Without Further Ado, My Introduction

Hello everyone!

My name is Dimitri Smith and I have been on Steemit for all of three days now, so I figured it's about time I introduced myself.

"Growing up in Virginia, I spent most of my youth outside and usually with a camera in hand. Some years later I moved to Alaska and found myself awestruck with everything in sight. After reading Vagabonding by Rolf Potts, I was inspired to pick up a camera again and start taking my shooting more seriously. These are my ideas and how I want to share them with the world."

That's the bio information that anyone can find on my website, but I'd like to add a bit more for you all...

I spent the first 19 years of my life on the east coast, bouncing around between Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland, and even West Virginia. The whole school scene wasn't really working out for me and I needed a way to escape and start something new. So I walked myself into a recruiter's office and joined the United States Air Force. That very day changed life as I knew it and set me on a course for my greatest adventures.

I moved to Anchorage, Alaska nearly four years ago after the completion of my basic military training. It was by an absolute fluke that I received an assignment so wonderful, so I was determined to make the most of it. My very first weekend here consisted of driving four hours away to the town of Homer, the Halibut fishing capital of the world. We watched the sunset behind Mount Redoubt from across the sound and then spent the night tent camping on the beach. It was incredible and I fell in love with this place that same night. Never had I been somewhere so free, so open, so untouched by the rest of the world. From that moment on, Alaska was my home and I was no longer a visitor.

Fast forward a couple of months and I was non-stop watching YouTube videos about traveling the world. I was so excited to be in a new place and I knew I never wanted the feeling to fade. In doing so, I found videos of speeches given by Rolf Potts. The man who authored one of my all-time favorite books, Vagabonding. This book was the first book that I ever found myself reading over and over. I would take little notes in the spaces between paragraphs and on the side of every page. I was so enthralled with the lifestyle and message behind the book. I wanted more, but the pages always seemed to run out with every read. So I decided to go out and explore, more and more. Soon, I would find myself out every single weekend exploring somewhere new.

As I would travel to new places around me, people would ask me for directions, suggestions, ideas, etc. They wanted to explore vicariously through me and sometimes, they would even make the adventure for themselves. But I was never the person to elaborate well upon my thoughts and experiences using words. So I picked up a camera again and made the conscious effort to share those special moments through photography. This is where things got pretty serious for me. You see, I've never been that fluidly creative of a person, but I love the technical side of things. This meant that I would find myself in books, blogs, forums, classes, video tutorials, and meet-ups all centered around learning photography; anything that I could get my hands on was fair game. I did everything I could to learn the tools of the trade. Armed with my instruments and experience, I set out on my weekend expeditions to document the beautiful state that surrounded me.

Nearly four years later, here I am, writing to you on Steemit. I've filled my life with experiences and priceless memories over that time and yet it still feels like I've barely scratched the surface here. As I said before, I was never the person who expressed myself well on paper, but I'm doing my best to improve everyday. I joined photography groups and clubs. I shoot reulargly with fellow lovers of the art. I have even hosted some of my work in a gallery to share with the world. These have all been imperative steps in becoming who I am at this very moment. And although there are so many things that I could change if I could do it all over, there is nothing that I would change.

And as some of you may know, my time in Alaska is coming to a close. Nearly everyone who knows me has asked me why I am leaving. Well, I'm separating from the military this summer. And although I could stick around, I think my time has come. Someone else will fill in behind me and continue to explore this beautiful place, while I move south of here and explore the western regions of our nation. For those of you who have explored the countryside and wilderness areas of California and the Pacific Northwest, I'm sure you can relate to my new found passion for the area. I'm quite looking forward to what the future holds for all of us. And if you happen to see me along my journey, don't be afraid to stop me and say hello! I'm always open to meeting new faces and having people join along in the adventure.

Until next time,
Dimitri

p.s. If you made it this far, thanks for following along! Here are some photos of me:

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f/2.0 | 1/125s | 24mm | ISO 200 - This is me!

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f/5.6 | 1/25s | 35mm | ISO 1000 - My girlfriend and I were making our way out of Joshua Tree National Park and we're both a sucker for good sunsets. We sat on a rock together to watch the fleeting moments of daylight disappear across the land, just before the stars began to sprinkle themselves throughout the sky. Certainly a moment I shall never forget.

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f/2.8 | 1/800s | 24mm | ISO 100 - Another great thing about living in Alaska is easy access to glaciers. If you haven't seen my 60 Glaciers Within 60 Miles post, go check it out! They're beautifully crafted, masterpieces of nature. We were hoping around Knik Glacier for the day when @chaseburnett snapped this shot of me.