three photos of man and canoe by Layne Kennedy Layne Kennedy
Layne had three similar images to choose from as the title page photo for Paddle North. "In number one he's looking too far down, and I didn't get a feeling of movement. In number two you start seeing movement, but he seemed to be standing too straight, and the fact that he was looking out gave the photo too pensive a look. In number three he's checking his steps on slippery rocks, his foot is elevated, implying movement, his posture is right and it all came together with the textures and colors of the scene." Exposure: (l.) D2X, AF NIKKOR 14mm f/2.8D ED, 1/100 second, f/16, ISO 200, manual exposure, Matrix metering; images (c.) and (r.) same but with aperture f/14.
photo of paddle north book page by Layne Kennedy Layne Kennedy
Layne had three similar images from which to choose his title page photo for Paddle North. He felt that the third image fit perfectly.
photos of rainbow and reeds by Layne Kennedy Layne Kennedy
These photos are 11 pages apart in Paddle North. "These are perfect examples of contrast and pacing, going from a spectacular sky and rainbow (l.) after a summer thunderstorm to an image of peace and silence (r.). The book was about canoeing the northern Minnesota Boundary Waters, and the theme centered on the area's mixture of romance and reality. In these two pictures you have the extremes of the experience of being in this place." Exposure: (l.) F5, AF NIKKOR 20mm f/2.8D, 1 second, f/22, ISO 100, manual exposure, Matrix metering; (r.) D2X, AF-S VR Zoom-NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G IF-ED, 1/400 second, f/5, ISO 400, manual exposure, Matrix metering.
photo of sled dogs by Layne Kennedy Layne Kennedy
Layne took this photo for an assignment about dog sledding and used it in both Paddle North and 47 Degrees North. "It perfectly captures the excitement [of dog sledding] and gives the viewer a great feel for the territory." Exposure: D2X, AF Micro-NIKKOR 105mm f/2.8D, 1/320 second, f/6.3, ISO 100, manual exposure, Matrix metering.
photo of maple hill cemetery by Layne Kennedy Layne Kennedy
"The theme of 47 Degrees North is the Minnesota town of Grand Marais and the moods of the surrounding area. This image, taken in the town's Maple Hill cemetery, is so evocative of the town's history and the adventurous outdoor people who traveled there to build a life." Exposure: D2X, AF-S DX Zoom-NIKKOR 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED, 1/125 second, f/13, ISO 100, manual exposure, Matrix metering.
photo of Erik carving canoe by Layne Kennedy Layne Kennedy
"This photo is also from 47 Degrees North. The area is rich in the history of the French fur trade, and Grand Portage, where the picture was made, was a fur trading post. It's now a national monument, and in the summer Erik Simula builds birch bark canoes as tourists come through to see how life was at that time." Exposure: D3, AF Zoom-NIKKOR 35-70mm f/2.8D, 1/320 second, f/2.8, ISO 800, manual exposure, Matrix metering.
photo out window by Layne Kennedy Layne Kennedy
"I shot through the old glass of a Grand Portage window. This photo is in the book because the book's story includes the history of the area, and this image is like a view through the filter of history. It's one of those things that if you're not thinking about the book's theme, you'd probably walk right past it." Exposure: D3, AF Micro-NIKKOR 105mm f/2.8D, 1/30 second, f/29, ISO 200, manual exposure, Matrix metering.
photo of man firing musket by Layne Kennedy Layne Kennedy
"He teaches visitors about the kinds of weapons they had at Grand Portage. I shot this while teaching a workshop, and from experience I knew what would happen when the musket fired. Most everyone wanted to get in front of him for the look-down-the-barrel shot, but I told them to think out of the box. These kinds of shots in the book are photography-driven, true, but they also tell the story of the area's history." Exposure: D2X, AF Zoom-NIKKOR 80-200mm f/2.8D ED, 1/250 second, f/5, ISO 100, manual exposure, Matrix metering.
photo of rocks and fog by Layne Kennedy Layne Kennedy
"In this photo from 47 Degrees North the idea was to move in close for detail and texture to tell the story of a change in season; the rocks shine because they're coated in ice. Sometimes when a scene is beautiful but complicated (there were so many rocks!) the best way to solve the problem is to do a close-up. You get the magic of the overwhelming scene, but the scene no longer overwhelms you...or the viewer." Exposure: F5, AF Zoom-NIKKOR 35-70mm f/2.8D, 4 seconds, f/22, ISO 100, manual exposure, Matrix metering.
photo of water toss by Layne Kennedy Layne Kennedy
"This is from Paddle North, and it's a scene-setter for the chapter on winter in the wilderness; toss the water and it instantly freezes in the air. Cold weather is a familiar topic, but this is a fresh look at it, and the theme of the book—to tell the story of the area without over-romanticizing it—demanded some new looks." Exposure: F5, AF NIKKOR 20mm f/2.8D, 1/250 second, f/11, ISO 100, manual exposure, Matrix metering.