Spending time among the flora and fauna . . .

. . . can do wonders for the soul. And if you have a camera to carry with you, it can be a rewarding pursuit -- though, not necessarily in the pecuniary sense. That's not to say you can't make a buck or two in nature photography; you most certainly can. But, if that's the reason you decide to take it up as a pursuit, well, you're kind of a dumbass. Odds are, you're going to be a few thousand bucks lighter in the pocket before you ever see the first proverbial thin dime in recompense for your efforts.

No, you go into nature photography (and any other kind for that matter) simply because enjoy it and want to become good at it. That's pretty much how it happened to me, anyway. I was bitten by the bug while attempting, with some degree of frustration, to take photos of drag racers launching off the starting line with a borrowed Canon point-and-shoot. It only took a couple of trips to the drag strip to convince me that what I needed was a better camera. And from there, well, it's been one glorious expense after another.

It wasn't long before I went out and bought my first DSLR -- the Pentax K-x. It's a great little camera, particularly for an entry-level model. What it lacks in professional-type controls, ergonomics and options it more than makes up for in performance. It was just enough to fuel an addiction that mercilessly dogs me some four years later.

That first successful capture in the noisy, smoke-laden atmosphere of the Sikeston Drag Strip was just the beginning of a life of frustration and soul-crushing poverty as I found myself sinking every cent of my (obscenely meager) discretionary income into camera bodies and lenses. Thank God, as I surely would have gone insane but for its emergence into my life.

Nowadays, I engage in all manner of photography. But, when I want to just shut out the world and be away from the daily indignities that plague the heart and soul, I grab my Pentax K-5 (usually with a 50mm f/1.7 lens attached) and commence to hoofin' it. It's a diversion I took up in earnest a couple of years ago during an especially trying time, when spare moments were exceedingly rare and as treasured as a Death Valley oasis.

So, since I have this opportunity to engage in some self-promotion on a highly trafficked web site as a third-string, non-controversial content provider, I'm going to give it to you good and hard. Here are a few of the images I've managed to produce in my hapless pursuit of serenity. Click on 'em to see 'em real good.

So, there you have it: another little diversion I use to help maintain my sanity. I figure as long as we conservatives are wandering about in the wilderness, we might as well make the most of it and take a camera along.

posted by Damn Dirty RINO at 09:09 PM

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