In 3 decades as a professional photographer, Whitefish’s Chuck Haney has actually done it all– took a trip the world, covered high school basketball competitions, published coffee-table books, taught workshops, shot tens of thousands of pictures and displayed his work in several galleries.
And while it might be impossible to sum up even a fraction of his work, Haney does just that with a yearly live program at the O’Shaughnessy Center, where he shares a curated selection of his year’s work and hosts a question-and-answer session. The Dec. 30 show also serves as a fundraising event for the North Valley Food Bank, Haney’s method of returning to the community where his photography profession took off.
“It’s a laid back and fun night,” Haney stated of the multimedia show that he’s hosted for at least 20 years. “Method back when, I used to do it with slides and a projector. It’s simply such a great method to show off my new images and inform the stories behind them.”
“And a lot more than the images themselves, the cause is crucial,” Haney added. “I do not know the number of short articles I have actually checked out just recently about how much more need there is for food banks. There’s absolutely nothing more essential than getting people fed, and it truly makes the entire evening even much better knowing we’re all returning.”
For this year’s show, Haney will be displaying a few sectors that highlight his current work, consisting of one focused on ice, two collections from around America, and a consortium of European scenes.
His opening collection concentrates on the build-up of photos detailing ice formations throughout the years. The extensive series consists of whatever from captivating shots of Lake McDonald in Glacier National forest to scenes from a winter invested in Iceland.
The worldwide component is a reasonably current addition to Haney’s collection. After investing decades photographing western landscapes in Montana and covering “every nook and cranny in the state,” Haney states he remains engaged as a professional photographer by leading photography workshops around the globe.
“I have a relatively dedicated following, and individuals do not wish to photo the very same park or region each year,” Haney said. “That’s broadened my reach quite a bit, and so I have actually been encouraged to go abroad.”
To plan for such comprehensive travel with bigger groups, Haney and his other half often scout locations a year in advance. This year his travels consisted of the Czech Republic and Portugal, with frames from both making it into the program.
“The program comes together with a good mix in between the global scenes and my more local destinations that people take pleasure in,” Haney stated.
Narrow cobblestone streets at dawn with Castle Tower in historical Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic. Photo by Chuck Haney
One of Haney’s preferred shots from this year happened on a day when he was biking through the Flathead Valley, wanting to take a brand-new picture of canola fields in complete blossom. As he biked south from Whitefish, he discovered some “crazy clouds” rippling up above the south valley.
“It coincided with sunset, there was lightning inside these clouds, rainbows inside these clouds, it was just ridiculous,” Haney stated. “It’s the example you might see as soon as every couple of years, where absolutely nothing looks genuine.”
Another memorable image for Haney occurred when he remained in the Whitefish Variety at the Werner Peak fire lookout with his wife.
“I saw this year there was a possibility of northern lights, and that’s always exciting but you likewise get skunked a lot when you’re looking for northern lights,” he said.
From the top of the mountain he set his alarm and got up at midnight to check the sky. Nothing.
At 3 a.m. he got up once again. Still nothing.
Then, right before dawn broke in the east, Haney opened his eyes and peered out the lookout windows to see the sky come alive.
“The whole sky was just dancing with northern lights,” he stated. “I illuminated the lookout tower with my headlamps then just viewed in awe. I told my wife: ‘Offer us another 30 years and we’ll never see a night like this once again.'”
Chuck Haney is hosting a digital presentation of his work to benefit the North Valley Food Bank.Where: O’Shaughnessy Center, Whitefish When: Dec. 30 at 7:30 p.m.Price of admission is a
contribution of food for the North Valley Food Bank.