In search of solitude with Steffi Reimers

October 8, 2025by Steffi Reimers

From Prudhoe Bay to Homer, Steffi Reimers crosses Alaska to trace stories of solitude, resilience, and transformation. Asking, ‘Why leave everything behind for such extremes?’ she discovers the most meaningful moments come when you relinquish control.

Visual Diary is a behind-the-scenes look at the work of photographers—capturing their methods, experiences, and the stories behind the images they create.

Delta Junction, Richardson Highway, September 12, 2025 © Steffi Reimers

As I write this, I’m sitting in the Manley Roadhouse in Manley Hot Springs, Alaska. A village quite literally at the end of the road. Here, the pavement stops and the wilderness begins, with just a handful of residents holding on. Fairbanks, the nearest city, lies 250 kilometers away, and getting here means taking rough, unpaved gravel roads. A 4x4 is essential, but for much of the year, even that’s not enough, you need a snow machine to get through. 

I’ve been in Alaska for two and a half weeks now, working on my project At Road’s End. In Alaska, the end of the road is more than just a point on a map, it’s a state of mind. It’s where people go to disappear, reflect, or start over. This project traces stories of solitude, resilience, and transformation in one of the most remote and extreme landscapes in the world. ‘Why leave everything behind for such extremes?’ ‘Is it running away from something, or toward something?’ 

Yukon river camp, Dalton Highway, September 19, 2025 © Steffi Reimers

Life in Alaska is anything but easy. The cold, the isolation, the darkness, the immense distances, everything here is amplified. I’m traveling in a 4x4 truck camper, making my way from Prudhoe Bay in the far north, down to Homer in the south; literally from one end of the road to the other. 

I prepared as much as I could before arriving: researching places, identifying regions where I might meet the right people. But there’s no way to plan the human element. The people I want to speak with live off-grid, scattered across a vast landscape. Finding them requires time, effort, and patience. Driving hundreds of kilometers over pothole-ridden gravel roads, often without cell service, and sometimes through snow or deep mud. It’s not without risk. 

Dalton Highway, September 15, 2025 © Steffi Reimers
Phelan Creek, September 11, 2025 © Steffi Reimers

Along the way, I tell everyone I meet what I’m doing and why I’m here. I’ve learned that the more openly you share your story, the more likely people are to connect you with someone who matters. But just as important as sharing is listening. Even when a conversation doesn’t go the way I expect, it might still offer something valuable; perspective, inspiration, or a new direction. Often, the most meaningful moments come when you stop trying to control the outcome. 

Atigun Pass, Dalton Highway, September 15, 2025 © Steffi Reimers

People often assume I’m an extrovert: social, outgoing, always talking to strangers. In truth, I’m more of an introvert. Social situations take  a lot of energy from me, and I recharge in solitude. Still, I visit every local café I come across. These places are often the heart of small communities, sometimes the only public space at all. It’s where you meet the locals, hear unfiltered stories, and experience the rhythm of life in places far removed from everything else. 

Sometimes you arrive with clear expectations. Other times, things fall apart. But in Alaska, I've learned that when you let go of what you thought you were looking for, you often find something far more meaningful.

Yukon river camp Dalton Highway, September 19, 2025 © Steffi Reimers

At Road’s End is a new work-in-progress by Steffi Reimers. Her previous series, Guilty Grounds (2023), about the ‘Ndrangheta’s sphere of influence was displayed at Foam in 2024 and featured in Foam Magazine 67, Test of Time, in 2025. To read the full magazine, order FM#67 

About the artist

STEFFI REIMERS is a Dutch documentary photographer based in Hoorn. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Photography from the University of Applied Photography in Amsterdam in 2021. Her graduation project,  Aftermath, was created during a two-month stay in Srebrenica, where she documented the lingering effects of the Yugoslav civil war. Her work explores themes of transience, history, and resilience, often grounded in social relevance. In 2022, Aftermath  was exhibited at the Nederlands Fotomuseum in Rotterdam and released as her debut photobook. In 2023, Reimers launched Guilty Grounds, a conceptual project made in Calabria, southern Italy. The project examines the history of the ‘Ndrangheta and their kidnappings, using the Aspromonte landscapes as silent witnesses to violence. The series became her first solo exhibition at FOAM Amsterdam and was published as her second photobook. The exhibition later traveled to Nanjing, China. 

 

All images courtesy of the artist.


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Visual Diaries: At Road's End by Steffi Reimers