The oil industry gave my my opportunities to journey and work around the world and I remain fascinated with this industry. While it clearly has the power to do harm, it's allowed the human race to advance at a pace never before seen in history. The big question of course is, ‘What do we do when we run out of oil?' It's something we all need to be thinking about since it goes way beyond transport problems to the very fabric and structure of our societies today.
This ‘nodding donkey' was whirring away on the beach near High Island in texas. The sun is still a 33 minutes away from breaking above the horizon. If you look closely you can see not only the illuminated crescent of the side of the moon facing the sun, but the whole disc of the moon. On the horizon to the right of the picture are the lights of an offshore oil or gas platform.
The Macondo well accident didn't directly impact the beaches this far west. But this and other wells are located right on the vegetation line on the beach so the potential for a spill exists.
As the oil is removed from the ground, the ground starts to sink. Structures nearby suggest that there were wells in this field a little further to the south that have now been capped since the water covers these structures at high tide. When I used to work in Brunei, I was told that the first well to have been drilled was also on the beach when it was drilled but was by then about 150 feet out to sea because of the sinking of the land. I've no way to verify that, but no reason to think it's not true either.
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Production Data
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Battery Grip: Canon BG-E6 Battery Grip
Lens: Canon 24-105mm f/4L IS USM AF Lens
Tripod: Gitzo GT3531 6X Carbon Fiber Tripod Legs – Supports 39.6 lbs (18kg)
Ball Head: BH-55 LR: Full-sized ballhead with LR (Really Right Stuff)
Processing: Lightroom 3.6
Processing: Nik Software Color Efex Pro 4 (Nik Software)
