THE PALE BLUE DOT: Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity -- in all this vastness -- there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves. It is up to us. It's been said that astronomy is a humbling, and I might add, a character-building experience. To my mind, there is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly and compassionately with one another and to preserve and cherish that pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known. From, Reflection on a Mote of Dust by Carl Sagan Three different kinds of photography are displayed in this gallery. One is from a biologist point of view. I work in the southwest as a biologist. So many of the photographs are taken of the animal and plants that I encounter during my work in the field. The second genera of photography is of people that I encounter on my travels,or within the "Natural Goddess" gallery of women. "The Human Experience" is a copyrighted photo essay created in an 8-minute DVD format. It is in progress being loaded onto this site as a photographic photo essay. The third is political in nature and a statement on the events of the times after the US presidential elections of 2016. Many are composite photos gleaned from mainstream media news events. Enjoy and leave a comment behind after you have browsed the gallery. It is a wonderful thing to hear your impressions and comments. With Gratitude, E.K. Schafhauser Click on the gallery you wish to view.