Artist Spotlight: Joe Hinson

Meet Joe Hinson, a photographer from Lancaster, SC who now resides in Columbia, SC.

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How long have you been interested in photography? I can remember taking pictures with my mom's camera when I was ten years old. It was just a point-and-shoot and I guess the interest wasn't more than a typical child with a camera. I didn't get serious with my photography until 1999 (when I was 29 years old). Even then it was a few years before I learned anything more than how to compose a decent shot.

What was your first camera? I used some borrowed equipment at first, cheap point-and-shoots and old 110 cameras, even disposable cameras from Wal-Mart or Food Lion. Even with those cameras, you can learn a lot about composition, what works and what doesn't and how to work without having a zoom lens. Then in 1999, I bought my first SLR, a Canon Rebel, and a few decent lenses. It was eye opening, forgive the pun, to see what a decent camera could do.

What's your specialty (nature, portrait, etc)? I don't know if I have a specialty exactly, but I do enjoy getting out and shooting railroads or old buildings. I like waterfalls, too. I shoot stuff that I see in every day life, trains, my kids, sunsets.

What equipment do you use most frequently? I've gone digital even though I still carry around a Canon Elan 7 which shoots film. I mainly use my Canon Digital Rebel XTi. Going digital really helped my shooting, even though I hate I never got the hang of the dark room. Digital makes you want to be a better photographer and it takes notes for me. It tells you what shutter speed you used at what aperture. So if the shot doesn't work, just change the settings and do it over. Or at the very least, you know what you did wrong right off.

Where were you born and raised and what influenced you to become a photographer? Born and raised in Lancaster, though I lived in Memphis for a very short time and now live in Columbia. I don't know what really influenced me to become a photographer. I do remember wishing I had shot the old Lancaster High School before they tore it down. Maybe that influenced me. But by the same token, I didn't really get any shots of the old Springs Mill until after they started tearing it down either. So I didn't learn my lesson.

Any favorite places to photograph in Lancaster County (or South Carolina)? 40 Acre Rock is an obvious place. Admittedly I'm not much for the hike to get there. If they'd let you drive down closer like they used to, maybe I'd go more. I like Landsford Canal. When I had my Jeep Cherokee, I liked to go down to the Lancaster side and shoot some. I love railroads, as I said, and I have a natural affinity for the L&C Railway, so trackside is a good place to find me. There's a really cool spot near the Springdale Road bridge if you get lucky with a train coming into the sun. Columbia has endless photo ops and lately I've been trying to spend a lot of time in the Cayce Riverwalk.

Are there any photographers whose work you admire? Has anything or anyone influenced your style? I certainly envy and respect (Lancaster native) Travis Bell for what he's done. Also, look up the work of railroad photographers like Ron Flanary, Mitch Goldman and Andrew Blaszczyk. I respect these guys not only for their style, but also their persistence to get the shot they want and the patience to wait for the right moment. I lack that patience.

Do you visit places specifically to take pictures... or is it common practice for you to always have a camera on hand? I never leave home without a camera and tripod. I can run down to the Food Lion two miles from home at 10:30 p.m. for a gallon of milk and I have to take my camera. Of course, sometimes that two mile drive becomes a round about way to get there because I want to see if the stars are out and where the moon is in relation to something I've been wanting to shoot. My wife used to get on me about this until one day we were all out for a short trip somewhere when we came up on this horrific house fire. The fire trucks weren't there yet, even though I could hear them in the distance. I was able to get some shots that no one else got (luckily, no one was hurt in the fire).

Where have your photography travels taken you? I'm not a well-traveled man by any stretch of the imagination. My job doesn't pay great, but we do get around when we can. We recently went to Roanoke and Richmond. Last year, I was invited with a few other photographers to Knoxville to shoot an old steam train that used to work in Winnsboro. In 1999 and 2000, I went to Colorado a time or two.

Where do you currently live and work? I presently live in Columbia and, until December, I worked at WIS-TV. If you read the State newspaper article about David Stanton and six others getting laid off due to the national economy, I was one of the six others. There are no jobs (in media) in Columbia to speak of, so chances are we will be moving soon. In fact, one of the reasons we visited Virginia recently to see if we may want to live there if a job offer comes.

My dream job is to be a newspaper photographer, but there's even less opportunity in newspaper than in TV. The truth is that I kinda backed into shooting for TV– I wanted to learn more about still photography and enrolled in York Tech where all that was offered was video photography. I got a job after Tech at CN2 in Rock Hill where I won a few awards for my work. Then I got hired on at WIS... now that I've been laid off, I'm looking for my next opportunity.

What do you like to do when not taking pictures? Family time is very important and in some ways it can interfere with picture taking. There are times when I have to make a choice and more times than not, I'd rather be with my wife and kids doing normal, routine stuff. I'm also a writer in my spare time.
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Author's Note: We'll be posting more of Joe's photography in the weeks to come... in the meantime, you can check out his Flickr albums.

All Photos ⓒ Joe Hinson:
1. A new GEVO on end of coal train in Columbia, SC.
2. Mountain Skyline in Dry Falls, NC
3. Cayce Riverwalk view of CSX train over Congaree River in Columbia, SC.
4. Richburg, SC church (Richburg United Methodist).
5. Former Southern Railway in Prosperity, SC.
6. Saluda Grade in North Carolina.
7. Abandoned freight depot in Chester, SC.
8. Great Falls Mill Fire in 2006.