Suggestions for the future

Unfortunately, we  the nature photographers are not immortal yet, since the transfer of our data stored in our brain onto a more lasting motherboard – the present one being of perishable consistence – is something that will become reality maybe in another 50 or 100 years.

Which is really no big deal, since our religions promise us eternal life anyway and I certainly hope that the "black boys" in Rome will stick to their promise, that all good people go to heaven.

I know that we nature photographers will be put in the best section without any check-up anyway.

But, I noticed something the other day: During a tri-national park tour in the later part of fall 2000 I spent the first week at the NP Berchtesgaden, the second at the NP Bavarian Forest and the third at the NP Sächsische Schweiz  (Saxonia Switzerland).

That’s when I noticed that all people who were there on vacation carried gloomy expressions and a pinched look on their faces. You couldn’t see any kind of gladness that they did not have to work but rather hat a day off in which to enjoy the wonderful countryside. Apparently it is awful to be on vacation and not being able to go to work.

That is something I have to stay out of, since I have never in my whole life taken one day of vacation. I wouldn’t even know how.... I cant. If I cant take pictures, I feel like a junky in search of his next shot. My worst nightmare is to see myself sitting in a hotel or in a camper taking a "vacation".

After getting up and having had breakfast in the morning, I have to go and find a motif to a least take one picture on that day. It doesn´nt even have to be perfect, even average will do and it would save my day.

I would never survive a "real" three weeks vacation. That has made me think a bit in terms of eternity, since that really is a damn long time.

Now considering that our church has not told us any shady stories over the last 2000 years, but that everything that was said in Rome does have a real foundation, then we certainly would have to consider the fact that "those up there" have thought pretty much about what we could do with all this never-ending time – I shudder to think about it – called eternity.

But, that is another thing I have learned, if everything is supposed to work out, you have to open your mouth and state your wishes.

To my surprise I found out that Japanese technicians and constructors were saying at the "PHOTOKINA" in Cologne, they would start working on the "Pölking-lens". That means all my writing and grumbling throughout many years had helped after all and that finally a 4.5/200-600 mm AF-Telezoom of tolerable dimensions and a user-friendly weight of few kilos will become reality.

 

Since that apparently worked, I will make a few suggestions at this point what to do "up there" in order to make eternity more bearable for wildlife & nature photographers:

Well, as the central point of eternity village for wildlife & nature photographers, where we all will be lodged for ever (does it have to be for ever? Wouldn’t 10.000 years be more than enough?) I would envision Sanibel Island.

 

Just the way it is right now, maybe even with the Perkins family restaurant and a Golden Coral Restaurant, since they have such a scrumptious buffet.

Jerry’s Restaurant is pretty good, but a little variety in the never ending eternity couldn’t hurt. Then I would really like to have a big Barnes & Nobles bookstore on Sanibel Island so that you don’t have to keep going to Ft. Myers or Naples in order to get the new magazines and picture books. Then I really would like to have the bird rock of Venice, the four aerie trees of the bald  eagle from Cape Coral and the 3.5 km long wooden pier from Audubon Corkscrew Swamp Wildlife Sanctuary moved to Sanibel and the island would be pretty much perfect. Wildlife photography at short lengths – that is something to keep an eye on even in eternity.

On the northern side of the island there is a long and beautiful bridge to the mainland. I guess that could stay, but the mainland on the other side of it should be replaced with, lets say, South-Georgia, with all its penguins, albatross and petrels. That wouldn’t be bad: you leave the wildlife & nature photographers eternity of Sanibel Island, drive across the bridge presently on the northern side of the island and find yourself in the Antarctica.

On the southern side I would like to have a short bridge behind which the ecological system of the Masai Mara – Serengeti is located. Of course with roads that were better kept up and please without the "ordinary tourists of heaven" opened only for respectable wildlife & nature photographers.

To the west of Sanibel maybe one of the great mountain national parks, composed of the most beautiful part of the Bavarian Forest National Park, the bastion from the Swiss – Saxony  and the center of Yellowstone National Park together with a few boulders from Yosemite National Park, as the so-called frosting on the cake.

Now what should we be able to reach across a bridge off to the eastern portion of the island? Maybe a great water preserve resulting from combination the Pantanal, Galapagos and Everglades.

If eternity could offer us this, then we could give it a try. But like I said earlier: I believe 10.000 years are more than enough. I am afraid that even paradise can get pretty boring after a while.... and I doubt that the TV-program is better up there.

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