurmond won a write in election for US Senate in South Carolina.  No one else has ever mounted a successful write in campaign for US Senate since then, until Lisa Murkowski beat the Sarah Palin backed, Tea Party candidate, Joe Miller.

The photos here are of Senator Murkowski as she campaigned during the Eagle River Bear Paw parade in July of 2010.

***UPDATE***

It was confirmed today that former Alaskan Senator, Theodore “Ted” Stevens did die in the crash this morning.  He was 86 years old.  These images are available for media use from Zuma Press.

Garrett Balen signs a letter of intent to Western Oregon University to play baseball for the 2011 season.

Garrett Balen, senior catcher/pitcher for the Chugiak Mustangs signed his NCAA Letter of Intent to play baseball for the Western Oregon Wolves next year.  The signing took place in his parents home in Eagle River, Alaska on Sunday, May 30th, 2010.  Balen will stay in Alaska during the summer and continue playing baseball with the Chugiak Mustang American Legion team.

Garrett Balen signs to play college baseball with the Western Oregon Wolves next season.

Balen will not be the only Alaskan participating in athletics at Westen Oregon.  Justin Ore from Diamond High School, Tanner Grover from Palmer, Mike Petrovich from South Anchorage, and Max Harvey from Eagle River High are on the football team (Harvey was injured last season but says he is ready to go this season), Amber Walker, from Juneau Douglas is with the Volleyball team and fellow Mustang graduate Lorrie Clifford from Chugiak High will be a sophomore on the Women’s Basketball Team.

Balen will be playing catcher for the Wolves, and with both catchers this season being seniors, he will be sliding into one of their spots on the roster.

And yes, Garrett is the son of my sister, making him my nephew.

One of the many graves at the Ft. Richardson National Cemetery

On the last Monday of May, throughout the United States, people gather at their local National Cemeteries to remember those who have given their lives in protecting the people of the United States, their allies, and those unable to defend themselves.  People of all backgrounds, active and retired military, their families, friends, politicians, foreign dignitaries, and more gathered at the Fort Richardson, Alaska National Cemetery on Monday, May 31st in recognition of Memorial Day 2010.  Congressman Don Young of Alaska spoke, Alaska Senator Mark Begich delivered the Presidential Proclamation, and  Alaska Governor Sean Parnell delivered the State of Alaska Proclamation on a beautiful day in Alaska.