Some of the Happiest and Best Times of my Life, Utah, USA
8”x20” palladium print from original, in-camera negative
2/15 Limited Edition available. .
70% of the profit from this image will be donated to the COPD Foundation in honour of Kevin and his family. The COPD Foundation is non-profit organization dedicated to preventing COPD, bronchiectasis, and NTM lung disease and to seeking cures while improving lives and advocating for all affected.
https://www.copdfoundation.org
Kevin Shumway started uranium mining in his early teen years, accompanying his father & uncles to the mines and sorting ore extracted by horse and cart. He was a fourth generation miner in his family; the Shumways are integral to the history of uranium mining in southern Utah, working in all of the major mines and owning some of the most famous mines of the era.
In this image, Kevin Shumway stands in the entry of one of his family’s mines that were first worked by his grandfather and father in the 1950s. It was hard, dangerous work; Kevin’s father nearly lost his life in a mining accident that left him crushed by a massive boulder. Kevin’s uncle died while handling high explosive at the ore face. In addition to the physical dangers, there are the invisible dangers; radon and radiation. Kevin’s family often worked in unventilated, dusty conditions that exposed them to high levels of radiation for extended periods. Cancer and pulmonary fibrosis are all too common. Yet, Kevin loved mining uranium and possesses a deep pride in his family’s work and accomplishments. Describing his experiences, he lights up with excitement and recalls of his decades underground, “They were some of the happiest and best times of my life”.
Kevin’s father and uncle start excavation on what would become the Cottonwood #2 mine
TECHNICAL DETAILS
Film stock: Kodak TMax 400 8”x20” film
Camera & lens: HF820 ultra large format field camera/ 355mm f9 Schneider G-Claron lens
Exposure details: Rated ISO 200 @ f32, 40 second exposure.
Filtration: #12 yellow
Processing: Normal development, Pyrocat-HD (2:2:100)
Printing: Na2 palladium with Nuarc 40-1ks UV exposure system
