CT Man Overcomes Emotional Trauma With Wildlife Photography

In radio, people come and people go, after the first few years you get used to it.

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A lot of radio personalities I know would even place bets on new hires and how long they will last. There are a lot of contributing factors - money, new opportunities, family, the workforce is always morphing, so it can be difficult to establish long-term relationships with your co-workers.

That said, I try and make an effort to be approachable in what is a very hectic day-to-day for a radio professional. I’m bringing this up because I don’t have a close personal relationship with the man this piece is about, but I did enjoy his company when we were together.

His name is Tim Kaiser and he worked as a part-time on-air personality for I-95 some years ago. Mostly, I remember sitting with him and laughing at a few of our company Christmas parties and then one day, he was gone. I didn’t see him around the office and just thought, there goes another one.

Last week, I was scrolling through the DM’s on the I-95 Instagram and saw a message from someone named Tim with a beautiful picture of a coyote, attached a note that said, “Hey, there is more than just a---- here on Instagram, there’s fantastic wildlife too.”

The comment got me laughing and made me think, who is this? They’d sent me great, clear photos of animals before and I’d reply, “whoa” or “that is amazing!” I’d never really bothered to take a deeper look at their profile. We get a lot of digital mail through the I-95 Rock Mobile app, Instagram, Facebook, email, Tik Tok, Twitter, it’s a lot to answer, and I attempt to answer as much of it as possible.

I also have a hard time being present, being in the moment is difficult for me. I run on coffee, anxiety and adrenaline when I’m working, constantly and frantically bouncing from one activity to the next. I’m thinking when I’m talking and when I’m reading, instead of absorbing what is coming my way. This is actually a great quality to have on the radio but a horrible detriment in my personal life. Sometimes I don’t slow down enough to find out if I’m being told something important.

This picture and comment from Tim finally grabbed my attention and I’m glad it did. I asked for more info, what’s your last name, where did you take these, how long have you been taking wildlife photos? Imagine my surprise, these photos I love, were taken by a man I used to work with, a nice guy who just disappeared one day.

The “How have you been's” were flying and I learned that these photos Tim had been sharing are not just breathtaking but are keeping him sane, keeping him busy and making him happy. His photography is bringing him joy in a time that would be extremely hard on anyone. He started to tell me the story of why he left I-95, and what he’s been up to since.

I asked Tim to share more, and requested his permission to pass the story along to you and he said yes.

I will say a prayer for Tim and his wife and I hope you will too. Please follow him on Instagram @thewildlifepaparazzi so he can achieve his goals.