Artifact of the Month: November 2020

Ketchikan Daily News' First Digital Camera

Hall Anderson has been documenting the drama of everyday life here since his first trip to Ketchikan in 1977. He took a job at the Ketchikan Daily News in 1984, cementing his role as our hometown photographer. Hall reflected on his experience, "the camera keeps me grounded to my place in the world as an observer, as a participant, and as a chronicler of my extraordinary life here in a small town in Southeast Alaska."

In 2001, the newspaper bought its first digital camera, a Nikon D1H digital single-lens reflex (DSLR). Capable of quick action shots, the camera was ideal for sports, features and spot news events, which demand high frame rates and good image quality. By the early 2000s, newspapers across the country moved into digital media. Similarly, newspaper photographers, like Hall, transitioned from processing film in a dark room to quickly processing digital images on a desktop computer. Professional level cameras like this were especially popular with newspapers because they were getting more affordable and allowed for a faster turnaround of images.

After 30 year at the newspaper, Hall retired in 2014. He is still actively capturing Ketchikan's activities with his newest Nikon always handy.

Ketchikan Museums, KM 2020.2.54.1