Top Ten (#8)

Photo by: Tim Bindner Photography

Here is # 8.

Technical aspects:

Camera – Fuji X100F

Aperture – F/5.6

Shutter Speed – 1/1900 sec.

Focal Length – 23mm

ISO – 400

Film Simulation – Acros+R

Location – Beacon Heights Overlook – Linville, NC (https://goo.gl/maps/tuEy7ZynMTgXtow7A)

Date – April 27, 2019 @ 7:59am.

On the second to last day of my recent trip, we had the goal to climb Grandfather Mountain before making our way back home to Indiana.  The weather did not allow it, but we were able to get a short yet steep hike before getting the bad news.

This morning my legs were feeling the after-effects of two days before.  Mark and I had hiked a lot and I got over 18,000 difficult steps that day.  In normal situations or if I was younger today would have not been that bad of a hike but it was rough.

As we drove toward Grandfather Mountain on the Blue Ridge Parkway we made a stop at the ever so famous Linn Cove Viaduct to grab some shots.  For the first time on this trip, I was cold.  It was in the mid-forties and the wind was blowing swiftly.  That type of wind that cuts to the bone.  After quickly grabbing some shots we drove a bit more to the parking lot (mile marker 305.2) at the trailhead of the Beacon Heights Overlook.

We grabbed our cameras, put on some gloves and began the ascent up the trail.  The hike is listed as short at only 1400 feet (1/2 mile loop) and reaches an elevation of 4220 feet, but as mentioned, these old legs struggled with the challenge.

The path was wide and well maintained.  It was dissected with large rocks and thick tree roots, which ever so often reached up and grabbed my foot.  That is what I tell myself, the actual cause was tired legs and the inability to lift them high enough to step over these roots.  Occasionally I would stop to point out something interesting, but honestly, it was my way of getting rest.  I think Mark knew this and obliged me.

As we reached the top we took the right path overlooking the southern view.  Our quiet was broken by a group of young girls giggling and taking selfies to the left of us.  No matter, I took this moment to sit down and soak in the view after grabbing a few photographs.  I didn’t sit down because I was tired, I just knew the trip was close to ending and I wanted to savor the moment.

While I was sitting there I watched Mark move to various sides of the large rock we were on, taking similar shots to what I had done, but also finding ones I had not.  There was a brief moment he was standing in front of me with the sun hitting his back as he was lining up one of his shots.  I slowly raised my camera a shot what you see above.

The aspects of this shot that draw me to making it in my top ten are first the sky is lightly dusted with Cirrus clouds, intersected by a few contrails left by passing planes.  The sky fades into the vast forests below us.  In some cases, the trees are clearly defined, and in other parts, they fade into the distance like the clouds above.   I chose monochrome because for me that is my favorite look, which provides the ‘feel’ I love with deep contrast within the highlights and shadows.  I normally don’t shoot my main subject in the center of the shot, but with the sun hitting Mark in the back I captured his silhouette with his shadow ironically being drawn to where I was sitting.  As we so often discovered during this trip there is rarely even ground or flat ground to stand upon.  Mark had to bend his legs and unnaturally position himself to capture nature.  I felt this pose added to the ruggedness of his profile in this picture.  I purposely exposed the shot to hide many of the details in his pants, and jacket but was able to provide detail in his face and camera. Finally, this made my top ten because this is my friend Mark.  He brought me to places I might not ever see before.  I needed this trip more than I knew, and Mark brought me here.  I hope to make a yearly trip with him.  He has seen so much of the world, but I think he and I can agree that the Blue Ridge Parkway tops them all.

“And into the forest, I go, to lose my mind and find my soul.” – John Muir.  I think that sums up this trip for me and why I chose this shot.

Until next time,

Tim