Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Libby Riddles - The first Woman to Win the Iditarod Sled Dog Race



Winter 1980 - I had been working as a cook for a geophysical research crew out on the ice of the Beaufort Sea and
I think my schedule was something like 6 weeks on and one week off.  It was a fascinating experience full of
24 hour daylight, single engine airplanes on ski's and 60 degree below zero wind chill's.
I was just getting into photography at that time and was reading a lot about it and experimenting and taking lots of
pictures. I was also writing away for information from Brooks Institute and Art Center College of Design,
hoping eventually to pursue photography as a career ;-0

One of my breaks coinsided with the start of the Iditarod Sled Dog Race that year and it happens that I was
spending my week off with a friend who lived in Wasilla.  So, on the day of the start we decided to go and watch.

I had a new Canon AE-1 35mm camera and was excited to play around with the concept of "panning".
That's where you use a slowish shutter speed and pan or "follow" a moving subject with your camera.
When you get it right, this creates a sharp subject with a movement blur in the background.
The sled dog race was perfect for trying this out! So there I was panning away as the race contestants came swooshing by.
It just so happened that while panning, I got a pretty clear shot of Libby Riddles as she went by.
1980 was her first Iditarod race and in 1985 she was the first woman to win.


1 comment:

  1. Good stuff chuck.

    I like to follow blogs by email so you should see if you can add a "follow this blog by email" form.

    ReplyDelete