Carried by the fury of a river in flood, logs, entire trees, even the occasional mobile home batter the Shady Cove bridge. It’s late December 1964. The Rogue River, which begins at Crater Lake National Park in Oregon and snakes through the Cascades and Coastal Ranges before spilling into the Pacific, is 50 feet above flood stage. My father and I stand on a bank and watch the bridge, which looks ready to be swept away. Temperatures have risen; heavy rain and snowmelt from the mountains has unleashed so much water that the torrent will be remembered as one of the worst recorded floods in the Pacific Northwest.

It isn’t supposed to happen this way. In the West a heavy accumulation of snow is considered a blessing. The melt fills lakes and reservoirs, irrigates crops, and produces hydro-electric power. It sustains forests and wildlife. It’s our lifeline.

The flood of 1964 was a rare event. And even if it were to happen again, new houses crowding the floodplain should be safe. A new dam upstream controls flooding. But water remains a concern in parts of Oregon and neighboring states—only this time, it’s the lack of water that’s worrisome.

As Robert Kunzig says in “Drying of the West,” the wet 20th century is over. As climate changes, so will life in the West.

Photograph by Southern Oregon Historical Society

About this time of year, the world over, photojournalists are simultaneously struck with a nearly paralyzing affliction. A malady so severe it causes the heart rate to rise, sweating, trembling, weakness, and at times manifests in its victims a near debilitating stupor.

The ailment: Contest Fever. So called because the most heralded of photo contests, for works created in 2007, all have January deadlines. Like the major presidential primaries, the caucuses first to vote, can set the tone for the preceding competitions.

One of the first to be judged every year is the White House News Photographers Association (WHNPA), Eyes of History contest. For two days, three judges view thousands of images and vote by a process of elimination for what they subjectively consider to be the best images produced by the White House press corps in 2007.

The 2008 overall winner, WHNPA photographer of the year, was Washington Post photographer Jahi Chikwenhiu. If you are interested at all in what it takes to be photojournalist in our nations capital, then browse through winning entries on the Eyes of History 2008 website.

— Ken Geiger 

The New York Times is reporting that Getty Images has hired Goldman Sachs to advise on its potential sale, which could fetch $1.5 billion.

From the NYT : Getty, founded in 1995 in Seattle, has grown through a series of acquisitions into a go-to source for visual media, claiming an average service of 3.2 billion images and 4 million unique visitors at its Web site each month. The company’s main selling point is the licensing of high-quality images from professional photographers around the world. Among its main clients are advertising agencies and media companies, including The New York Times. It also offers video footage for use in movies, television and the Internet.

From Photo District News: Getty Images spokesperson Alison Crombie said Monday the company cannot comment on rumor or speculation.

Getty is known for developing innovative products and pricing models, not always to the liking of its photographic contributors.

After creative stock licensing, editorial imagery makes up about 18 percent of Getty's revenues. Getty is especially competitive in sports and celebrity coverage. Its news photographers consistently win awards, boosting the company's reputation, though news coverage has never been a large source of revenue. Getty also licenses stock video, which accounts for five percent of the company's revenue.

— Ken Geiger

I've been following the reactions to our article "The Emptied Prairie" and wanted to share a letter I recently sent to the governor of North Dakota.  Thank you to everyone who has written in with comments--we value your insights and opinions.

From Governor Hoeven:
Dear Mr. Johns:

The recent article about North Dakota in the January 2008 issue of National Geographic was way off the mark. To give the magazine’s readers a more accurate picture of our state, I’ve asked our Commerce Commissioner and Tourism Director to contact your editors and invite you back to cover what you left out – the fact that North Dakota is a growing 21st Century state with a bright future.

What you left out is the fact that North Dakota has a growing economy, well educated citizens, low crime, great infrastructure and one of the cleanest environments in America. All this adds up to a great quality of life. Our cities are growing, and our rural areas are finding new ways to create jobs and opportunities for our people.

For example, new ethanol and biodiesel facilities are transforming rural communities like Richardton, Underwood, Hankinson, Casselton, and Velva. Just a few years ago, North Dakota produced less than 40 million gallons of ethanol a year. With these new facilities, we will produce half a billion gallons. Your article also makes mention of the “moan of the wind” on the prairie, but that same wind is on its way to producing nearly 1000 megawatts of clean renewable energy on commercial wind farms across North Dakota.

In addition, Dakota Growers Pasta, a native North Dakota company, is now the third largest pasta manufacturer in North America, and other value-added enterprises like it are helping agriculture in North Dakota change and grow.

These are all small town, rural enterprises that reflect the spirit and ingenuity we have in North Dakota. Your article featured the small town of Mott, N.D., but failed to mention that every fall it is a destination for pheasant hunters from around the country and around the world. It’s ironic that you represented this town with a photo of an abandoned homestead, when a more revealing image for your readers might have been a photo of sports fans lining the highway for 18 miles last year to cheer on the local football team, the Wildfire, on its way to the state championship games in Fargo.

Whether it’s tourism, agriculture, energy, manufacturing or technology, North Dakota is moving forward. We’re home to innovative firms like Microsoft Business Solutions, a subsidiary of Microsoft, which now employs 1,400 people at its Fargo campus. The company is currently expanding and will add nearly 500 more employees by 2010. Other companies, like Killdeer Mountain Manufacturing, Goodrich, Cirrus and Aerosmith are working to manufacture technically advanced components for the U.S. military and aviation industry.

As a consequence, we’ve created thousands of new jobs and careers. Our research universities and Centers of Excellence are creating the businesses and products of the future; our manufacturing sector is one of only a handful in the country that’s expanding; and our energy sector is supplying the nation with clean, efficient energy, from both renewable and traditional sources.

For all of these reasons, and more, North Dakota is garnering national attention as a great place to live and work. This year Forbes Magazine has ranked the state of North Dakota 9th among all states for Business and Careers. Among 180 cities nationwide, Bismarck ranked 2nd and Fargo 4th. Most recently, the Beacon Hill Institute last month announced that North Dakota ranked 4th among all states for competitiveness – 1st in infrastructure and 4th in human resources.

There is certainly growth and opportunity in North Dakota these days, but more importantly, there is a mood of optimism across the land. At the same time, we are working hard to take our efforts to the next level, and an article that showcases the spirit, inventiveness and progress we’re making would certainly be in order. I encourage you to take a broader look at our state and help us convey to the world what North Dakotans already know: that North Dakota is a great place in which to live, work, visit, study, have fun, and do business.

Sincerely,
John Hoeven
Governor

In Response:
Dear Governor Hoeven:

Thank you for your interest in “The Emptied Prairie” in this month’s issue of National Geographic magazine.  There seems to be some misunderstanding about our intent in writing the article.

Our article was never intended to be an in-depth look at the economy of North Dakota, nor were we attempting to offer a portrayal of the state in its entirety.  We were looking at the rural North Dakota landscape and probing the stories behind some of the abandoned homes that still stand.   

We are well aware that there is more to the state than these abandoned towns.  In fact, we have written or mentioned North Dakota in 17 articles in the past 10 years, including a short feature on Fargo in November 2003.  In the case of our January ‘08 article, we wanted to tell personal and touching stories of North Dakotans’ relationship with the land and how that landscape has shaped their destiny.  The stories we told in the article speak to me of fortitude, and, yes, sometimes regret.  I’m confident our readers will understand what these stories tell us about North Dakotans’ strength of character and resolve – both of which will shape the future described in your letter.

Again, thank you for taking the time to write.  We always welcome our readers’ thoughts.   

Sincerely,

Chris Johns
Editor in Chief

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Pharaoh Tutankhamun's skull defines his general appearance. Its anyone's guess what his skin color was. This particular model (right) was prepared from a CT-scan-based "cast" of his skull (left) without knowing its identity. Reconstruction by Michael Anderson. Photos in composite © 2007 Michael Anderson and Mark Thiessen © 2007 National Geographic Society.

I’ll never forget attending opening night of the King Tut exhibit in Los Angeles in June 2005. As I approached the exhibit entrance with Elisabeth Daynes, the French sculptor who created a likeness of King Tut for the cover of National Geographic magazine, we passed a patch of animated demonstrators whose placards read “King Tut’s Back and He’s Still Black.” A few steps further I was informed by other National Geographic staff attending the event that Dayne’s sculpture, which she had traveled from Paris to see on display, was out of the show.

I was disappointed, but not surprised. Every time the magazine’s art department attempted to depict ancient Egyptians, we received letters complaining about their appearance. This was despite every effort of talented artists and hard-working researchers to be accurate and fair. For the King Tut reconstruction we went to the extreme of commissioning a second model by a team that was not informed of the identity of the skull cast we provided. Their results confirmed that the cover image was as reasonable as forensic reconstructions of individuals can be. One can quibble about the shape of Tut’s nose and ears, and the color of his eyes and skin, but hard bone determined his general appearance. Judging from the demonstrators outside the exhibit in Los Angeles, we were once again unable to please everyone.

The reasons for this dissatisfaction are complex. Confusing notions about ‘race’ and a concern that scholars ignore Africa’s contribution to civilization seem to be at the heart of it. There is still some debate about the skin color of ancient Egyptians, but most experts agree that, from Alexandria in the north to the Sudanese border, ancient Egyptians would have looked much as they do today.

Our story about ancient Egypt’s 25th dynasty in the February issue of National Geographic provides an opportunity to look again at questions about the appearance of ancient Egyptians and whether Egypt’s, ergo Africa’s, contribution to civilization has been ignored. If you’d like to comment on our story or this topic, here’s the place.

Before you respond on the skin color issue, I recommend that you review how scientists currently view race at http://www.understandingrace.org.

The Department of Transportation (DOT) has just issued a revised press release regarding lithium batteries carried by passengers aboard commercial aircraft, “…that offers clearer language and more technical detail.”

“Common consumer electronics such as digital cameras, cell phones, and most notebook computers are still allowed in carry-on and checked luggage.  Moreover, any number of spare batteries for these devices will be allowed in carry-on baggage…”

The full press release is posted after the jump.

Have you noticed that the average time to copy files into a folder increases with the number of files?  You may have if you use a Mac.

Here at National Geographic magazine there does appear to be a difference in how long it takes to copy JPEG photographs into a folder.  My hypothesis was that on a PC (Windows XP) the time to copy each file does not change as the number of files in a folder increases, while on a Mac (OS 10.4) the average time increases as more files are in a folder.  I put this hypothesis to the test and the results are dramatic.  Read the results after the jump.

It was just a couple days ago that we were warned via a Department of Transportation (DOT) press release that loose lithium batteries would no longer be allowed in checked airline baggage.

According to a DOT spokesman, that wording was a little ambiguous. It seems the checked baggage ban is directed only at large lithium batteries, those in the 8-25 gram equivalent range.

After doing the math you will find even high-end digital SLRs, like the Nikon D3 and Canon 1Ds MKlll, use lithium-ion batteries that are below 2.5 gram equivalent.

The DOT is currently working on a new press release that clarifies what they meant to say in the first release; that release should be out tomorrow.

So what happens when TSA screeners see loose AA lithium batteries in your checked baggage? Nothing. According to TSA spokesman Christopher White, “We are focused on security issues, and this is not a security issue.”

So pack your bags and feel free to take along your extra digital camera batteries, but keep in mind that all batteries are a potential fire hazard. SafeTravel.dot.gov has more information on how to travel safely with spare batteries.

— Ken Geiger

That’s the pessimistic headline of Peter Plagens's recent Newsweek article on the fate of photography. He contends that the digitalization of photography is leading to its demise as an art form.

"Film photography's artistic cachet was always that no matter how much darkroom fiddling someone added to a photograph, the picture was, at its core, a record of something real that occurred in front of the camera. A digital photograph, on the other hand, can be a Photoshop fairy tale, containing only a tiny trace of a small fragment of reality."

Digital photography has leveled the playing field such that a commoner with computer can create art, so if the masses can create faux photographs, then photography must no longer be considered art. Or is photography merely in an awkward adolescence, thrown off balance by a few pixel-grabbing headlines of photo manipulators who tarnish the credibility of reality in front of the lens? 

Perhaps photographers should adapt the brilliant precedent writers set by segregating themselves from the digital masses—cleave off the untrained commoners sitting at home pecking words on a laptop, their grammar and spelling checked only by digital word processing software, daring to publish commentary to the world—by labeling them not writers but bloggers. So that no one is goaded to ask: Is writing dead?    

— Ken Geiger