Five Favorite Instagrammers
Every Friday, we introduce you to five of our favorite Instagrammers. This week, meet Jochen Spalding @blumenkraft, Esra Degirmenci @esratoronto, Sefa Yamak @sefayamak, Harry Rankin @thamespirate and Ali Jardine @alijardine.
“The best camera is always the camera you have with you. Mobile photography gives you the option to shoot and share a pic instantly, everywhere and always,” says Jochen Spalding, @blumenkraft who Instagrams everything from landscapes, to macro shots of nature, to street photography and portraits of a tortoiseshell cat. He finds street photography the most challenging but the most enjoyable and advises mobile photographers: “leave your comfort zone!” His favorite app is Hipstamatic, using it about 90% of the time, while editing with Snapseed and experimenting with new apps he finds like RainyDaze.
A graphic designer based in Toronto, Esra Degirmenci @esratoronto professes a love of minimal designs, watercolor painting, craft and architecture. You can see this in Esra’s Instagrams of flowers and buildings as she captures her natural and constructed surroundings. “Framing an image is very important. You need to select the piece of the story you’d really like to highlight. You might take a picture of a house, but if the reason is because of the door of the house you are seeing, you need to limit your image with detail framing.”
Istanbul-based Sefa Yamak, @sefayamak, says, “Instagram is a place where all photography lovers can meet, therefore I love to be there. It helps me see the beauty of other parts of the world and also see what’s happening all over the world.” His Instagrams range from starkly beautiful monochrome portraits, to landscapes which are sometimes vivid and brightly colored, and other times more subdued and dreamy. He says, “portraits and documentary photos are my favorite…and some manipulation.”
Harry Rankin, @thamespirate, is an experienced advertising and fashion photographer and director more familiar with high-end equipment. But he says, “I have a self-imposed limit to post on Instagram only images shot on my iPhone, any editing is done on the iPhone too.” His Instagrams show an amazing knack for noticing small details, and he suggests, “keep your eyes open, there is a wealth of detail absolutely everywhere as well as interesting angles.” Harry regularly uses editing apps PS Express, Wood Camera, PhotoForge2, Dynamic Light, Blender, PicFrame and SelfTimer, and sometimes Lensflare or Graffiti.
Viewing California-based visual artist Ali Jardine’s Instagram feed (@alijardine) is a journey into the surreal and imaginary. “What I like about mobile photography is the ease and flexibility of making and sharing art. Only my imagination limits me, because if I dream it, there is an app that can help me create it.” Indeed, she uses Filterstorm, Juxtaposer and LensLight. The enjoyment of sharing her art with a wide audience of people from across the world pushes Ali to continue creating every day. “To make good art, I believe you need to make a lot of art. Some work will be mediocre at best, but every once in a while work will show what is in your head and in your heart.”