Scott Dickerson

Category: recent work

  • Aerial photography from a powered paraglider

    After a long journey I have arrived. The ideal tool for my style of aerial photography – The powered paraglider. At least for now.

    For those unfamiliar with eccentric forms of flight Wikipedia does a really nice job of explaining what this contraption is:

    Powered paragliding, also known as paramotoring, is a form of ultralight aviation where the pilot wears a motor on his or her back (a paramotor) which provides enough thrust to take off using a paraglider wing. It can be launched in still air, and on level ground, by the pilot alone — no assistance is required.

    After pursuing my passion for aerial photography in a wide range of situations from Coast Guard C-130s, helicopters, bush planes and airplanes owned by friends to piloting my own ultralight I was still searching for something more – or less, depending on how you look at it.  Each aerial platform has its own set of benefits and limitations and it really comes down to finding the right balance that matches my style and priorities.

    Scott Dickerson flying a paramotor while photographing over Kachemak Bay, Alaska.

    The benefits of the paramotor system are many but I’ll list a few of the stand-out ones: It  is very portable and can be transported by car, boat, or bush plane (especially important in Alaska). The cost of operation is very low. As the pilot it’s just up to me and the weather, no more trying to convince a pilot to wake up at 4:30am to catch the best light. The paramotor is a very slow and safe form of flight. There are no wing struts, helicopter blades, floats or tires to get in the way. In fact the only thing that I have to work to keep out of my composition is my own legs.

    After happily flying an ultralight for a couple years I began looking for an even more ideal self piloting solution. shortly after starting to consider the paramotor as a viable option I stumbled across an interview with George Steinmetz that really confirmed my suspicion.  The paramotor would work, and not only that, George had already ready been used it with great success. Before long I was in Salt Lake City, Utah to get flying instruction and help with gear selection. I’m a learn-it-yourself kind of guy and it was hard to convince myself to actually go for the professional instruction, but since my focus is more on photography and I don’t want the piloting to be a hindrace I decided to treat it like business and invest in my abilities and safety. Turned out to be a great move.  Chris Santacroce from SuperFly is an excellent instructor and I left Utah with all the equipment and knowledge needed to start putting this idea to work.

    It has now been about 18 months since I first imagined what you see in these photos and I’m thrilled to report that after flying for the last 8 months it has proved to be everything hoped for. I have photos to share and a few stories to tell but they’ll wait for another post. Now that I have introduced the paramotor to the blog you can expect  more soon.

    Jake Schmutzler of Five Foot Fotos has worked with me to capture the images in this post –  Thanks Jake!

    Aerial photography from a powered paraglider. Here I am with the Kenai Mountains.
    Paramotoring over the Homer Spit in Homer, Alaska.

  • Fireweed meditation location scouting

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    The fireweed in my front yard is half way done with its annual bloom. To an Alaskan that means summer is soon coming to a close. To an Alaskan photographer that means the fields are turning magenta and I only have so long to work with this amazing natural color event before it passes. The weather has not been so great for the last week, but I wanted to start scouting some locations to visit again when the light is right. Stephanie and I hiked up the local ‘homestead trail’ last night and played.  I’m also practicing with a new lens I purchased last week – Canon TS-E 24mm.  It’s a ’tilt-shift’ lens that does some funky depth of field tricks that many of you are probably familiar with. These shots are a continuation of my work connecting people with nature.

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  • Connecting with summer

    Stephanie Haynes (Anahata-Alaska.com) practicing Yoga at the edge of Cook Inlet
    Stephanie Haynes (Anahata-Alaska.com) practicing Yoga at the edge of Cook Inlet.

    The thing about Summer in Alaska is –  It’s here and very real, but not to stay.  I’ve been busy making the most of it, which leaves little time to talk about it. Less talk, more fun. The pleasures abound: Taking photos, surfing, harvesting wild plants, kayaking, flying my paramotor (there’s a story to tell), and occasionally sleeping for a few hours between sunrise and sunset.

    I’m continuing to explore the ‘nature with people‘ concept.  Below are a few recent images resulting from this desire. Thanks to Stephanie for helping create these and many more.

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    So, maybe this one was really from spring, but it felt like summer to us.

  • Exxon Valdez oil spill – 20 years later. More photos.

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    A couple weeks ago I posted a very brief note about a photo shoot I had just completed in Prince William Sound, Alaska documenting the crude oil that is still present on the beaches there. This was done on assignment for the World Wildlife Fund who is working to bring attention to the sad fact that 20 years after the oil was spilled, 19 years after the cleanup was ‘completed’, this toxic substance is still there, still contaminating this particularly beautiful environment.

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    Twenty years is a long time.
    I got to thinking about this.

    The place where we photographed and collected some of this oil was several feet below the high tide mark. Every twelve hours the ocean rises up to high tide and washes that beach, sometimes vigorously with wave and currents. I did a quick calculation – It’s been 20 years, 7,300 days, 14,600 high tides and the oil is still there just a few inches below the surface layer of rocks. This is truly amazing. It’s hard to comprehend the effects this oil must still be having on the environment in Prince William Sound as it slowly and constantly leeches out of the gravel into the water.

    This sobering thought has changed the way I look at the oil industry that we collectively support. As long as we are buying oil in its myriad of products the tankers will keep transporting it. Shipping is safer now than it was in 1989, but by no means is it without risk. As we watch gas prices climb I hope that it will act as a reminder to us of the real cost of oil. What is paid at the pump is a drop in the ocean of the real costs associated with this industry, and we all bear it in many ways. Some sly ones such as health issues from pollution, others are obvious such as the devastation of the environment in such a precious place as Prince William Sound.

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    It’s clear that the oil industry is not good for us. What can one person do? I think we each need to answer this for ourselves. My approach is two fold: First I’m improving my awareness of consumption. What do I do that consumes oil or its byproducts? How do I minimize this consumption? Secondly, I am working on alternative energy sources to replace my oil consumption.

    Below is an embedded slideshow of the 138 images from this trip that I’ve uploaded to the online photo archive. Mostly what you’ll see is a lot of beautiful scenery, mountains, glacier ice, whales, sea lions, sunsets and moon rises, then some documentation of the oily rock collection.

    Special thanks to David Janka with the charter vessel ‘Auklet’ who made this trip not only possible, but also a very comfortable and productive three days in Prince William Sound. If you are looking for a boat to charter in Prince William Sound I can strongly recommend the Auklet with David as captain.