If you haven’t checked out @badtzxo’s feed already, you’ve been missing out – a true believer in chasing the right light, Heidi has a fresh perspective on the city (especially being a native New Yorker!) along with some epic portraiture. Working at Urban Outfitters for 17 years has probably had a little something to contribute to her style on Instagram…

I’m sure you get this question all the time, but explain your username:
Badtz = Badtz Maru! It’s one of the thing where you keep the same username that you’ve had since you were a teenager… Anyway, he’s my favorite because he’s so surly.

You’re 100% NYC, but if you had to be anywhere else in the world, where would it be?
2 places: San Fran, which is my favorite city in the US.. It’s got the right combo of urban/metroness and culture. There are great places to eat and it’s right by the ocean. The other would be Sydney, Australia; I’ve been there once and it would be the one international city where I would pick up leave to. It’s laid back without being too laid back, and people are outdoorsy, so you have the best of both worlds. Also, both cities are very photogenic!

What is one place in New York you can return to and never get sick of shooting?
Most of downtown. I went to NYU, and always explored the East Village, Soho, etc. No matter how much it changes though, I can always find something interesting and awesome. It’s more commercial now, but some of my favorite spots are in the East Village like record stores, bookstores and coffee stores. The mom and pop feeling is still prevalent.

If someone’s visiting NYC for the first time, what’s the first thing you recommend they do?
Walk a bridge! I recommend the Williamsburg bridge; it’s always changing. There’s lots of graffiti, which gets painted over every few months so you can see fresh art, and the trains are running next to you. You get the skyline of midtown and downtown. And right in the middle, you can cross over so you can get both views.

Name just one:
Person to follow on Instagram: @chrisozer and@jethromullen. Both are so good as photographers and consistent. In terms of memorable images their feeds have images you can identify. Very impactful, diverse and technically strong.
Photo editing app: Snapseed is my go to, but I’ve been using VSCOcam more lately and am growing to love it.
Filter to use: The one I really love is Sierra. Love the softness it adds, and has a rosy tint without making it too faded out.
Place for fried chicken in NYC: I can’t choose one! Peels or Van Horn.
Last stop, fool proof bar: Saxon and Pearl on Bleecker and Bowery. Best Old Fashioned and Manhattan ever! I love it because they’re so good at mixology. The bartenders are really talented and can make anything for you depending on what you’re in the mood for.

Fill in the blank:
My biggest Instagram pet peeve is… when people upload pictures back to back so they clog up your feed! All in the span of 10-30 min.
When I’m not taking pictures I’m… I’m always taking pictures! Between taking photos, I’m probably just exploring and hanging out. I went to see the Alexander McQueen Savage Beauty exhibit at the Met last year – it sparked so much inspiration. It reminded me of how fortunate I am to be living in a city overflowing with creative and stimulating resources. After that, I made it a personal mission to not take living in New York City for granted. So I guess I can say when I’m not taking pics, I’m trying to find out what’s going on in the city and exploring it. Sometimes you have to go and seek inspiration and not wait for it to come to you.
My hidden talent…  snowboarding. I think I’m pretty damn good. I really love going to Salt Lake City. Tahoe is great too.
The most rewarding part about being a photographer is… Capturing a moment, an idea or both in your photo and being able to evoke an emotional response to your pictures. It can be a positive or a negative reaction, but ultimately, getting that gut reaction from someone makes it rewarding for me.
Coolest people I’ve met through Instagram…  everyone I met! Everyone is bound by their love for photography, and being able to share that with a peer group is amazing. You know, having that common passion. The coolest part is being able to meet those people outside of the internet.
Instagram has made me realize… it’s a small world out there.

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure to meet and chat with @samhorine, a self-taught photographer from Brooklyn. Having learned the ropes from his grandfather, Sam was always artsy and dabbled around in different forms of photography; after finding digital was the most practical medium and the best way to have documentation of everything, in his words: “it was all about developing a style and figuring it out”.  Sam’s colorful feed consists of everything from graffiti to vintage cars; you’re always in for something new… And be sure to check out his other works on his website, samhorine.com.

What’s the best non-cliché NYC spot to shoot from?
Tribeca. There are a bunch of cool alleyways and cobblestones, and there’s a bit of old industrial left there too. I’ll call it the less stylish cousin of Soho. Also, anywhere in Brooklyn.

How do you go about location scouting to come across all of these cool shots?
It’s a mix of both; I definitely return to the same spot over and over. You don’t want to get too comfortable, but you can use the same locations and make it different each time. Find something new about it, and the whole becomes more interesting than the parts or the pieces.

Speaking of which, I love your Brooklyn rooftop shots – what are some other interesting places in Brooklyn to shoot from?
Anywhere I can get above stuff. Rooftops + bridges, waterways, Red Hook. I grew up by water and always have had an affinity for water. I lived here for ten years, but now all the areas are so different from how they used to be. So I look for under utilized and under exposed places.

Your sunsets are so vibrant and have great color. Any editing tips you can share to make the most out of sunset shots?
Most editing is done in Snapseed, and shot in the native camera because it’s so quick and easy. Play around with exposure in the camera. Set focus and lock exposure to your compose shot; I tend to underexpose because it’s easier to pull details forward when editing. You can’t take that out of the clipped highlights. So, I usually tune image with the dark parts of the photo, then bring it into details, where I play around with structure and sharpening, and then back into tune image if necessary. Then I use VSCO to make it more muted; sometimes it’s too processed and extreme. Sometimes I like the loudness; other times it’s too much. And don’t forget to use the HDR setting on your camera!

Name just one:
Person to follow on Instagram: shahkashani, reedreeder, cucinadigitale, drsmoothdeath, croyable, dirka, dankhole, bklynbird, alice_gao, hokaytokay, ikedani, jr_artist, ocarinaofrhyme, softcircle. Is that enough?
Photo editing app: Snapseed
Filter to use: NO, but if I had to pick: Valencia, least vignette, less nuance. Also, they can really get rid of the frames now.
Burger joint in NYC: Lot 2 in Brooklyn.
Last stop, fool proof bar: Mayahuel in the east village. Tequila bar.

Parting wisdom:
Don’t overthink it too much. Instagram is something you can just do for fun and create content; it’s how I step away from what I do on a day to day basis. You don’t need to be interesting. Just find your voice and vision.

InstaFocus is a weekly Q+A curated by @astrodub.

Jacob Santiago (@jacobsantiago) has been on Instagram since the launch of the app. His style plays with perspective, skylines, muted palettes and is so distinct, you know that’s his picture when you’re scrolling your IG feed. Today Jacob discusses his overall experience with the app and the New York Instagram community.

 

I’ve been on instagram since the very beginning but was not aware what it really was. So I snapped photos of everything random just to use the filters and post them on other social networks. Not until last year did I realize the potential of instagram I started to take it serious in July of 2011

 

Let’s talk about your process of taking a photo and posting it. What apps do you use and how long does it take you on average for editing?

I use the native iPhone camera app with HDR turned on ( thanks to several Instagrammers showing me the benefits of HDR ) I then either edit it in Snapseed or Vscocam. I have a set formula on how I edit tweaking here and there but usually I’m happy within 10 minutes of editing

Cropping an image to fit the app’s square format. Blessing or a curse?

I use to think of it as a curse. If you go back in my feed you can see I used a app called Squareready to post wide screen shots. Now I embrace the square. I visualize everything in a square format

What are some of your favorite subjects to photograph? What inspires you?

A: Living in a city like New York inspiration is around every corner. I love to shoot vanishing points and city landscapes . The higher I can get above the city the better. I try to convey the sheer size of New York through my photos

Tell us a bit about your experience with the local Instagram community.

The Instagram community is amazing there’s nothing else like it. I’ve got to meet and hang with a ton of talented people. It’s the only social network for me that turn strangers into really good friends. I’m looking forward to more opportunities to meet more local Instagrammers and maybe someday host my own photo walk.

Any thoughts of what the future of Instagram may be? What you you like to see changed/improved? 

I see Instagram continuing to grow with users in the 100′s of millions. More Companies using Instagram to connect with people in a more natural way then advertisement. Rumors of video have been circling around for sometime, with Facebook’s servers its possible now.  I would like a better news section. I miss way to many notification

 

Finally, name some of your favourite feeds.

So many, pretty much everyone I follow. Some that really stick out

@cacahuete_sr  @chrisconnolly 

@chrisozer  @hirozzzz  @markweaver @mchltckr

@pketron I could go on and on.

 

Thank you Jacob for your awesome insight. Keep doing what you’re doing and posting those fabulous shots. Follow Jacobon Instagram @jacobsantiago

InstaFocus is a weekly Q+A curated by @astrodub.

I met Matthew Ferri (@foldablechair) by accident, while vending at the Brooklyn Flea in Williamsburg this past spring. We got talking about photography, Instagram and New York’s forgotten places. Matt lives in Brooklyn and below he shares wisdom about cameras, apps and New York City.

 

I’d say about a year and a half. I think I signed up around March of 2011. A new opportunity arose last year that required a move across the entire country – New York City to Palo Alto, California. In desperate need of keeping things interesting (I moved to the suburbs from the city), I had my friends install Instagram and take photos of NYC for me. It’s one of the reasons I moved back so fast.

Cropping an image to fit the app’s square format. Blessing or a curse?

I’d say a blessing. Outside of the iPhone, I use many different cameras and am used to the varying formats. My favorite, the Hasselblad 500 C/M, is a square format camera. I’ve been noticing a large increase in the adoption of square format (especially in design/photography) – maybe it’s just me being aware.

I love cameras. Show me an interesting camera and I’ll try to get my hands on it. The Polaroid we played around with was the SX-70 from the Impossible Project.

One of my favorite feelings is being completely stunned by visual or creation – whether it’s rendered, captured, created by hand, or simply nature itself. That sudden burst of energy from your chest, leaving you on the verge of tears – that’s what inspires me. Ever since I was a young child, I’ve been creating visuals in my head and have been exploring different means of creating them. I picked up a camera and was instantly hooked. I can create a visual in much less time than graphics programming, 3D modeling, or drawing. I don’t have much free time on my hands so it’s the perfect solution.

Photography is a number of things to me, a few being exploration, imagination, and expression. I can travel back in time, enter someone else’s mind, see things the way someone else wants me to and even things that my eyes aren’t capable of.

I use the native camera app to take photos most of the time. VSCOcam has become a favorite of mine for editing and I occasionally use Snapseed and Photoforge. Inkwell & Rise. 1 in 10 with Lux.

New York CIty – cityscapes, landscapes, streets, people; that’s a pretty big subject. I love the city as a whole. I’m inspired by a lot of different things and I tend to focus on spatial relationships, lines (vanishing points, geometric shapes), color combinations, symmetry, parallax, top down and low to the ground perspectives. I try to get the shot that you don’t normally see.

Coming from an SLR camera, I’ve trained my eyes to be in the 17-50mm range. Even without a camera on me, I’m constantly analyzing my surroundings as if I’m looking through the viewfinder of a camera with my favorite lens attached. Sometimes I’ll even stop to take a mental image, blinking my eyes to officially “burn” the image into my mind. Weird, right?

#yeahgirlyeah – that’s probably my favorite, even if I’ll never be able to do one. That or #vscocam – I absolutely love VSCO’s weekly selects which are based on the tag. #fromwhereistand as well.

Am I allowed to say @ColeRise? Well yeah, him.

@JayZombie looks like she is having a blast 24/7.

@AmySeeley. Serene.

@Whitneyreeder & @Reedreeder. Always up to something interesting.

I also enjoy your Urbex stuff as well.

 

Thanks Matt for taking the time to share your process. Looking forward to seeing what you capture next.

InstaFocus is a weekly Q+A curated by @astrodub.

This week on InstaFocus we sat down with street photographer Tim Cadman (@TimCadman) from New York and picked his brain about his process and what inspires him.

Where do you hail from?

I’m from Washington DC and have been living in New York for the last 14 years. Harlem has been home for the last 10.

How long have you been on Instagram? What made you join?

I’ve been on Instagram for about 2 years now and Sion Fullana (@sionfullana) was the one that encouraged me to join up. I use it as another platform to display and share my work with others. Instagram has enabled me to make good friends with people all over the world and be inspired by their work.

A common question that our audience has about other Instagrammers is if they are pros or hobbyists.

I would consider myself an obsessed hobbyist with aspirations.

Tell us a bit about how you got into photography.

I was introduced to photography through my father when I was quite young. I have fond memories of our family coming together for slide projection shows of
his work. Those slide shows made a lasting impression on me. My first camera passed down to me was a Minolta X 700 with a 50mm and a 28mm lens. I dabbled over the years but got quite serious about it only 5 years ago. I always felt like I had a strong visual sense but didn’t start recording it until then. I would always see pictures forming around me and was tired of letting them get away, plus I wanted to express myself. I’m self taught and have spent endless hours teaching myself through books, museums, internet and above all practice. I still have SO Much to learn and my passion is strong!

I notice you rarely crop your photos square, but rather use the default black bars the app puts on full frame images. How do you feel about the challenge (perhaps limitation) presented by the square format?

True, I prefer to shoot in a 35mm full frame aspect ratio. This ratio is more harmonious to that of shooting with a 35mm film camera. I shoot film and carry over that ratio to how I shoot digitally as well. I use black bars if I feel it compliments that image visually. I find it also mimics a feeling of vignette without actually adding a vignette in the editing process. I will also use black bars if my background is to white or light to create a more pronounced border separation. Sometimes I use a white border as well if I feel it’s more complimentary to the image. I do sometimes crop the image into a square if the main focus of the image is to small in the full frame format. I feel there is a slight limitation in viewable image size within mobile Instagram. When viewed on Flickr I am not limited in this sense from either mobile or otherwise. So, in the end I don’t see shooting Square as a challenge per say, my digital cameras allow this format option, I just choose not to. ? There are some images I could see being great as a square and I wouldn’t hesitate to shoot them that way.

What cameras and apps do you use to edit your photos on Instagram?

There are 4 cameras I rotate on a regular basis. The Ricoh GRD 3, Ricoh GXR, Ricoh GR1 S and Ricoh GR1 V. Two of these cameras are film, one usually holds a roll of color and the other black and white. The other two cams are digital. These cameras perform amazingly for the way I like to shoot. The only app I use is Squareready for the fit into Instagram.

You do street photography so well, I can see why you choose to make it your main subject to photograph. What else do you like to capture?
Thank you for saying so ) ! I do Love street photography and all the challenges that come along with it. If you were to have asked me Why street photography, I would have had to of written a few paragraphs. I would like to shoot alternative/fashion oriented and tasteful erotic female nudes as well as my street work. Tasteful is open ended here and I guess a very personal thing. I would take a darker approach to this style nonetheless.

Any favorite hashtags?

Don’t really have any favorites but do enjoy the creative ones some come up with.

Finally, whose posts do you look forward in seeing in your feed? Name your top 5 IGers.

Since I would hate to leave anyone out or hurt someone’s feelings, I would say take a look into who I’m following and you’re guaranteed to find some Excellent work for sure! @d6grees is a really good place to look for talented work. Thanks Astro for diggin my work and asking me these questions!

Thank you Tim for this interview. Keep on snapping those wonderful New York moments.