#Bright in Los Angeles, California
Ever wonder what it’s like working, playing and living in sunny Los Angeles? A look at Lauren Randolph’s (Lauren Lemon) Instagram feed will give you an idea of what it’s like being a LA local. And a cool one at that! Be sure to follow Lauren on Instagram here: @laurenlemon
Place you live: Los Angeles
Place your Instagrams were taken: Los Angeles
Can you sum up Los Angeles? Bright and inspiring. You can get anywhere you can dream of within a couple of hours: beach, desert, mountains, forests.
What is a perfect day in Los Angeles? My perfect day would start around 9am with an iced coffee on the go. I’d probably end up with friends at the beach, or in a backyard around a pool. We’d grab dinner at a place where the ambiance is better than the food, and end the day with drinks at a bar that has a real photobooth.
If your city was a person or character who would it be? Would it be too cliche of me to say Snoop Dogg? Nothing says Southern California more to me than an image of him, rolling around in a low rider at the golden hour with the windows down.
How long have you been using Instagram? I joined the day the app was released in October 2010, and have basically posted a photo every day since.
Do you shoot with your phone or other cameras or both? Everything I post on Instagram I shoot with my iPhone. Before the app was released I was always out and about shooting pictures with my phone, I just never had a proper place to share them. I’m glad there’s an outlet for them now.
What is your editing process? I pretty much always use Afterlight. I love creating my own custom filter settings, or tweaking the presets they already have.
Do you create images outside of Instagram? I was a photographer well before Instagram was released. Instagram just made the iPhone a permanent staple in my camera arsenal.
Has Instagram/phoneography affected how you shoot? I think it has. Before using my iPhone to shoot regularly, I felt the need to light everything with strobes and too much equipment. Simplifying my gear has helped me search out natural light, and work with what I have instead of feeling like I need to make everything in the photo so staged and perfect.
Can you give a couple of tips to aspiring Instagram photographers? Don’t worry about your follower count or how many likes you get. Shoot what you want, share what you want, and let your feed represent you and not someone you’re trying to be. I love shooting portraits of my friends, and when I look back through my feed it’s the people I see that give me the best memories.
Your favorite Instagrammers? @thuglifeforevs, @lauradeangelis, @jonpauldouglass
Name:Lauren Elizabeth Randolph
City:Los Angeles
Best place to eat:
The Alcove, because you can eat outdoors year round in this town.
Best place to drink:
Edendale, which has the best photobooth around.
Best outdoor activity:
Exploring the trails of Griffith Park
Must do:
See the view from the Griffith Observatory
Local tip:
Avoid the 405. Most of the parking meters accept cards. Playa Del Rey beach has free neighborhood parking and is always way less crowded than Venice and Santa Monica.