Photo project challenge 2021

Photo by: Tim Bindner Photography

I do not believe in New Year’s Resolutions, but I believe in challenging myself.  With that in mind, I plan to do a photo project in 2021.  Nothing fancy but fun and challenging, which ultimately is my goal.

Located a short drive from my house is a state park within its borders is a 25 mile trail named the Adventure Hiking trail.  Along the trail there are 5 wooden shelters that hikers can use to rest or sleep overnight during this 3 day hike.  Each location is first come, first serve, and they are all considered primitive. Each structure has a roof, but some have four walls, and some have no walls.  Others have doors that close, and yet others have door opening with nothing between the cabin and the outside.  Others have windows, and then there are those that have solid walls.  One has a gravel/dirt floor and the others have wooden planks for floors.  None would rate as a 5-star accommodation, but all are very welcoming when you are hiking 25 miles, especially in rain, wind or snow.  During those times, these cabins are Hilton’s.

My project is to hike to each shelter, photograph those shelters from different angles, and then post those photos in a trade book from Blurb.  A simple plan with only a few stipulations.  I will use the same camera, same camera lens, and try to display the pictures in the same format.  Same color palette, style, and size of photos.

I have taken these photos in the late fall or winter of 2020/2021.    So far what I have shot has been with my buddy Mark, but I still have two more to get (at the time of this writing), that I will probably capture alone.

So why do this?  As you may or may not know, I love to hike.  I also love old buildings, or in this case simple wooden structures.  Finally, I love photography.  I also want to challenge my creative ability to see what book project I can create.  There are so many possibilities for layout, including text (stories) or not, and simply the design.  I have the option with Blurb to create a single copy for myself, or sell them if I want to create multiple copies.

For me the hiking and photography is the simple part.  It’s the design of the trade book that will challenge me.  If you called this my New Year’s Resolution, so be it.  For me, it is simply a challenge.

“Always believe in yourself and always stretch yourself beyond your limits. Your life is worth a lot more than you think because you are capable of accomplishing more than you know. You have more potential than you think, but you will never know your full potential unless you keep challenging yourself and pushing beyond your own self-imposed limits.” ― Roy T. Bennett

I am up for this challenge and plan to have fun creating it.  Who knows, I may share my ultimate project once complete!

Until next time,

Tim (Kilmer)