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Joe Griffin

@throughgriffinslens

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5th Grade Teacher - Amateur Photographer - Sharing daily with encouragement focused on Photography, Nature, Family, Elementary Teaching Education

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Hello Everyone 👋

I know I have had some new followers in the last few weeks, so I wanted to take a moment to connect with everyone.

If we haven't officially met yet, my name is Joe. Posting on Instagram is my hobby, and I enjoy sharing my world with you.

You might be wondering, "What are you going to see on my page?" Well, swipe left and let's find out together.

📍Dunrobin Castle, Scotland

Lots and Lots of Photography

I take a lot of pictures. I started this account back in 2017 to post all of the photos I take. I bring my camera with me just about everywhere I go. I primarily use my Nikon Z7ii. This is actually the third Nikon that I have owned. I bought my first DSLR at a pawn shop back in the fall of 2017. It was a Nikon D3200. I bought it because we were going on our first cruise at the end of the year. I wanted to be able to capture every moment the best I could. Needless to say, I take a lot of pictures.

I wouldn't call myself a professional photographer, but I try to get in as much practice as possible. I follow other photographers on Instagram so I can get great tips on how to be better and appreciate their work.

📍Newcastle, England

14 years and still going...

When I first started posting online, I only posted my photography. When the COVID lockdown started, people who were following me at the time started asking me what was going on in education because we all had concerns. So, I started sharing about my life as a teacher. I didn't want to create a separate account for teaching and keep this one for photography. That seemed like too much work. I decided this account is about me, so I share about the different parts of my life.

I have been teaching since 2012. I will be starting my 15th year this fall. I started teaching a little later in life, but it was the best career move I have made so far. I teach elementary math and science. I have a hybrid role where I not only teach a classroom full of students, but I also have leadership roles. I coach teachers in the building, helping them be better, I lead on the school leadership team, and have created professional development sessions for my district.

📍Charlotte, North Carolina

I love to go taken in Charlotte, North Carolina by @throughgriffinslens

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3 months ago

How Do You Know?

How do you know the one you are with is the one? One of ways I could tell was my wife's love for good barbecue. Today we were able to eat at one of our favorite places to eat at while we were in college. Where we went to school at was a small town, and the Walmart at the time was just a regular Walmart. Sometimes we need to go to the Super Walmart. We heard there was one in Clayton, Georgia, so we took a drive up to there from Toccoa. On the way there one afternoon we were looking for a place to eat and discovered Oinkers. Not only was it delicious, but it was cheap! When your a poor college student wanting good food, this was the place.

We stopped here today for lunch and it was just as good as I remembered it. I wanted to get a t-shirt, but they were out. They were nice enough to order one for me, and mail it to our house. Great food and a great trip down memory lane. taken in Oinkers BBQ by @throughgriffinslens

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6 months ago

Yesterday the family and I took a ride on the White Pass Scenic Railway. The views didn't disappoint. Check out my post for today to see more photos and read about it.

#travel #alaska #yukon #train by @throughgriffinslens

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a year ago

Know the Truth

The books I have read this year have focused on the truth of history. It is not that all the history I have been taught over the years has been a lie, but many of the inconvenient parts have been left out. I also went to school in the Deep South, and the Civil War was called the "War of Northern Aggression." One of my recent life goals has been to attempt to gain the correct perspective on history. Earlier this year, I read a book about Lewis and Clark's journey to the West. We compliment how amazing it was that they took this adventure, but they caused a lot of friction with the Native American community that became an issue later for the United States. I recently finished a book on Christopher Columbus. Great timing, because Columbus Day was this week. We really should rethink that holiday. Right now, I am reading a book called "Lies My Teacher Taught Me." While I am not a fan of the title, I love the content so far. The author does not blame teachers, but he blames textbook companies. Much of what they write leaves out key details.

When it comes to knowing the truth, it is also important to share the truth. Too often we keep our thoughts in our heads, and we do not share who we really are with others. Recently, we moved out of our house of 14 years. This was the longest I had ever lived in one residence; however, it was time for us to move. Our neighborhood was changing, our house needed a lot of work, and we had an offer from a developer that we could not refuse. We took it. Now we live in a much larger and nicer house. Do I miss my old house? Yes. There were so many great memories in that house; my kids grew up there. Am I happy to be where I am now? Yes. Sometimes being honest means sharing both sides of the story, something we should do more of when studying history. taken in Charlotte, North Carolina by @throughgriffinslens

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5 hours ago

I had a get a bigger phone to hold all of it! #travel #teacherlife #photography taken in Charlotte, North Carolina by @throughgriffinslens

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14 hours ago

Of All the People

One thing I enjoy taking photos of is people. It started a couple of years ago when I was riding my bike on the light rail trail in Charlotte, North Carolina. I had ridden the trail on my bike dozens of times over the years. I had pretty much seen and photographed most of it at that point. I love looking for new things to photograph. Travel was not going to happen anytime soon at that point. I just aimed my camera and started to snap away. I ended up taking some candid shots of people walking the trail. I ended up posting them, and I continued to do it.

Last summer, I had the opportunity to visit Paris for the first time ever. During our visit there, we took a river cruise along the Seine River. This way, we were able to see many of the amazing sights in the city. After eating lunch, I spent most of the river cruise sitting on the back deck outside taking photos. At one point during the trip, there really was not much to take photos of. We were coming back to our port on the river, and I had already captured many of the buildings. I could have just put my camera in my bag and called it a day. I noticed there were people sitting alongside the river. I have no idea why because it was extremely hot that day, but there they were. I have found that I enjoy street photography, so I started to take photos of the different people I saw along the river. I thought these turned out pretty well. If I had put my camera in my bag and not taken advantage of the moment, I would have missed out on these photos. taken in Seine River by @throughgriffinslens

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a day ago

I'm sure you were expecting something like photographer or dad. But this works too.

#travel #teacherlife #teacherofinstagram taken in Charlotte, North Carolina by @throughgriffinslens

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2 days ago

I Saw the Mayflower

Have you ever walked up to something that reminded you of something else? That thing has a strong place in your memory. I remember one time we were in Canada and walked by the Old Spaghetti Factory. It reminded me of the one that used to be in Charlotte, which was a place my family would gather for special occasions. There was also one in Louisville that I enjoyed going to that was great as well. Whenever I go to visit my mom in Georgia, where I grew up, I am always reminded of memories of being there when I was younger. It's funny how visiting places can bring back memories from the past.

When I visited Bruges, Belgium, I saw the Mayflower. I know you might be thinking it is the same Mayflower that landed on Plymouth Rock hundreds of years ago, but this one is different. The Lichtschip Mayflower is a unique restaurant, bar, and tea room in Bruges, Belgium, housed inside a historic converted lightship moored along the canal. The ship was built in 1883 as Lichtschip Nr. 3 by the Rijkswerf in Amsterdam for the Dutch government; the vessel later served different maritime roles before being preserved as a floating restaurant. I captured these photos with a lens I purchased from @retropiacam . The one I used for these shots is their disposable camera lens. It is made from recycled disposable cameras. The shot gives the feel that it was captured with a film camera. It is easy to use for point-and-shoot. It's light and does a good job of bringing out dramatic lens flare. taken in Bruges, Belgium by @throughgriffinslens

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2 days ago

The one of the best trip I ever took was to Alaska. The views were amazing and the cell reception didn't exist. taken in Alaska, USA by @throughgriffinslens

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3 days ago

Big and Little

We tend to think that in order to do something great, it has to be a big thing. Big things look different to different people. To you it might be a little thing, but to someone else it might be huge. Being great doesn't mean getting a statue created in your honor soon. Being great means doing the best you can with the position you are in. If you can't do anything great with the position you are in now, how can you do something great with a better position? We have to steward what we have in order to be blessed with more opportunity later.

When we visited IJmuiden during our European trip, we checked out a couple of lighthouses near the port. The Low Lighthouse of IJmuiden (locally known as the Lage vuurtoren van IJmuiden or "Little Lighthouse") is a historic, 24-meter-tall cast-iron tower located along the coast at Seinpostweg 19 in IJmuiden, Netherlands. Designed by prominent architect Quirinus Harder and built in 1878, it serves as a critical maritime marker. Together with its taller counterpart, the IJmuiden High Lighthouse (35 meters), it forms a pair of leading lights that guide large cargo and cruise vessels safely from the North Sea into the North Sea Canal. The smaller lighthouse used to be taller but had to be made shorter because it needed a broader base. The top sections were taken off and are used as a separate lighthouse on the island of Vlieland.

My favorite photo in this post is the one where the little lighthouse and the big lighthouse are in the same frame. Do you have a favorite? Let me know in the comments. taken in Ijmuiden Port, Netherlands by @throughgriffinslens

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3 days ago

I have been thinking a lot lately about sharing the ideas I have. It is easy to keep our ideas to ourselves due to fear of rejection, or because the idea might not work out if we pursue it. That fear can stop us from sharing our ideas and making a change.

Photo captured in Skagway, Alaska, on the Great White Pass Railroad.

At the end of the day, we all have ideas. Some are good, some are bad. If we leave our ideas inside the incubator of our minds, then how do we know if our ideas are good ones or not? We find out if we have a good idea by sharing it with others. We get feedback and then learn from it. If it is a bad idea, we learn why it seems to be a bad idea. It could either need some adjustments or a different audience. At the end of the day, we all have something to share. We just have to share it.

Photo captured in Charlotte, North Carolina, at Marshall Park.

We all have talents. There are some things I am better at than others, and there are some things that others can do better than I can. If we keep our talents to ourselves, how do we improve them? There is actually a story in the Bible about this. Jesus tells a parable about three men to whom he gave "talents." Back then, the word talent referred to 20 years' wages. Each one received a different amount. Two out of the three invested them, and they were rewarded for their work. The other man buried his, and he was condemned. We have to be stewards of the gifts we have. At work, you might see me with my camera at big events taking photos or grilling for my students and coworkers. We all have gifts, and we shouldn't keep them to ourselves.

Photo captured in Golspie, Scotland, at Dunrobin Castle.

We must look for opportunities to share our ideas. If an idea comes to you, share it; do not hold it back. If we hold it back, it does us no good. Do not let the thought that you have nothing to offer hold you back.

Photo captured in Seattle, Washington.

What do you think of this post? Take a moment to share your thoughts in the comments. You might have a good idea worth sharing.

Photo captured at Toccoa Falls College in Toccoa Falls, Georgia.

Take a moment to repost it to with others. taken in Charlotte, North Carolina by @throughgriffinslens

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4 days ago

There is nothing quite like watching the coastline fade away as you set sail. What is your favorite view from the water? #Travel #LandscapePhotography #Photography taken in Invergordon, Scotland, United Kingdom by @throughgriffinslens

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5 days ago