About
Philip Richey
Born in Tokyo, Japan, as
a military brat, he became a globe trotter at a tender age.
He has been a rock singer, a poet, a horesman, a stuntman,
a gunfighter in historic reenactments, a movie extra, a soldier
and a rodeo rider. He discovered his love for wildlife and
getting close to the critters in Alaska, where he began his
photography carreer.
Phil
is a natural, the son of a painter and the brother of renowned
San Francisco photographer, Leslie Hirsch. Talent seems to
run in the family.
Phil's
favorite critter is the moose, he has a special rapport with
them. The photograph to the right was taken from a video his
wife was shooting, as he was taking still shots of this momma
moose and her calves. This big girl actually sniffed his mono-pad
and camera, then his hands, considered him no threat and moved
on. As Phil stands a full 6'3", the photo clearly shows
the size of our Alaskan moose.
Occasionally,
Philip dons his gunfighter duds and has a shootout with historian
and author/actor Dusty Sourdough at Anchorage's famous Sourdough
Mining Company. Visit Dusty's web site and learn more about
the history of the great land!
About
Jlona Richey
Born and raised in Europe. Jlona grew up in the upper Rhine
River Valley and the mountains of Austria. She helped out at
her grandfather's photo studio, shooting her first wedding when
she was twelve. She also learned all about wildflowers and their
preservation from the Bergoma, her mountain granny, who sold
pressed flower art in Innshruck, in the summer months.
Jlona
has always managed to capture the spirit of the moment in her
people photography and has produced some world class images.
But coming to Alaska, she put people behind her, although she
will occassionally "shoot" people for album covers
and model portfolios.
In 1997,
Tracks decided to shoot "the Iditarod" because of
Jlona's love for sled dogs and the husband-wife teams great
respect for the dog drivers. In 1998, they managed to get
a photo of everyone of the 64 mushers setting out for Nome.
Jlona
is purbreed Mongolian and as such closely related to the ancestors
of Alaska's Eskimo. Her grandmother's philosophy reflects
the ideals of native elders in the great land. It also explains
the great many native friends Jlona has accross the nation,
always learning from them about the land she makes her home.
She admires Marie Louise Defender Wilson, an Ogellalah Sioux
elder, who is still an activist at the age of 85, and who
also was the very first Miss Native America and congressional
worker for the late Senator Quentin Burdick of North Dakota,
and a good friend of the "Trax Gang."
Her great loves are Alaska's scenery and critters great and
small and she and Philip make a great team. |
