Bean, beans. Good for your heart ...

Photo by: Tim Bindner

I am a simple man.  The things that excite me most likely are mundane or ordinary to others.  Today’s post is about one of those experiences I had, and it was quite exciting and enjoyable to me.

I ran into a friend’s husband at the grocery store early Sunday morning.  I said good morning, he responded in the like, and soon thereafter his father, who was also there, told me they could “finally” harvest his crops on Friday.  On Monday I reached out to his wife and asked if in the spring and Fall I could come take pictures of them planting and subsequently harvesting next year.  She said “of course, but my aunt and uncle are harvesting this week”. Jump ahead to Tuesday and immediately after work, I met my friend and former co-worker up at the local school that boarders her property.  I climbed into her pickup truck and we began our drive to Laconia, Indiana to meet her aunt in uncle who was harvesting “beans” also known as soybeans.

Laconia has a population of around 50 people and as the crow flies is about 12 miles from my house, however, I cannot fly, so driving the almost 19 miles and about 20+ minutes, was my best option.  As my friend drove the twisty roads that are so prevalent in the country, we caught up on how we were doing and what we had been up to since last we met.  I also took this opportunity to scout the areas we were driving through four potential pictures.  They littered the land with old houses, barns, farms, etc.  All the things I love to shoot.

It wasn’t long before we were pulling into a “double gravel driveway” and I, my friend’s aunt, Sandy, was walking up to the truck to meet us.  I had introductions. Then she pointed down the road and explained what her husband, Larry, was out there doing.

I had mentioned to her aunt why I was there and that I had been to another farm a while back, to do that same thing I had planned on doing today.  Read about it here.  After mentioning the farmer I visited, the farmer’s name, and where it was located, my friend’s aunt said with a smile,   “Oh Daryl is my cousin”.  Man, it is a small world.  I love small towns.  As my newest neighbor from Kansas City often tells me, “Everyone knows everyone around here.”

There was a Mack semi-truck parked on the edge of the road about ¼ mile away.  I saw a combine driving in the field away from the truck, chewing up the beans and leaving a cloud of dust behind it.  A combine is a 3000+lb piece of equipment that has many spinning blades on the front (see above). I can best describe a combine’s job as a machine that scrapes everything from an inch above ground in front of it.  Then, internally it works its magic, and a shoot spits out in a bay the resulting crop for harvesting, in this case, soybeans.  These blades are sharp, move quick, and as mentioned, chew up anything in its path, such as a photographer, if he is not paying attention.

As I stood alone in this vast, wide-open field, the massive machine got smaller as it moved further away from me. The combine was headed in a loop to the back of this 60 acre field but soon would return.  I saw the dust from behind it get smaller and smaller.  I walked around, snapped a few shots of the bean plants, some nearby houses, and waited for the machine to return.  Behind me was a busy road upon which many pickup trucks drove by, slowed down, and continued on.  I can only imagine their thoughts as I waved.  ‘What is this idiot doing, standing in a field with a camera’?  I can happily say everyone I waved to, waved back.  Have I mentioned I love the country?

Eventually, the combine was again within view, and slowly getting closer.  I began shooting, and making sure I was not in the path, or close to the blades of this machine.  I am 6’2” tall and weigh around 250lbs, but this machine, as it got closer and closer, easily dwarfed me.  Nothing so humbling as standing in the middle of a field, all alone, with a multi-ton piece of farm equipment, with spinning teeth, headed in your direction.

After dumping a load in the back of the semi, Larry and his combine turned again towards me, lined up the next row, and turned on the blades.  The low hum was a warning as those blades spun.  I was within a few feet of them (but safely far enough away) that I got some up detailed pictures.  This is where the fun began.  As the combine moved and start harvesting the next row, I looked down at my camera to ensure my last shot was on point.  The wind was to my back, so I turned around only to be engulfed in a cloud of dust of soybean waste.  Remember, I mentioned the magic of the combine.  Well, it spits out the soybeans (or whatever it is harvesting) in a bin on top, and the excess leaves, it leaves stalks and whatever else, is ground up into a fine powdery dust and spit out the back.  That is now what I was in the middle of.  I quickly covered my camera, closed my mouth, but forgot to shut my eyes.

I have never been a fan of soybeans, and can 100% say with all certainty that I am not a fan of soybean dust.  I did however get a decent shot of the machine in this cloud of dust we shared, with the sun eliminating it and all the dust in the background.

Like when I arrived, the combine slowly drove away, doing what they designed it for.  I took my time walking back to my friend’s truck, shaking off the dust and ensuring my camera was okay.  I wanted a few more moments alone in that field.  We drove the ¼ mile back to her aunt’s truck, said our goodbyes, and took the 20-minute trip back to my car.  I again surveyed the area on our trip home, and plan to get back out in that area to shoot more.

I sent the pictures to my friend, and she forwarded them to her aunt.  The comment from her aunt was “Oh wow, he is a professional.  He did an awesome job, especially with nothing to work with.”  I had plenty to work with.  As a photographer (professional is a stretch), I try to see things I don’t normally get exposed to and shoot them.  For her aunt, this is a job and nothing special.  For me, it was a slice of Heaven, even with the dust.

I love farm life, the country, and nature.  I always try to capture it when I can.

Until next time,

Tim (a. k. a. Kilmer)