Bakken Outtake

I'm finally finding some time to put a few personal projects to bed. I've been sitting on these pictures from the Bakken for almost 3 years now... it's about time I get them out the door.

A quick outtake from an update to my project People of the Bakken, about the lives of the people living in the thick of one of the largest domestic oil booms in America. In the photo above, Brian Haugen's truck is pulled off to the side of the road, waiting for me to finish taking some photos. He and his wife Margie were instrumental in making this project happen, and showed me so much hospitality and warmth. I remember turning around to head back to the warmth of the truck, and was taken with the way it looked so solitary on the deserted road. It won't make the final cut, but wanted to share anyways. More updates to come (I promise for reals this time...)

Bert Hauge - Bakken

Cattle rancher/gravel pit owner Bert Hauge standing in for a light test last February at his newly dug (since I visited last year) gravel pit in New Town, ND. Shot for my ongoing project on the people of the Bakken oil fields.

Bert Hauge - New Town, North Dakota

Trucking in the Bakken

In between my new job in Korea and having a blast in a new country, I've been chipping away at the edit from my most recent trip to the Bakken. This one is from my travels with truck driver Derek Cross of Dawg Hauling, for his midnight shift hauling water to a frack site. Probably some of the most fun I had the whole trip. Enjoy!

Trucker ​Derek Cross loads a hose onto his water truck at 3 AM after offloading water for a frack site.

Bakken - Day 2

​Some more dailies from todays shooting. Rancher Bert Hauge and a train depot full of oil cars awaiting their precious cargo. More tomorrow!

Rockin' in the Bakken

I'm out in North Dakota this week continuing my personal project on the oil boom that's, coincidentally enough, the cover story of this month's National Geographic. I must be following the right story...

Anyhow, here's a shot from my dailies today - courtesy of a freshly fracked well. Some info for y'all: natural gas that rises to the surface along with the oil, etc. is often flared off as waste. Oftentimes it's not cost effective (natural gas prices are low) to capture it and pipe it out, or more likely in this case, it's impossible to dig the frozen tundra to lay a connecting pipe to send the gas away to a refinery. 

More to come this week - stay tuned...​