Alberta tar sands: overview

If you only have a bit of time to taste the Alberta tar sands, start here: 12 simple pictures.

In July 2008 I rented a room in Fort McMurray and roamed around with no specific plan. I visited the area for 12 days, talking with people, smelling the burning bitumen up north on highway 63, seeing firsthand what had intrigued me - yet without informing me - in the media reports from the area.

In downtown Fort McMurray I did not spend much time photographing the crack junkies and prostitutes. Nor did I have access inside the mine sites up north on highway 63. Only very rarley does corporate media have specific guided access.

At the end of the river I discovered one of the most beautiful places, fragile and surrounded by what indigenous people call a giant killing creature.

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the photos were produced in 2008