Chris Carruth | Photography

Event shoot: Conference on Culture, Politics and Climate Change

Chris — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 04:52:41 +0000

Had the pleasure of shooting the recent conference on Culture, Politics, and Climate Change here in Boulder, CO. Fascinating speeches by compelling speakers.

Cystic Fibrosis – Ride for Life

Chris — Sun, 16 Sep 2012 19:42:34 +0000

Spent part of my Saturday morning driving on the Peak-to-Peak highway in an attempt to gauge whether or not Fall had started in earnest. Didn’t have a chance to adequately answer that question as I couldn’t help but notice an unusual amount of cyclists on the road, most wearing race bibs. Had my gear with me so, despite having no intention of shooting any action shots, I stopped and snapped a few photos. The race was for the 303 Cystic Fibrosis – Ride for Life Charity. Good people doing good things. Find out more info here.

Scenes from a Presidential Rally | Boulder, CO, Sept. 4th, 2012

Chris — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 01:30:31 +0000

President Barack Obama kicked off his “Road to Charlotte” tour by addressing 13,000 college student in Boulder, Colorado at the University of Colorado-Boulder. These are scenes of the crowd and the environment before and during the rally. (Chris Carruth / Boulder, CO | September, 4th, 2012)

The Long Road to Lincoln

Chris — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 22:55:29 +0000

Dawn had long since scattered the stars and the sun had just begun its ascent in the east when that old familiar compulsion to create, to document, to witness a fleeting beauty (as most beauty is…) took control. So, sleep deprived and sans caffeine, I pulled off I-76 somewhere southwest of Sterling, CO in search of a suitable scene. I remember it being oh so quiet, as it usually is during both dawn and dusk, the magic hours; a silence whose pervasiveness was only punctuated by the monotonous mumblings of modern machinery as depicted in the crop watering stills here…tstststststststststststststs…hypnotic in its rhythm. On the surface, it was just another morning, in a long line of thousands of like mornings, but I will long remember this one as it heralded the first day after having faced and bested old fears. This morning was mine and it smelled of honey and tangerines and promised a warmth and light that would beat back all lingering traces of the long night which preceded it; it shone the onward, after the long road to Lincoln.

Less abstractly, I visited Lincoln, NE this past year to bear witness to my brother being accepted into another family – the family of Firefighters across this country. He long strove for this day and there was little chance of my not making the commencement. I’m proud of my brother. And on this trip east, I realized how we’ve both been traveling long and circuitous roads to get to our own respective Lincolns.

Homage to Hokusai: Boulder Creek Rising

Chris — Sun, 08 Jul 2012 07:25:06 +0000

Mere days after wildfires had ravaged the canyons and mountains just west of Boulder, CO, the rains came down hard and fast. With vegetation no longer there to soak up rain and soil so badly burnt and damaged that it repels water rather than absorbing it the situation was ripe for flooding. On this day, July 8th, the waters rose high on Boulder Creek, but luckily only threaten and no serious damage resulted to life or property.

As I set out to capture these rising waters I was captivated by the painting featured prominently in this post. This mural, painted by “Bernstein” (c. 2007) graces the 28th street underpass in Boulder. The mural is a homage to Katsushika Hokusai (葛飾北斎, 1760–1849) who was a Japanese artist, ukiyo-e painter and printmaker of the Edo period. Born in Edo (now Tokyo), Hokusai’s best-known work was the woodblock print series “Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji” (富嶽三十六景, c. 1831) which includes the depicted iconic and internationally recognized print, “The Great Wave off Kanagawa“, which Bernstein re-envisioned with his mural. The preeminence of “The Wave” —said to have inspired both Debussy’s La Mer and Rilke’s Der Berg—can be partly attributed to the compelling contrast between the wave and the mountain , or of two natural elements vying for attention and, ostensibly, dominance. Mt. Fuji is depicted in the original while here a diminutive tree plays acts as stand-in for that iconic peak.

A Glimpse into the Life of a Hotshot Crew Member

Chris — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 16:20:24 +0000

The Flagstaff fire was a forest fire that burned a few miles southwest of the city of Boulder, Colorado. The fire was started by a lightning strike at 1:15 p.m., Mountain Daylight Time, on Tuesday, June 26, 2012, near the intersection of Flagstaff Road and Bison Drive, about three miles south of Flagstaff Mountain. Hotshot crews from California, notably Klamath, CA as pictured here, were sent in to contain the blaze. These images depict the IC (Incident Command) during their planning and preparation phases as well as provide a glimpse into the end-of-day rituals and lifestyle of a hotshot crew member.

By the end of Juloy, 2012, the Flagstaff fire was declared to be contained and had burned 300 acres.

Light, color, and sound | Michael Theodore’s “Field Theory”

Chris — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 07:47:43 +0000

CU Music Professor Michael Theodore’s “Field Theory” exhibit at the CU Art Museum uses hardware and software to create kinetic sculptures that explore human perception and sensation. Using various techniques and mediums, Theodore creates a dynamic mood of shifting light, color and sound. The result is a contemplative environment that is fascinatingly womb-like. It’s a great experience and worth the trip to CU’s campus to check out.

The immutable, unpredictable nature of the Rocky Mountains

Chris — Thu, 10 May 2012 16:08:01 +0000

“I have found a dream of beauty at which one might look all one’s life and sigh.”

~Isabella L. Bird, A Lady’s Life in the Rocky Mountains

President Obama woos the crowd at CU-Boulder

Chris — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 07:05:09 +0000

April 24th, 2012 -University of Colorado, Boulder. President Obama spoke to a packed crowd at CU’s Coors Event Center about rising education costs and his stance on keeping the popular federally backed Stafford student loan program affordable for students. Without Congressional action by the end of July, the interest rate on Stafford loans will double from its current 3.4% rate to 6.8%. Although Obama placed some blame on the conservatives in Congress for holding-up action and not prioritizing higher education, he did note that it’s not a partisan issue, but rather an issue that includes all Americans. “It shouldn’t be a Democrat/Republican issue,” Obama said. “America is not just about you people doing well. America is about everybody doing well.”.

Colorado has over 165,000 student loan recipients and based on average loan amounts, extending the current rates will save nearly $1,000 per student, per year. As expected, the President’s message was warmly received by the crowd.

Grit on display at the Manitou Spring Incline

Chris — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 07:09:21 +0000

Spring, and its warmer temperatures, had yet to emerge in mid April (2012) when these shots were taken at the Manitou Incline which is situated at the foot of Colorado’s most notable “14er”, Pike’s Peak. The Incline is comprised of the remnants of cable car tracks that were used to ferry building materials and builders up Pikes Peak. After the pipelines and various structures were complete it was turned into a tourist attraction that subsequently closed as the Cog Railway operators opted to the moved the railway to a nearby ravine in the mid-1990s, leaving the old beams in place. Avid adventurers have since used the tracks for what can only be described as an awesomely unforgiving outdoor stair-master. This suffer-fest averages a 48% grade and, at its steepest point, is a staggeringly high 68%.