Place you live: Ucluelet, British Columbia, Canada

Place your Instagrams were taken? In and around Ucluelet, Tofino, and the west coast of Vancouver Island.

Can you sum up Ucluelet? It’s a small town at the end of the road, surrounded by rugged wilderness and the Pacific Ocean.

What is a perfect day in Ucluelet? Ah, it’s a toss up: a day at the beach when the surf is good can definitely take the cake, but lake days are right up there too. To take my canoe to the lake for a paddle and explore new camping spots is definitely one of my favorite things to do. It’s so quiet and peaceful with no distraction (cell service) and you can just paddle amongst the mountains that seem to rise straight up out of the water, fish the river mouths, go for a hike through the old growth and set up camp on a beach with no one else around for miles.

If Ucluelet was a person or character who would it be and why? Well I don’t know if I can narrow it down to an exact person. Being a fishing town, it takes on a character of something close to an old sea dog captain: definitely a little rough around the edges but has a good heart and sense of adventure.

How long have you been using Instagram? About two years.

Do you shoot with your phone or other cameras or both? I shoot with both.

What is your editing process? I usually run a photo through Afterlight before I post it.

Do you create images outside of Instagram? Photography is a huge passion of mine so I’m always shooting. After ditching my website most of my photos make it to my tumblr and then instagram.

Has Instagram/phoneography affected how you shoot? I don’t necessarily think it’s changed the way I shoot, it’s just another avenue to share your work and express yourself. I actually kind of like to keep my Instagram semi-serious. Lots of people have their style and work very hard curating their feeds, but if I see something ridiculous or goofy I’m gonna take a snap of it and throw it up there. I like to laugh and if it breaks the continuity of what’s on my feed… oh well. There’s no way I can bring myself to manage two accounts, so it’s all going up on one.

Can you give a couple tips to aspiring Instagram photographers? Filters aren’t going to save a photo or necessarily make it better. There’s a lot that goes into a good photograph: understand the principles of design and remember composition is key. That being said, have fun and do your thing, it’s your instagram feed so shoot whatever you’re feelin’. Interesting subject matter can appeal to a lot of different people. I follow the @thefatjewish not because the photos are amazing but because that shit is hilarious.

Who are your three favorite Instagrammers? @alexstrohl, @fursty, @tullitha, @charleyzheng, @wearewestamerica

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