KamloopsBCNow is excited to feature some of our favourite Instagram profiles from the area. These profiles are chosen based on their content, style and interaction with the community. If you would like to be featured be sure to tag #kamloopsbcnow and send an email to jbrown@kamloopsbcnow.com!
I have spent a good portion of my life in Kamloops. For as long as I can remember, I have enjoyed the outdoors, exploring and discovering new places — I have always had a passion for photography. At the beginning of 2017, I started hiking Kenna Cartwright Park, Dew Drop Range, Battle Bluff and many other local trails. I absolutely loved the views from these hikes, but I wanted to climb higher, so I set out for my first mountain hike which was up Mount Gimli in the Kootenays. Since the beginning of 2017, I’ve hiked 17 mountains that were over 2,000 meters in elevation. That being said, I wanted to share all of those hikes and adventures with everyone — my Instagram account is now where I share all adventures with my Instagram fans. I now have the pleasure to call some of my followers my friends and many of them have often joined me on my hikes.
Why do you use Instagram?
I wanted to share my adventures with others to show them all the great places they can hike and explore. I guess I want to provide followers with inspiration to get outside and to start exploring this beautiful province that we live in! I also like to see other people’s adventures as that is where I occasionally get ideas from to add to my bucket list.
What will people see on your feed?
You will find anything from old homesteads, caves, waterfalls, as well as hikes throughout the province and even some photos from Washington, D.C. I have added information to my posts such as the location, length of the hike, elevation gain, maximum elevation and time to complete each hike.
Do you have a specific Style?
I usually have two styles. One of them is to make the viewer feel like they are actually there with me, standing behind me, seeing what I am seeing. The other is a peaceful pose where I am taking everything in but never am looking directly at the camera.
How do you decide on the locations for your shoots?
First, I decide where I’m going to go hike. During my hike, if I see something that catches my eye, I will set up my tripod and take a few pictures. Though it usually takes quite a while to get to the top of a mountain, I love mountain tops with multiple alpine lakes and other snow-capped mountains in every direction, I end up wanting to capture it all.
What is your biggest Instagram moment?
My biggest Insta moment was pretty surreal. I had one of my pictures posted up on a billboard just outside of Sicamous and another one in Bridal Falls. Tourism Kamloops contacted me wanting to purchase a picture from me to use for marketing and promoting snowshoeing. It’s not every day that you get an Instagram post on a billboard — I felt quite honoured.
Favourite Hashtags?
Some of my favorite hashtags are #mountainman #mountainlife #theoutbound #wildernessbadass #exploremore #explorebc #wanderlust #optoutside #beautifulbc #hikinglife
Favorite Instagram accounts to follow?
I have many favourite Instagram accounts, but here are just a few:
@helloBC I like to follow them because they always have beautiful pictures of B.C.
@choosemountains They always have beautiful pictures of mountains.
@welivetoexplore Has absolutely stunning pictures from all around the world.
@explore.vibes I absolutely love this account because they have some beautiful photos of mountains, lakes, cabins and campfires. Seeing these pictures definitely give out great vibes.
@hikingtheokanagan and @okanaganexplorers have great posts that show places to hike and explore within the Okanagan.
Why do you follow KamloopsBCNow?
I follow KamloopsBCNow because they have a lot of great photos, they show a lot of what’s going on in town, places to explore and even places to eat or have coffee.
If you would like to be featured on Sunday Social Connection send an email to jbrown@kamloopsbcnow.com.
