I was born in Juneau in the summer of 1987 and moved to Eagle River, Alaska with my family six months into my life. My childhood in Eagle River was the best anyone could ask for. My grade school years were spent biking, fishing, swimming and learning at Eagle River Elementary. I started cross country skiing long before I can remember and downhill skiing in my 6th grade year. In middle school I joined the Gruening Middle School Science Olympiad team under Eric Dearborn and Carl Edwards where after winning a nationals bid in 2000 I was fortunate enough to earn a bronze medal in the national feathered frenzy event at C.S.U. Colorado Springs. Throughout high school I continued to compete in science olympiad earning four more state team titles and countless individual state medals. Throughout high school I also coached the Gruening Middle School Team. In high school I also swam and cross country skied, staying busy 5 or 6 days a week throughout August and the School year. Cross country skiing on the team was probably the single largest influence on myself as a person and a photographer. The Chugiak team inspired a love for skiing and winter which is indescribable. While on the team I made new friends and enforced and rekindled the friendships I had made over the first fourteen years of my life. Without the support of my friends, family and coaches I would not be the person I am today. In 2005 I was on the Denali Ski Patrol an all volunteer ski patrol at Alpenglow Ski Area nestled in the western Chugach Mountains above Anchorage. I also graduated in 2005 from Chugiak High School. Throughout the summers my main entertainment was fishing, whether biking to a local fishing hole or driving 300 miles to catch a few salmon or a trout. I started tying flies and now I almost exclusively fly fish primarily for rainbow trout but I also enjoy fishing for Pike, Salmon, and Steelhead. This past summer I worked as a commercial fishing deckhand in Prince William Sound, I hope to continue to spend my summers on the Sound..
About Me
Name: Patrick McCormick
Age: 20
Birthday: June 15
College: University of Alaska Southeast, Juneau
Major: Environmental Science
Digital or Film? While I primarily shoot digital now, I love film, I think a good slide film can capture color with better range and saturation then any digital sensor can. To be a good film photographer you must first be a good photographer and understand how exposure effects the film. In this day and age anyone can get good digital images but to capture a perfect slide or negative is what separates amateurs from pros. The downside of film is that it is expensive, especially in Juneau. I hope to continue to shoot black and white film and eventually start working with larger formats as there is nothing more satisfying than watching a print appear in the developer bath.
Top Five Reason to Buy Photos:
5) You are a charitable person!
4) You want to sell something nice!
3) Got Change for a Nickel?
2) So I can buy more and better lenses to provide you with more and better ski and fish pictures.
1) You like my work and want to hang a photo on your wall!
0.5) You like my work and want to hang it on your friend’s, coworker’s, grandmother’s, son’s, daughter’s, uncle’s wall.
Currently I reside in Juneau and I attend the University of Alaska Southeast and work at the Student Recreation Center as well as volunteer on the Juneau Ski Patrol at Eaglecrest. I am studying environmental science and mathematics. I have a love hate relationship with Juneau which is one of the most incredible places on earth 5% of the time and most boring 95% of the time. I try to make the most of that 5% and either hike, ski, fish, or drive around frantically taking photos trying to strategize my attack on the remaining light.
I'd like to thank my friends for their support and willingness to slow down so I can take pictures, my coaches for helping me find my stride both athletically and academically, the maggots at TGR for giving me crap for my bad scanner, grammer, and spelling, my girlfriend for putting up with my crazy in your face picture taking style, and my family for helping me buy outlandishly expensive equipment and for choosing Alaska to live. I hope you enjoy my photos and if you have any comments, questions, or criticism don't hesitate to contact me!