Big 4 Bridge.

Photo by: Tim Bindner Photography

These past few days for me have been full of emotion, but it has been a good thing.

On December 17^th, 2007 my dad passed away from lung cancer, on December 19^th, 2009 my cousin passed away of the same thing.  This time of year has been tarnished and not joyful to me, but this past two weekends I have found some joy, and these memories have been pushed back a bit.

I mentioned in my previous blog (3 buddies) about the fun I had last weekend.  This weekend was very similar.  It began Thursday when I received a notification from a local visitor’s center on Instagram that they would like to use one of my shots in their publications as well as on their social media.  I gladly accepted and even called the person to get the scoop.  That same day a former high school classmate hooked me up with a local art gallery who expressed interest in displaying my photo(s) in a future exhibit.  I am truly honored but do not feel my work is worthy of these accolades.

Moving to Friday, which is our normal pizza Friday, we did something different.  We went with our new friends to a Japanese restaurant where we ate good food, but more importantly, we had a great conversation.  With them, we are in the beginning stages of our relationship and getting to know each other is the fun part.

Saturday didn’t start well. We had a planned swim meet for my son out of town, yet he woke up with a stomach bug.  Marcie was not feeling well either.  This, however, allowed me to go to a local camera store and meet with a camera representative for the maker of my camera.  I arrived in the parking lot in the middle of a light downpour and quickly made my way to the entrance.  Once inside I saw my friend Kim (who works there), and we began to catch-up and chat.  Soon, my friend, Mark arrived, and I introduced him to Kim.  Shortly after the sales rep arrived and began pulling out all his gear.  The drool began.  I made my way to the other side of the shop and signed up to get my camera sensor cleaned, by professionals, for free.  Mark did too.  The good news is they said the camera and lens look great.

I began to chat with the repair technicians from Fujifilm and got to learn a lot about where they are from (New Jersey), and what they do.  I also received some swag which was much appreciated.

The highlight of the day was sitting in on a 2-hour conference about light and color for dynamic images from Bill Fortney, a Fujifilm X photographer.  Bill went through various shots he had taken over the years (been shooting for 40+ years), explained the technical aspects of composition, light and his use of color.  The time flew by and I learned a lot from his presentation.  I hope this knowledge helps improve my photography.  It was also great to have my buddy Mark and Chris there with me as well.  Ironically Chris brought a friend who shoots another brand, and later that day he sold all his camera gear and moved over to Fuji due to our convincing and Bill’s shots.  Later that evening Kim (from the store) text me and stated she also might be adding or hopefully moving to Fuji as well.

Bill has traveled the world taking shots of different areas and different perspectives.  He flies an ultralight plane and has a book called Shot from 500 feet.  I enjoyed his experiences and knowledge.

Moving to Sunday, I got up and headed to downtown Jeffersonville to meet my friend Mark.  Our goal was to walk the Big 4 Bridge and shoot.  We planned to have Chris, Al and possibly our new friend Al join us but none made it.

I arrived at the parking lot and Mark was already there.  There was a light mist in the air, and I was unsure how mine or Mark’s shots would turn out.  We got out of the car and headed toward the walkway to the bridge.  The sun was up but was filtered by the clouds, which provided a natural gray look.   Perfect for how I shoot.

As we ascended the ramp to the old train bridge appeared before us from out of the fog.  I captured a shot of a lowly jogger off in the distance, and then one of a biker as well.  Mark and I began chatting like old friends talking about his upcoming retirement, his travels, and of course camera gear.  We soon found ourselves on the bridge and strangely above the mist and fog.  The visibility was low but we could see the mighty Ohio River below us and an occasional barge slowly passing by.  The sound was muffled by the fog and also because we were up high.

We crossed the bridge chatting, shooting and enjoying the scenery.  As we reached the Kentucky side and made it back down to land, we both spotted an old branch nestled on the bank next to a stranded barge.  We snapped a few shots from different angles, reminding me of the old Scooby-Doo cartoons.  I never saw a phantom though.

As we walked further down River Road the mist was so light and thin we barely knew we were getting wet, but my glasses revealed the truth.  We reached a boat slip and the distant fog, mist and some overhanging branches helped set up for my favorite shot of the day.  The glassy water of the inlet provided the perfect reflection of the nearby docks, boats, and trees.  That shot alone made the whole trip worth it.

Our conversation continued, photos kept getting taken and we eventually worked our way back to the vehicles.  I was planning on leaving when my wife texts me to stay out longer and that our planned grocery trip, she would do alone.  I gladly told Mark, and we decided to go grab some food.

At McAllister’s we ordered, sat down and began to talk about the shots we took while Mark loaded his on his iPad.  Our conversation leads to talk about his upcoming retirement, his plans, his family and mine.  Recently Mark has started having a monthly lunch or dinner with his two older brothers and younger sister.  He stated “I saw them 2 or 3 times a year at most.  Time gets away from us.”  Mark told me that he cannot believe how time has flown for him and I am also realizing that myself.  I brought up that photography, like hiking, allows me to slow down and notice things, I would not normally see, and more importantly not pay attention to them.  Mark referenced what Bill had said the day before, and how he sees things while driving that he has to pull over to take pictures of.  I admit I do the same.  I told him I know two people that are so focused on their careers, that I fear they will one day wake up and life will have passed them by.  These trips like today help me be more aware of the things around me and appreciate them more.  I have digital memories that I hope I can remember in my old age.  Conversations like today hopefully will also stay etched in my mind.

Once I finally returned home and shared my shots with people I respect their opinions, I immediately got feedback from Mark, as seen below.  Another friend provided additional excitement at one shot, and yet two others eventually told me my work has improved drastically in the past 6 months.  I take all feedback willing as it helps me improve what I love.

I recently thought that I enjoyed being more of a loner, but I have come to realize it was the company I was keeping that caused me some stress.  I have recently found some new friends and reconnected with some older ones.  As my life is short, like everyone’s, I plan to re-evaluate each relationship with my so-called “friends”.  I am going to be much more selfish and find those who help or benefit me, quite the opposite of how I have been the first 50 years of my life.

I do not know what the future holds for me, but I am going to make every effort to plan more photo walks, monthly lunches with my retired buddies and old friends, and continue my hiking with those I value in my life.  Time flies by too fast, and I want to stay connected with my friends as long as I can.

Until next time,

Tim