Ruminator

Photo by: Tim Bindner This week we had some snow, which lead to some beautiful, yet challenging, footing on my hike this morning. I also tested out a new lens I got. Upon arrival in the parking lot a little before 8am, I noticed I was the only vehicle there, which meant I was the only person there. This is my ideal hiking preference. I headed along a familiar route, leading me through the fields, past the water tower and into the woods. Crossing the field, the wind picked up and the left side of my face and ear tingled. It was 30 degrees, but the wind made it feel much colder. I hurried my pace to reach the woods, and once enveloped by the trees, I knew the wind would not be a factor. I was right. The snow did two things. First, it provided a more challenging terrain, which lead to a few slips here and there. Second, it provided a quiet hush to the surroundings. Each step I took was muffled by the packed snow beneath my boots. Even the occasion squirrel rush through the woods was much

Photo by: Tim Bindner I have not been on a hike since December 31 st , but today I got back on the trail. My body, mind, and spirit needed some cleansing. Today I got a bit of that. The outside temperature gauge on my car read 28 degrees as I pulled into the parking lot of Mount Saint Francis. The sun was rising as I climbed out of my car and scanned the parking lot. My Subaru would sit alone, at least for now, in the parking lot. I grabbed my jacket, but on a hat and gloves, grabbed my camera and off I went. I crossed the parking lot onto the gravel path and soon made my way down a hill and cut through an enormous field where I was surrounded on both sides by tall grass. As I made my way towards the woods, the wind blew. The cool 28 degree temp felt so much colder as the wind turned my nose and cheeks bright red. I let the cold air fill my lungs and listened as the wind rustled the tall grass on both sides of me. I felt a sense of calm as I realized I was all alone on this path. I ent

Photo by: Tim Bindner I recently watched a video of a photographer I follow and part of his message in that video struck a chord with me. Now, before you non-photographers tune out, I will tie in his message to everyday life and how I see it aptly applies. Stick with me. The video was titled ‘I’m a failure… ’. In this video, he spoke of various things he failed at in 2021 with his photography. One thing, however, stood out to me and I feel this is a bigger message towards life. He mentioned many of his pictures were “ grabbing the mundane shots, which were boring. ” Though he never said it directly, I got a sense he was shooting shots based on what was popular and had seen many times before on social media. His observation grabbed me. In life, I see so many people deciding based on what is popular. Owning the latest iPhone, where they live, what popular shows social media tells them to watch, what they drive, what to wear, how to eat, where they vacation and so on. Again, I got a sense