DISASTER IN THE GULF

DISASTER IN THE GULF - There is no question that the oil spill in the Gulf is a massive ecological and economic disaster. But this tragedy is like a giant octopus, its tentacles stretching out in every direction. And one of the groups this will devastate is the photographic community. I was just watching James Carville and Mary Matlin on the news. They toured the Louisiana wetlands today. Their assessment is that the marshes are already dying. And it is also their assessment is that no one is doing anything to stop the advancement of the sludge. The ecological and economic consequences are unimaginable. However, and I realize that in a sense this is a lesser concern, we in the photographic community will be among the losers. These wetlands were a photographer's paradise. Now because of greed, ineptitude and, most likely, criminality, these exquisitely beautiful natural wonders are in jeopardy. Shame on us. Shame on all of us. Shame on the "Drill baby, drill" crowd, shame on the federal bureaucracy, and shame on corporations who place their greed above the good of Planet Earth. I honestly can't comprehend the massive amount of work that will need to take place. but we need to do something. And even a single step like this post, tiny as it is, constitutes a beginning. LARRY ELKINS - ELKINSPHOTOS FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY