John Hinkle (photographer, 1948 – 2003)

“The thing with photography…” stated photographer John Hinkle, “is, ya gotta be there!”   John was born in Reading, Pennsylvania and started taking pictures of bugs in his yard around the age of ten, with his first camera, a Kodak Brownie. 

Hinkle continued his interest in photography while in the military where he was stationed as an air traffic controller at a small airfield in Germany, near the Czechoslovakian border.  “I was always known as the ‘guy with the camera’. I remember I had a Petri ½ frame camera and it was great because you could get two pictures on one frame.  Then I got a Konica from my brother who actually owed me money and gave me a camera instead.” 

Hinkle later invested in more professional equipment.  Although Hinkle continued to shoot print film, his forte was digital photography where he shot, developed, and printed in digital format.  Where ever he went he had his camera with him because he never wanted to miss a shot.

Hinkle worked for the Federal Aviation Administration all of his professional life, working as an air traffic controller in NY and Philadelphia, as Supervisor in Allentown, PA and Assistant Tower Manager at JFK in New York.  For thirteen years he served as Tower Manager at Roanoke Regional Airport in Virginia where he was instrumental in the development of a new ATC facility, which upon completion was dedicated to him.

With the stress that accompanied his profession, photography became his favorite form of relaxation.  “I love going out early in the morning or late in the afternoon and searching for that perfect shot.  Those times of day are called the ‘magic hour’ in the photo world.”  He loved the Blue Ridge Mountains and Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia, New York City, and Pennsylvania, and took many photo trips to places such as Red Rock Canyon in Nevada, and the eastern coast of Maine.

Hinkle was an award winning photographer.  His work has been featured in many publications including numerous magazine covers