ANWR

Beside my chair in the den, on the lower level of a mission style end table, you will find a stack of books. Mostly you will find they are photography books. These are not the how to books but the collections of photographs from the files of different photographers. Reading the titles you will find names like Through the Lens and In Focus from National Geographic and America 24/7 and finally a notebook with a few of my shots from the my trek to Yosemite in 2004...my personal portfolio.

These are the inspiration books.

Yesterday I received a book that will join this collection. Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: Seasons of Life and Land by Subhankar Banjerjee. I'll not bore you by retelling the story. You can read more about the book on Amazon.

I spent about an hour with the book last night. I've never been to Alaska. I hope to go some day, but even then I'll probably not make the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge. And I've heard that photographs do not really do justice the beauty of what you experience in Alaska.

If that is the case, that photographs do not do justice to the land, then my thought after looking at some of Banjerjee's images is....

Why would anyone think it is OK to drill for oil here?

I just don't get it.

The Beginning

Once upon a time my friend Jim and I used to have conversations about what we wanted for our lives. To make a long story short, we wanted to create something. With our own hands bring something into being such that we could stand back and say "I created that." In those days we dreamed for creating sports cars, either by building engines, or modifying existing cars to be fantastic touring sedans or race cars. But alas, neither one of us had the skills or finances, or may be even courage to go and do that.

So we took up photography. Me first. Then Jim. We created using light. It was fun, it took us on the road for 'expeditions', and it provided some of the creative outlet that we desired. Eventually, though, for various reasons, we drifted away from taking pictures.

Jim died a few years ago, but I can't help believe that he would have joined me in my return to taking pictures. I'm again filling that creative hole in my life.

But I find there is more than just taking pictures. Light is emotional. Light is an experience or is the reason for some experiences. Light is a pursuit that goes farther than the images I create.

So I'm going to blog...periodically...to move beyond just the images to words. It's primarily for me, but your welcome to share as I explore me. Some of my thought as I make the connection to light and connection to me.