Subhankar Banerjee's Alaskan Adventure

Subhankar Banerjee, New York Copyright 2005 Jeff Wignall

At one time or another most of us have fantasized about tossing aside our everyday lives and diving headlong into a life of total adventure and creativity--just throwing caution to the wind and following our dreams. Fortunately, most of us come to our senses before we jump off the deep end, spend away the retirement fund and wait for our families to have us committed (and, no doubt, justifiably so). But occasionally one of us slips through the cracks and not only lives their dream, but finds a new life even wilder and more successful than their daydreams. One such person is photographer Subhankar Banerjee.

I first met Subhankar Banerjee this past autumn when I was assigned by Outdoor Photographer magazine to write a profile on him. All I was really told in advance was that he had shot a book on the Alaska Arctic National Wildlife Refuge--little did I know that this was (sorry for the pun) just the tip of the ice berg.

What was so unusual about Banerjee's project? First of all, you could not possibly imagine a more unlikely candidate for having an Alaskan adventure--or, for that matter, for having any kind of wilderness adventure. Born and raised near Calcutta, India, Banerjee came to America in 1990 to work in the computer industry. Then, less than a decade later and with virtually no professional experience as a photographer (and having never even been to Alaska), he quit his job, cashed in his 401k, put all of his savings on the line and moved to Alaska to pursue his dream of being an adventure photographer. His friends and family were certain he'd lost his mind. But sometimes genius sees things we mortals can't.

Banerjee spent the next two years traveling through the vast expanses of the AANWR (with a native guide, naturally). Banerjee admits he panicked the first day and almost fled for the safety of the nearest Seattle Starbucks. But he stayed and faced the great adventure. And adventure there was: at one point (while trying to get pictures of a polar bear and her cubs), in fact, the two were trapped in a tent in a blizzard for 28 days. Banerjee often found himself dealing with wind chill temperatures as cold as -100 Fahrenheit. And he spent himself (on supplies, his guide, bush pilots) into debt beyond his wildest imaginings.

There were, of course, exquisite moments of beauty too: like the evening he spent hours photographing a rare red phase of the Northern Lights. And entire days of bliss that he and his guide spent merely admiring the beauty of this untouched wilderness.

The result of his ordeal was not only a spectacular book: "Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: Seasons of Light and Land" (The Mountaineers Books). He was also given (can you imagine this?) a one-man show at the Smithsonian that caused a national uproar when it was yanked from the main gallery due to political pressure. (While Banerjee was shooting in the AANWR, the U.S. Senate was debating oil drilling there.) You can read more about Banerjee and his amazing project at: http://www.wwbphoto.com/ or you can look up my story in the January 2005 issue of Outdoor Photographer.

You can also read more about the AANWR at: http://arctic.fws.gov/

Banerjee says the project was more of a "spiritual quest" than a photo project but, lucky for us, sometimes the two are one in the same.

Comments

[Patrick Campbell]

Banerjee's story contains lessons for us all. What an extraordinary person behind this mild-mannered exterior! Thanks for sharing this, Jeff.

[Jeff Wignall]

Hi Patrick, Yes, you're right, talking to Subhankar was a real inspiration. There were times when I was interviewing him that I kept thinking he was just plain nuts, but I realized something during that conversation that we all tend to forget: You can do anything you set your mind to doing. See if your local library has a copy of his book (or suggest they buy it); his photos are just beautiful. Jeff