Ruminator

Photo by: Tim Bindner Photography   I completed a five-day journey with my dear friend Mark.  It was full of unbelievable sites, checked off a bucket list item, and we got to experience all kinds of weather.  It will stay etched in my memory as long as I have one.  The title is a reference to a great book upon which we cover the same subject (or at least part of it for me). This post will be split up into many parts due to its length.  There was so much joy, excitement and emotion to recap, I know I cannot do it in one post.  I also know I cannot do it justice but will give it a shot. Day 1; Mark arrived promptly at noon on Wednesday.  We quickly loaded my gear in his Jeep, I said goodbye to my wife and dog (son was at school), and off we headed.  Our destination for the evening was Newport Tennessee, about 300 or so miles away and a 4.5-hour drive.  The drive was quick as my anticipation grew, as I only had mere thoughts and ideas of what we might experience in the next few days. ...

This post is a bit difficult for me to write.  It’s not about coming up with the words, but more about keeping it short.  This post is about my good friend Mark . Mark and I met a few years back when I started geocaching .  Mark was one of the original geocachers (it started in 2000) and like photography, he started teaching me whether he knew it or not.  For a few years, we would geocache, which lead to hiking, which eventually led to photography while hiking and geocaching.  Over the years my love of geocaching took a back seat to photography and hiking and has been completely replaced by it altogether.  As I shot more and more, Mark and I became closer as friends due to our similar interests. I learned during our numerous outings, as you will learn shortly that Mark has been shooting for 40+ years.  Every time we went out, I learned something from him (and not just about photography), and I think he learned a little bit from me as well.  We could always talk gear, the inspiration fo...

Photo by: Tim Bindner Photography   I met for the second time with my new Psychologist and she is helping guide me to discover the root of my anxiety.  I think deep down inside I kinda knew the source but needed validation.  How ironic. During my last visit I was challenged to set aside 10 minutes a day to worry, and I can say I have been doing this.  It is not easy.  Well, the 10 minutes of worrying is easy, it is the other 1430 minutes of not worrying that it is difficult.  This visit I was given the task of making ‘simple’ decisions and living with the decision.  Simple for most, not for me. Our discussion and Dr. Erin’s observation was that most of my issues with indecisiveness and uncertainty come directly from the interactions I had with my mother growing up, and ever continues to this day.  My mom loves me and did her best to raise me to be a good man, but I am learning now that the method (at least my perception of it) was not healthy.  In a nutshell, if I shared a fe...

Today’s post is about a man I discovered while watching a video from the first person I interview Chris Sale .  Chris and Gareth are mates and like most of my photography research, I discovered Gareth while stumbling on Chris’ YouTube channel. I think for me Gareth’s energy, enthusiasm and the obvious love for landscape photography are what drew me to follow, subscribe and ultimately reach out to him.  After watching a few videos he created I felt drawn to his laughter and smile, all while I was learning about his tips, tricks, and techniques.  His latest video shows fully how he plans things out and how Mother Nature does her own thing, yet he made the best of it.  He, like Chris, and a few others were kind enough to answer my questions below, and provide some insight into what, where and why they shoot. I think Gareth, like most photographers, and especially me, are very critical of their own work.  That is what drives me, him and others to push ourselves to become better...

Photo by: Tim Bindner Photography   This week I went to a third therapist after a recommendation from a friend.  I hope that the third time is a charm.  I feel it will be. I pulled into the parking lot on a rainy overcast day.  For most people, these are “ugly or miserable” days, but I quite enjoy the rain and the clouds that accompany them.  As I arrived early, I sat in the parking lot not knowing what I was about to experience and if this third time would be a charm.  With meeting anyone especially a therapist I had that feeling of going on a first date.  Something I thankfully have not done in 23+ years, but the nervousness of the unknown and uneasy feeling was there. I made my way from the car, into the building, up the stairs, and into the office.  I sat on a couch across from a teenager and what I presumed was his father.  My thoughts and questions continued, from the drive over, in my brain.  Will this person help me where others had not?  Will we discover this i...

Today’s post will spotlight a photographer I sadly recently discovered.  It’s sad because I had wished I had found him sooner.  Patience for those who wait, right? As mentioned in a previous post part of my journey with photography is not strictly taking photographs but also discovering other photographers who I learn from, be inspired by and in Neale’s case, also listen to.  Much of Neale’s work is wedding photography which is something I do not do, but I think a true photographer can admire and learn from other’s work even if it is not the style they normally shoot.  Both Neale and Kevin Mullins do what is called or coined documentary photography.  This is simply non-posed photography.  Neale will cover this more in the second question below. I am a big fan of Kevin Mullins and I recently discovered a podcast that both Kevin and Neale do together called Fujicast.  It can be found here and also is referenced below.  As a Fuji shooter, I initially started listening to learn about Fuji...

Photo by: Lisa J Huber This post is about a beautiful soul and person that inspires my photography, Lisa J Huber.  I met Lisa one day while volunteering at Humana.  I saw this short woman walking around with a camera inside our building and had to go inquire about what she was up too.  It was not long after we struck up a friendship.  I even converted her (partially to switch to Fuji). Lisa inspires me not only because she is one of the few photographers that are actually educated in photography (has a degree), but she also teaches and helps others learn.  I have assisted her with a Lightroom class, gone on photo walks with her, and we even traded headshots once.  Lisa is a genuine person and I knew that the first time I met her.  Our shooting styles are a bit different but I am still inspired by her work and creativity.  Lisa is always there to answer photography/Lightroom questions for me, and also accepts any suggestions I might have.  She...

Photo by: Tim Bindner Photography I have seen lately on social media something that is being done by many folks, but something I have hesitated to ever do.  I specifically had two people I know that have asked me for this multiple times, and I finally decided to do it. I have always question ‘Bucket Lists’ due to their intent.  First, I think lists such as these set you, me or whoever creates the list, up for failure.  If you have a list of many things to do or places to go and you never get to them there is that sense of failure.  Next, I see this as yet another way people compare themselves to others.  Just like where people, live, what they drive, how they look, how much they make, etc.  People like to use things to compare themselves for a sense of normalcy or a benchmark to see how they rank (at least in their minds). My list is one of the places I’d like to go to.  I will list each place, in no particular order, and list the reason why I chose it.  This is where some of you ...