A friend helps out.

There are some photo sites I simply refuse to read. They generally fall under the “Anything for a click through dollar” genus and place heavy focus on technique and hardware. The photography on display is invariably execrable and brand wars and pixel peeping are the order of the day. No piece of new hardware goes un-praised and is instantly acclaimed as obsoleting all that came before it, and the grasping acceptance of all those free manufacturers’ samples is always accompanied by a click through which makes these whores money, generally unknown to the reader. The long shadow of ethical behavior is a stranger to these venues.

And while these creations of quick buck artists seem to include the occasional gem among all the detritus, it’s more than I can do to make myself search out the diamonds in the rough. But some friends are more courageous, and one forwarded me a link the other day to a simply splendid piece of photography and writing by one of America’s Space Shuttle astronauts at a site I would never otherwise visit.

Click the picture for the article and be sure to check the author’s resumé at the end. How could anyone possibly improve on this record of intellect and service?

Click the picture.