Diptych Series: Crossings. State Route 48. Oklahoma.

Crossings. Keystone XL construction on State Highway 48. Oklahoma.

Diptych Series: Crossings. Keystone XL construction on State Highway 48. Oklahoma. Google Street View 2013.

In Crossings, the controversial delivery of tar sands oil to Port Arthur, Texas is examined at ground level through the dispassionate eye of Google Street View, the automated documentarian of our nation’s roadways. The 180° diptychs compiled here are composed of opposing camera views from each intersection between the Keystone XL pipeline corridor and the roving camera. This is a historical moment, captured incidentally, accessible for a year or so, and then deleted from the record at the next passing of the camera.

For more, visit Crossings and the Keystone XL Mapping Project.

Registered © Thomas Bachand. All Rights Reserved.

Voluntary Evacuation Zone. Orchard Nebraska.

Voluntary Evacuation Zone. Orchard Nebraska. From the Keystone Mapping Project.

Voluntary Evacuation Zone. Orchard Nebraska. From the Keystone Mapping Project.

The Keystone XL Voluntary Evacuation Zone is based on the health department response to a diluted bitumen spill in Michigan’s Kalamazoo River. Drawn from the Keystone Mapping Project Google Earth view, these images form the basis for Thomas Bachand’s VEZ Grid Abstracts series, an exploration of both our perception of, and impact upon, the landscape — seen and unseen. Combining satelite imagery with custom mapping features, the panels examine the interplay of physical and human geography. In series, the photography reveals broader patterns and larger questions. For more, visit the Voluntary Evacuation Zone.

Registered © Thomas Bachand. All Rights Reserved.

Voluntary Evacuation Zone MP86

Voluntary Evacuation Zone. Approimately milepost marker 86. Montana. From the Keystone Mapping Project.

Voluntary Evacuation Zone. Approimatley milepost marker 86. Montana. From the Keystone Mapping Project.

The Keystone XL Voluntary Evacuation Zone is based on the health department response to a diluted bitumen spill in Michigan’s Kalamazoo River. Drawn from the Keystone Mapping Project Google Earth view, these images form the basis for Thomas Bachand’s VEZ Grid Abstracts series, an exploration of both our perception of, and impact upon, the landscape — seen and unseen. Combining satelite imagery with custom mapping features, the panels examine the interplay of physical and human geography. In series, the photography reveals broader patterns and larger questions. For more, visit the Voluntary Evacuation Zone.

Registered © Thomas Bachand. All Rights Reserved.

Oakland Firestorm Revisited. 24 years.

Hiller Highland Burning. Oakland Firestorm 1991.
Hiller burning. Oakland Firestorm. 1991.

This year marks the 24th anniversary of the Oakland Hills Firestorm. Over 3,000 homes were destroyed, including my childhood home and the entire neighborhood in which I grew up. I spent two years photographing the aftermath. A portfolio of that work, including several essays I’ve written about the event, can be found here.

Registered © Thomas Bachand. All Rights Reserved.

Oakland Firestorm: Twenty Years

Rebirth. Mountain Blvd. Aftermath Oakland Firestorm 1991.

On this twentieth anniversary of the Oakland Firestorm I am revisiting my photography and writing created around the time of the catastrophe.

I have put together a web page that contains 36 images shot during and after the fire, an essay on the events of that day, and the introduction to Lake Tahoe: A Fragile Beauty, where I discuss our relationship with fire.

http://www.thomasbachand.com/oakland_firestorm/

Feel free to pass it along.

Steve Jobs – Unleashing Creativity

I wanted to add my voice to those offering condolences to the Jobs’ family and the Apple community.

There is much being said about how Jobs developed many great products and improved the consumer experience.  Of more importance to me and many other creatives, though, has been the tools unleashed by Apple products and how they have allowed us to do what we do.  The Macintosh and OS X, along with software by such companies as Adobe, has completely transformed what I do and how I do it.  Every step of my workflow, from creating a photograph, to correcting, printing and distributing it, whether by print or web, has Steve Jobs’ fingerprints on it.

Multiply this by a couple billion and you begin to see the impact of Steve Jobs.

God’s speed, Steve.