I wrote a short introduction post back in January, but after almost two months of Steeming and a big dose of hindsight I realize that my previous introduction was wholly insufficient and said nothing at all about me or what I do.

This is attempt number two and I hope you won't consider it abuse of #introduceyourself, because I never really did introduce myself. This is a long post, and I don't expect you to read it all the way through, but there are a lot of pretty pictures to look at and maybe something I write will jump out at you.

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Hello, I'm Derek Kind

Nice to meet you! I'm a landscape photographer from Ontario, Canada: I travel and take pictures of pretty things in nature.

After two months on Steemit I can say with conviction that I'm here for the long haul. My profile has been verified with Instagram.

Before I tell you about myself, here are the kind of photos I like to make:

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I'm usually the first to arrive and the last to leave a location, and I'll stay out all night if the sky is dark and the stars are clear. Night photography has always intrigued me, and I love photographing the stars and light painting while everyone else is in bed.
Dead Horse Point, Utah

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Stars aren't the only thing to see at night - sometimes the timing is right and you can witness a wonderful display of the Northern Lights!
Lake O'Hara, Yoho National Park, British Columbia

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I drive a lot. I love being on the road, especially when there's no destination and I can get lost in a lonely place with moody music playing on the radio. What could be better?
Southern Iceland

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My favourite subjects are mountains, but best of all are snowy mountains on a crisp winter morning, lit by a beautiful pink sunrise in the heart of the Canadian Rockies.
Two Jack Lake, Banff National Park, Alberta

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My heart is in the mountains, but the sea is beckoning... I can't resist a good long exposure at a rocky coast with a lighthouse in the background.
Portland Head Light, Maine

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I have visited many National Parks, both in Canada and the United States. Some of our continent's most beautiful landscapes are preserved in these National Parks systems.
Mesa Arch, Canyonlands National Park, Utah

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I don't get excited about visiting cities, but there are a few that are fun to photograph. Even so, I prefer when nature steals the show.
Vancouver, British Columbia

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I love long exposure photography. Some of my best images were made with longer shutter speeds, like this photo of swirling autumn leaves that reveals a vortex current.
Bears Den Falls, Massachusetts

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I like to take portraits of animals when I can, and I'm especially fond of the friendly, cute and curious Icelandic Horses. It's hard to pass them by without stopping and saying hi!
Horses near Keldur, Iceland

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Sometimes I include a person in the landscape for scale - when I'm alone the person needs to be me. This night landscape was vast and required a lot of running back and forth with flashlights.
Arches National Park, Utah

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I am an artistic landscape photographer.
I make photos that communicate the feeling of a place.
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Where I'm coming from and where I'm going: the story of my photography

People often ask "how long have you been doing photography?" It's a difficult question to answer accurately because memory is hazy, and I've always liked taking photos, with disposable film cameras and later compact digitals. It wasn't until 2010 when my sister and I drove across Canada to volunteer at the Winter Olympic Games in Whistler, British Columbia, that I really started to get the bug for taking good pictures. There's a big difference between photos that tell a story or document a moment and photos that make you feel. Seeing so much of Canada, especially the grandeur of the Rockies, made me want to step up from the snapshot and capture some of that feeling.

Volunteering at the Cross Country/Biathlon/Ski Jump facility in Whistler brought me up close to legendary Olympic athletes like Ole Einar Bjørndalen and Marit Bjørgen. We were able to watch the events from inside the fences - an unforgettable experience - and I photographed the action with my little compact Fuji. It was here that I first took notice of pros with their DSLRs and fancy lenses. The photography germ was planted.

That year, 2010, was a big one: a few months after the Olympics my sister and I planned a month-long trip to Iceland. My parents' gift, a Pentax K-x DSLR to use on the trip, marked the beginning of my ongoing journey to becoming a "pro" photographer.

Iceland was (and still is) incredible. On that first trip we explored so much of the island, hiking, hitchhiking and driving around and really getting a feel for the country and the people. My photos were terrible. I didn't know how aperture, shutter speed and ISO related. I didn't understand the importance of exposing for the highlights. I didn't really know what HDR was, or maybe I would have come back with some keepers. I drowned my Pentax during a rain storm on the island of Heimaey while out searching for the last stragglers of a puffin colony that was migrating out to sea for the winter, and we replaced it with a new K-x purchased at the one Pentax retailer in Reykjavik (the first camera recovered with the help of a dehumidifier, but not until we were back in Canada). Despite that hiccup we had a great, intensely unforgettable trip and I thoroughly enjoyed taking photos, because I didn't know how bad they were.

This was one of the better ones.

Over the next couple of years I researched photography, hard. As a homeschooler, I've developed the ability to teach myself about anything that interests me; the internet is the best resource in human history, and the information is there for anyone willing to take the time to find it. I read countless articles, watched hundreds of videos, and pored over photographs that stood out to me, analyzing them to see how they were made. When all else failed, I asked questions. I returned to Iceland in 2012 with a new camera and a different attitude. It was my first trip where photography was the main purpose, and this time I knew what aperture and shutter speed meant:

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Gaining Confidence

Eventually I came to the realization that there wasn't anything magical about photography. No secret formula, no special "something" that a few photographers have and others don't, except patience, desire and money (to fund gear and travel). Anything that the very best photographers in the world could do, I could do too (in theory) if I worked hard enough at it and got myself in front of amazing locations. I set for myself the highest goal I could think of: to become one of the best landscape photographers in the world. Not because I want to be known as the best or to win awards, but because the higher one aims, the more successful they will be when they fail. Why not emulate the very best and strive for perfection, knowing that I'll never reach it but that I might hit close if I try (aim small, miss small).

Now, patience and desire are not trivial things - they are of paramount importance, but they are within my control. I love photography and have a strong desire to constantly improve in my art, so it's been easy to keep on keeping on, even when the prospects have been bleak (and they usually are). Money is more difficult, but I'm thankful to be in a position where I can allocate a lot of my earnings towards travel instead of student debt, rent, expensive cable and phone plans and other things that are considered a necessary part of growing up. I am grateful that I never went to university or was forced into a premature career path because I couldn't have explored so far down this artistic path if there had been an easy out towards a stable future. It may not be a long-term solution, but I have been willing to sally forth and try for a career in photography.

A Life-Changing Social Network

One of my biggest influences when I was first learning photography was Trey Ratcliff, a pioneer in HDR photography, and I learned so much through his tutorials. Trey had a regular video conference "show", where he would talk to other photographers, and I followed him over to Google Plus to watch these Hangouts. That network would provide the turning point in my life as a photographer, and though Google Plus is often made fun of as a network that failed, it did not fail me: I owe my success to it and the people on it.

It was through Google Plus that I met all of my best photographer friends, directly or indirectly (including Steemian @jarvie!), and it was Chrysta Rae's Scavenger Hunt that pushed my creativity far, far beyond anything I thought was possible. The Scavenger Hunt is a competition where everyone is given 10 words, and you have to make a photo for each word. You can interpret the word any way you like (Photoshop is allowed), but all the pictures are judged and then put into an album for everyone to see and comment on before the winners are announced. It sounds simple, and it is, but nothing has spurred me on to be creative like the Hunt has, and the Scavenger community turned into one of the tightest-knit groups on Google Plus (we had a hundred people meet up in Vegas and it was like a family gathering).

In a previous post I shared the story of how the Hunt changed my life.

Many of my pictures were selfies; often the lighting and sets were MacGyvered from random objects arranged precariously in a small room, and there was usually an element of Photoshopping involved (though not with the "Reflection" photo below - that was an in-camera effect). To give you an idea, here are a few images I made for the Hunt, with the themes written beneath.

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A lot happened since joining Google Plus

I won the Scavenger Hunt twice, was added to the G+ suggested user list, had my photos featured on Chromecast (where they apparently appeared several billion times), toured the Googleplex and went to Vegas for the Hunt meetup. I became an Artisan in The Photo Frontier and traveled to Colorado to meet up with them (I hope to do a post about The Photo Frontier soon!). I took up real estate photography with the help of other Scavenger Hunt friends and have been getting into it more regularly, because new adventures don't fund themselves.

I can hardly believe my life the last few years: one or two long trips a year, to places like New England and the Southwest USA (especially Utah). Last fall I photographed the Great American Solar Eclipse from Wyoming and then took three months to drive across Canada (more on that later). These trips have focused my attention more seriously towards landscape photography and away from the kind of digital art I was making for the Scavenger Hunt. Sadly, between work and travel I've had trouble keeping up with the Hunt.

I've been fortunate to meet photographers who have inspired and helped me along the path to becoming a serious photographer. Many of those people have become my good friends, including Scott @Jarvie: it was he who called me up in January to tell me about a new thing called Steemit. Following Scott's advice, I signed up and haven't looked back. My prior positive experiences with Google Plus fuel my enthusiasm for Steemit: I see great potential here for the growing photographic community.

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RECENT PHOTOGRAPHY ADVENTURES

The Great American Solar Eclipse

I wrote a big long post story about this which I encourage you to visit (lots of pretty eclipse photos), but here's the super short summary:

On August 21st, 2017, a rare total solar eclipse was visible within a narrow band across the United States. I traveled to a rural part of Wyoming, armed with a telescope and a whole assortment of cameras and gear to photograph not only totality, but something a little more special: a transit of the International Space Station during the eclipse. My mission was successful and you can see the results below. I found out afterwards that I wasn't the only one to capture the ISS: popular Youtube channel Smarter Every Day were just a couple of miles from me in this remote corner of Wyoming doing the exact same thing...which is awesome.

But seriously, please read the full story to see more photos!

Looped video of the International Space Station

Composite showing the different stages of the eclipse.

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Capturing Canada - a cross-Canada road trip

I wrote a blog post about this as well, and will be sharing much more in the year to come.

For three months in the fall of 2017 I drove across Canada, visiting and photographing National Parks in all of the provinces and two of the territories. It was my most ambitious photographic road trip to date. Thirty-five thousand kilometers in 101 days.

I'm still in the early stages of sorting and editing photos. Having joined Steemit right after I returned from this adventure, the time that I was planning to dedicate to post-trip organization has been severely and unexpectedly et into. It's all for the best; Steemit quickly proved to be more beneficial than I first dreamed and I've been happy to reprioritize my time to make the most of this opportunity. Ironically, the original plan was to use this network as a platform for sharing photos from the trip, but I've been too involved in other projects on Steemit to take the time to edit photos!

More will be coming soon, I promise you.

The end of the trip - Cape Spear, Newfoundland.

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Places I've Visited With a Camera

ICELAND

ISRAEL

BERMUDA

NATIONAL PARKS

Canada	United States
Banff Bruce Peninsula Cape Breton Highlands Forillon Fundy Glacier Grasslands Gros Morne Jasper Kejimkujik Kluane Kootenay Kouchibouguac Mount Revelstoke Nahanni Pacific Rim Prince Edward Island Pukaskwa Riding Mountain Terra Nova Yoho	Arches Black Canyon of the Gunnison Bryce Canyon Canyonlands Capitol Reef Death Valley Glacier Grand Canyon Grand Teton Mount Rainier Rocky Mountain Yosemite Zion

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Current Camera Gear (as of March 2018)

• NIKON D850
• Nikon 24-120mm
• Nikon 70-300mm
• Tokina 17-35mm
• Rokinon 14mm f/2.8
• Nikon 85mm f/1.8
• Sirui Tripod

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Artistic Influences

Influental Photographers	Quote from Tolkien
Trey Ratcliff Marc Adamus Daniel Kordan Miles Morgan Elia Locardi Paul Zizka Max Rive Michael Shainblum	“The Road goes ever on and on Down from the door where it began. Now far ahead the Road has gone, And I must follow, if I can, Pursuing it with eager feet, Until it joins some larger way Where many paths and errands meet. And whither then? I cannot say” -J.R.R. Tolkien (Fellowship of the Ring)
Favourite Roadtrip Music	Favourite Editing Music
Stompin' Tom Connors The National Parks Imagine Dragons E.S. Posthumus Hans Zimmer Serena Ryder CHVRCHES Relient K Enya	Yanni Broods Röyksopp Hennie Bekker Lindsey Stirling Movie soundtracks Lord of the Rings Gladiator Kingdom of Heaven

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Cool Achievements in Photography

• Won the Photo Decathlon twice as part of The Eh Team
• Photo cover for Digital Photographer, Issue 184
• Photos featured in Digital SLR Photography Magazine (January 2015)
• Many photos featured on Google Chromecast and was on the G+ suggested user list
• My eclipse story was featured by CBC Ottawa and I did a radio interview on Ottawa Today

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Fun Facts

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I like to make graphite art

Sadly I haven't been able to pursue this hobby since becoming serious about photography, but for a while I dived deep into graphite art. Mostly I'm only good at copying things instead of drawing by eye, but I enjoyed the deep concentration required to meticulously render an image this way using pencil. Maybe some day, in another life, I can take this up again and use it more creatively, drawing from the artistic principles I've learned through photography.

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I'm rather a big Tolkien fan

It's no secret that I appreciate the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien. The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and other books from this master of British literature were large influences in my formative years and I spent most of my early internet days hanging out on Tolkien forums. I feel like I belong in his world, and I appreciate the books anew every time I read them and see how the themes relate to our own world.

There's a fabric of truth woven into his stories and histories that makes sense to me on a deep level. His characters are asked to look into the very depths of darkness, to accept that there is darkness and to not shy away but rather travel directly through the dark to reach the light. There is nothing more compelling, frightening or inspiring.

“There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King

I have made a couple of fun Tolkien-related Photoshopped images, but hope in future projects to blend photography with the world of Middle-Earth in a more serious way. I'm still trying to figure this one out.

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WHAT'S COMING NEXT

Photos of Canada

My original thought when I joined Steemit was "I just got back from a trip across Canada and this is the perfect place to share my photos!" but as I talked about earlier, it wasn't long before Steemit and the Photo Games demanded so much of my time that production and sharing of the Canada photos slowed. This will change once I get my head above the water and can start processing photos and writing about the many locations I visited in this beautiful country of mine (like this waterfall in Vancouver Island)!

I ask for your patience... but meanwhile I'm sharing photos from past travels, and I've enjoyed being able to pull out some old favourites for a new audience.

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The Photo Games

I am very excited about this project that @jarvie, @caseygrimley and I have been working on. The @photogames are a series of mini-contests that we host every day or two. The goal is to involve the whole community, photographers and non-photographers alike, through fun challenges involving photography. Every week we invite Guest Photo Stars to play and help us host the games, and we offer public prizes on each Photo Star's blog.

Six weeks after our first Photo Game, we're thrilled with the response and amount of interaction that the games have produced and are hopeful of building strong ties within the Steemit photography community. We have long term goals and are working to improve our system every week with the hopes of offering more serious prizes in the future.

Come and play! Visit @photogames for the details, and keep an eye on my blog for the contest posts.

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ONWARDS TO THE FUTURE

Since I'm writing this "Introduction Post" a couple of months after joining, I'm able to speak with some perspective about what Steemit means to me and what you can expect to see on my blog in the future.

This short time on Steemit has changed my life. To paraphrase @yumyumseth, I came for the money, stayed for the people! I am constantly reminded of the golden age of internet forums, because I haven't felt so inspired to write and comment since ezBoard and vBulletin were all the rage. Facebook and Instagram don't inspire this kind of interaction, but the people I've met here on Steemit are interesting and engaging - has the pursuit of SBD brought out the best in us? Whatever the reason, I look forward to checking my replies every morning.

I'm a believer in the idea of a decentralized blockchain social network... I think we all are, whether or not we think Steemit will be The One, but photography is my life and I think the future is bright for photographers on Steemit... I envision many of the same things happening here as happened on Google Plus. I'm looking forward to helping build the photography community, seeing the development of groups and participating in the inevitable meetups, photowalks and conferences.

What can you expect to see on my blog? Well, a lot of pictures for a start: photos are what I do, but along with the photos I will continue sharing stories and talking about different things that are on my mind, photo-related and otherwise. I plan to begin making tutorials and dive into some of the deeper questions about art and photography - we'll see how it goes!

Thank Yous

I know it's unconventional to thank people on an intro post, and dangerous to do it individually, because I will forget people, but I will take that risk, asking the forgotten to forgive.

First of all, I owe a huge thank you to the founders of @photofeed: @aweber, @yumyumseth, @jrue and @cryptoctopus. Their support of my photography and the contributions from @cryptoctopus are a major reason I've been able to dedicate so much time to Steeming every day. More than that, I think their curation of #photofeed is the best thing that's happened for photographers on this network, and I'm sure it will inspire many similar initiatives.

I owe a similar thanks to the @curie team and to voters like @pharesim, @liberosist and @hendrikdegrote, whose significant upvote early on was a practical validation of the power of Steemit, made me dance for joy and has helped spur me on to more and better content. I know they've done the same for others, and I appreciate their efforts!

To the contest and challenge creators, like @czechglobalhosts, @daveks, @jamtaylor, @killerwhale, @juliank, @jasonrussell and @shadalene, to name only a few, thank you for your time and efforts! I love that you've given new Steemians a way to make a bit of money with their photos and know how much work is involved in running these!

Thank you so much to everyone who has followed, resteemed, upvoted and commented on my photos! You guys are awesome. I try to respond to all comments, but a few slip by - doing my best with the time that I have. I've already made friends here - (you know who you are!), and I'll get to know more of you in the coming weeks and months!

A special thank you to @theaustrianguy for @welcoming me and verifying my identity, and to @intrepidphotos for the awesome tips, helping to unlock the many newbie mysteries - this is not an easy network to understand when you first join.

Finally, thank you to @jarvie for introducing me to Steemit and turning the light bulb on; I would still be in the dark if he hadn't called me a couple of months ago, and I'm thankful for all the help in figuring out the nuts and bolts of how Steemit works. It's been fun, and here's to the future! :D

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Introduce yourself

That's my story, now let's hear from you. If we haven't met, please leave a comment and say hi, and I will respond!

(If we're already friends you can pretend you're meeting me for the first time!)

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www.derekkind.com

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P.S. I'll give 0.5 SBD to anyone who finds a serious typo or grammar error to fix.
Nothing this long is perfect, but who wants to leave bad English on the blockchain? ;)