Picture this:

Does anyone else get squeamish and excited at the thought of spending a large chunk of cash on something? Plane tickets to India, computers, cameras ... ?

I just dropped a chunk on a new camera ... can't wait to get it here to Kabul (I've got a mule). That's it on the left above.

With all the necessary accessories (lenses, bag, battery, memory cards, etc.) it came to almost as much as I'd spend on a snazzy new laptop. Although I guess these days cameras are just highly specialized computers with fancy lenses anyway.

So here I am, crossing my fingers that shipping dates and the mule departure are in alignment and I get my new toy(s) soon. I'm excited to be getting back into photography beyond the point-and-shoot snapshottery that I've fallen into in the last few years. It was a sad day when I found that my trusty Pentax ZX-50 had died of neglect. I took some good pictures with that guy ... *cue fond memories of shooting slides in the jungles of Ecuador*

Here in Afghanistan, although there aren't tons of opportunities for getting out and wandering with my camera, I'll do my best. My friends Mikael and Walied have started a photo project ... Eyes of Afghanistan. In their own words ...

Eyes of Afghanistan is an international project that seeks to share images and views of Afghanistan through the eyes of local Afghans and expatriates who have lived, worked and traveled in the country. These images represent their experiences and tell their stories of life in Afghanistan.

Sounds like fun, right? I encourage anyone reading here to check out their site and stay posted for updates and the culmination of their efforts.