Allow me to introduce myself!
Now that I've got a bit of a feel for posting here on Steemit and have started to make a few connections, I decided it's time to tell you a little about me. My name is Justin, and I live in a rural Idaho community. I am an elementary education teacher, husband, father, and photographer.
Statistics say that more than 80% of you live in urban areas, and might not get to experience the daily joys and trials of rural life. I count myself lucky enough to have some land in the country, where I am greeted by deer, elk, moose, bear, and just last week, a bald eagle just a few dozen yards off the back porch. I'm surrounded by trees, lakes, and dirt roads. I'm posting this with data from a grandfathered Verizon unlimited data plan, since the only available internet options are landline dial-up, or limited satellite. Regardless, if you'd give me the choice between a modern city, or a secluded town of a few hundred people set in a rugged landscape, I would take the small town almost every time.
Some of my interests, and especially the ones you'll see me write about on this blog include the outdoors, photography (both film and digital), technology, the internet, and any new product or gear that blurs the lines between these categories. As I begin contributing to this platform, you can expect to see mostly photography. As I have time and inspiration however, I plan on sharing some of my sketches and drawings. Perhaps I can even start a weekly what's in my Field Notes feature. As you get to know me through my posts, please give suggestions on what you'd like to see, or not see.
As a photographer I've worked on collaborations and projects for Google, Fossil, Barebones Living, Yuneec, Anker, and a handful of other small brands. I'm not as talented on the business end of photography as I'd like to be. However, it's something I'd like to get better at and would love to learn more about as I have the opportunity. My portfolio is hosted with Cargo Collective and can be found at this link. I also license photography commercially on Stocksy United. If you're not familiar with Stocksy, I'd highly recommend you check them out. I'm blown away by the talent every day, and still consider myself lucky to be a part of such a force in the commercial photography industry.
I've updated my Instagram bio as a way to help verify that this truly is me, and to let my followers know my First 30 Days plan here on Steemit. To give this new platform an honest shot, and to keep me from losing interest or becoming distracted, I've committed to making 30 consecutive posts in my first 30 days here. This is post number 4, and I'll need you all to help keep me accountable. I've enjoyed making a few connections here already, and was totally shocked to see my first post get upvoted beyond my expectations.
Thank you, and I look forward to meeting you!