As most of you know I live in Kilgore,Texas
Home of the Rangerettes and the World's Richest Acre
Among many other things.
I started taking photos when I moved here to take over my wifes doctor's practice
(7 years ago when I was 47)
They had these cool derricks downtown that had stars and even lit up at night.
I started shooting them and lucked into a few good shots.
I printed and framed some and put them at the office.
The people around here have strong emotional ties to these rigs
Their great grandads,grandads and fathers moved here to work in this oilfield.
People started wanting and buying the derrick pictures and I found out that you can start a business
just by getting a tax ID and paying taxes on your sales
My wife then found we could write off expenses incurred and THEN we were off to the races.
You apparently have to have a profitable year every 3 and we are selling enough to do that.

SO
My wife has a husband who doesn't have golf clubs,or hunting gear, and doesn't spend weekends doing either
AND whose hobby pays for itself andprovides her with more pics of her kids than she could ever need!!
(she does still,however, get the school pictures. She claims they are just too strong a tradition to stop)

The Chamber of Commerce asked me to set up my photos during our downtown Christmas festival
a day when we have a fake snow hill,santa,carriage rides etc.
Cristi set up the pictures in this old building
-What a GREAT job honey-
We did pretty well I'm a lucky man because I was in the right place at the right time.
Looking at most of you guys on pbase humbles me and I realize
thankfully for me It isn't always how good your work is,it's finding a niche(remember the guy who caged and sold pet rocks?)