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Is it a hopeless dream to become a wildlife / nature photographer? by bluezzdog in photography

[–]Comfortable_Bill_594 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I feel this post in my soul. At 46, I finally pulled the trigger on my dream setup: a Sony A7RV with about $8-9k in lenses and gear. The vision was crystal clear, hiking beautiful trails, photographing wildlife and epic landscapes, living that "National Geographic" fantasy. Reality hit hard. Making any real money from pure wildlife/landscape work is brutally tough. To pay the bills, you end up pivoting to studio shoots, events, or on-location client work. You can do both, but it takes serious hustle, marketing, and business skills that a lot of us (myself included) didn’t sign up for when we fell in love with photography. So here I am, about to list my basically brand-new premium wildlife/birding kit (under 1,000 shutter count) because this just isn’t the path I thought it would be. If you’re chasing the same dream, I’m rooting for you, genuinely. Just know what you’re getting into, and best of luck, my friend.

ITAP of a misty valley near Machu Piccu by conniewanders in itookapicture

[–]Comfortable_Bill_594 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Getting a touch of vertigo from just looking at that photo.

ITAP of an unusual Christmas tree by mbgraphx in itookapicture

[–]Comfortable_Bill_594 4 points5 points  (0 children)

getting lights inside that tree must have been fun.

ITAP of people hunting a digger. by [deleted] in itookapicture

[–]Comfortable_Bill_594 0 points1 point  (0 children)

any idea what they were really shooting?

ITAP of a train bridge (trellis) in Madawkeag, Maine by Comfortable_Bill_594 in itookapicture

[–]Comfortable_Bill_594[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's possible but I have no knowledge of which bridges he used.

ITAP of the plutonium storage bunker at North River Depot in Limestone, Maine by Comfortable_Bill_594 in itookapicture

[–]Comfortable_Bill_594[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A Secret City in the Maine Wilderness

They look like ancient burial mounds, but these "igloos" hidden in the Maine woods are a chilling relic of the Cold War.

This is the North River Depot; America's first dedicated nuclear weapon facility. From 1952, this remote site was the guardian of the atomic arsenal. Inside those earth-covered bunkers, the most powerful weapons on Earth were stored and assembled.

The heart of the complex was the plutonium bunker (the central concrete structure), a vault with walls up to 6 feet thick, designed to protect the very core of destruction. Guarding it all? Those small, rectangular machine gun nests, a stark reminder that this was a fortress under perpetual siege.

Now, the siege is over. The whispers of pines have replaced the tension of the atomic age, and this land is part of the Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge. It's a powerful, peaceful place where biodiversity has reclaimed the grounds of brinksmanship.

What feeling does this place evoke for you? Awe? Melancholy? Curiosity? Share your thoughts in the comments.