#city in Moscow, Russia
Instagramming one of Europe’s largest cities, Ilya Mikhaylov shows the mix of ancient and modern beauty that Moscow has to offer. Creating iPhone images with strong visual narratives, he lets light on what life is like in such a diverse metropolis. Follow his feed here @russian_moscow
Place you live: I live in Moscow, Russia.
Can you sum up Moscow? Moscow is the capital of Russia, its heart. Moscow is one of the ten largest cities, and is the largest city in Europe. This is a very expensive place, not everyone can afford a cup of coffee in the center of the city. In Moscow there is a lot of contrasting architecture, ancient buildings that have been around for centuries next to modern skyscrapers. In terms of culture, it is an incredibly rich city that has many museums, galleries, concerts, historic sites, and parks. Even the metro station is an astounding tourist destination! You can walk endlessly and constantly discover new things. The most basic issue in Moscow is traffic congestion … so I prefer to travel by bicycle. Moscow moves at a furious pace, so many people end up leaving the city to rest in their country homes. I love this city, dammit.
If someone was visiting, what must they do? Take a walk: Red Square, Gorky Park, the park “Muzeon” Park Old Arbat, All-Russia Exhibition Center, Kolomenskoye Park, Art Tretyakov Gallery, and the Pushkin Museum. In Moscow there are many beautiful places, but they are all worth the visit!
Best meal in the city? Pushkin – expensive but good restaurant with Russian cuisine. Il Forno – phenomenal pizza. Vatrushka – the new Russian cuisine at the mansion of Count Orlov, Strelka – a lovely bar, Komchatka, and Solyanka – a place of worship for the youth of today.
How long have you been using Instagram? Started using Instagram in September 2011.
What phone camera do you use to shoot? Started with iPhone 4, now iPhone 5.
Editing process?/What apps do you use, if any to edit your photos? Until December 2012 I was using only standard filters in instagram. 🙂 But this was not enough for me and now I use only “Snapseed”, leveling the horizon, crop and color correcting only there.
Do you create images outside of instagram? For the pass two years my iPhone has been my only camera, I don’t shoot off of instagram.
Who are your three favorite instagrammers? @trashhand @13thwitness @andthenhe @cramepete @drsmoothdeath @zoosjoos @palchenkov