Sitka or Bust: Commute The World

So I recently updated the gallery part of my blog and just figured I’d put the word out there in case you haven’t gotten around to navigating the many wondrous pages of my site. I’ve uploaded some cool pictures of the places I’ve been, and for me to actually want viewers on my point and shoot camera’s work it has to be somewhat intriguing. I am definitely no photographer. At least not yet, though I can remember wanting to be a wildlife photographer back in middle school.

Mostly though, I imagined my life would turn out as amazing as this guy’s and all I would do is wander around the decently groomed trails of a national park or state forest and stumble upon some elusive characters of nature.

If only it were that simple.

Instead, I would most likely be hauling my gear up a steady and unrelenting incline full of face-slapping twigs and the sound of my ragged breathing. Unfortunately, most wildlife tends to shy away from the obnoxious sounds of a normally sedentary individual tramping through the brush and I would probably have very few encounters, and of those mostly only with the less intelligent species’. Speciei? Wikipedia tells me species is both singular and plural so we’ll just go with it.

Also, I never quite figured out f-stops on the camera, and by that I mean I’ve only picked up a DSLR once in my life. My expression was of bewilderment and I might have held it upside down at one point.

I think my flirtation with the hobby was only due to my curiosity of film development. With digital cameras now, that curiosity is negated. Where is the darkroom now? That laptop I’ve got creating a fiery scorch mark on my comforter is not quite as amusing to edit in. Besides, with my back hunched over as I sit cross-legged on my childhood bed I have a fear of redeveloping scoliosis.

The type of people out there who routinely work in a darkroom are either really cool, hipster-like individuals I’d totally like to chill with, or the criminally insane stalker types who make me shudder. Think Robin Williams in One Hour Photo. By far, the most terrifying Robin Williams film I’ve ever seen: It actually makes me rethink him as an overall pleasant individual.

But I guess there’s always a midground. Maybe I’ll forfeit film photography for the instant gratification of digital. Besides, if I ever stumble upon an angry, yet oddly photogenic grizzly I’d rather he not hear the click as the film progresses. Shutter sounds can always be disabled, but the clicky-clicky sound can be infuriating in the dead silence of the wild.