easter 2013

Meanwhile, Francis decried a greedy affluent world looking for `'easy gain," the Associated Press reported, also condemned the "iniquitous exploitation of natural resources".

The former Argentine former cardinal, who has made defense of nature an early hallmark of his pontificate, urged everyone to be "guardians" of creation.

From "Pope Francis calls for world peace and solution to Korea crisis in Easter Sunday Mass", the global post.

I didn't realize until I went back and searched, but it was exactly a year ago today when I wrote "Paving Paradise, Inc." That's when I discovered the beginning construction of a bridge crossing I-4 from Palm Parkway to the south end of International Drive, just north of the Orlando Premium Outlets. I've since pieced together that developers are building more hotel rooms for tourists visiting Disney World, which is very close to where the new bridge ties into Palm Parkway. The bridge and subsequent road system radiating from it will, according to theory, bring more tourists to fill existing rooms on the end of I-Drive. It will also, unfortunately, open up that end of I-Drive and Palm Parkway to more development, more destruction of land, and greater encroachment into the wetlands.

The last photo in the sequence is the I-Drive side of the bridge as seen from Regency Village Drive. You're looking across what's left of old pasture land. This whole area was one given over to cattle and citrus before all the heavy development in the area.

Now that the economy is beginning to step up, construction is begging to pick up the pace as well. The new construction in the area is where I documented the empty Tourist Bureau. Apparently someone bought the property, tore it all down, and is now building something different. Incredibly the hulk remains. I first documented this area last Easter (Easter 2012).

I have heard some noted photographers chastise those of us who merely document the world with our photography. I choose to document because, over time, it tells a dark tale of the greedy affluent iniquitously exploiting our natural resources for easy gain.

Technical

Olympus E-M5 with PL 1.4/25mm  and E-PL2 with MZ 2.8/17mm. Some images taken straight out of the camera (E-PL2), some post processed in Lightroom 4.3.