Place you live: Leiria, Portugal

Place your Instagrams were taken? Leiria

Can you sum up Leiria? I live in a small town in the center of Portugal, 30km away from the beach and 130km north from Lisbon. Leiria is a city with an ancient origin and lots of historic milestones, located in a valley with a beautiful medieval castle at the top of the mountain. The Castle was built in 1142 by the first King of Portugal, D. Afonso Henriques.

What is a perfect day in Leiria? A sunny day with a walk by the river, spending some time at Praça Rodrigues Lobo in the old part of the city and a walk up to the castle which has the best romantic view.

How long have you been using Instagram? I first downloaded the app when I bought my first smartphone in November 2011. I’ve started using it that day and haven’t stopped.

Do you shoot with your phone or other cameras or both? I only shoot with my iPhone 5S for Instagram. That’s the way it makes sense to me – keeping it simple and instantaneous.

What is your editing process? I always shoot with the native camera and then edit with Snapseed, VSCO or with Instagram.

Do you create images outside of Instagram? Yes. I started taking photos when I was a teenager, so I always carry my camera with me. It’s vital for me to register the things I love for future memory. Lately I have been a little bit busy and most of my DSLR photos have been work related, but hope to update my Flickr gallery very soon.

Has Instagram/phoneography affected how you shoot? It really did, but only because of the square format. I wasn’t used to it and kind of hated it. But then magic happened and I adapted and now love it!

Can you give a couple tips to aspiring Instagram photographers? Don’t force anything, let magic happen. Be true to what you love and let it guide you. Be creative and, most of all, have fun with what you see and choose to share. That’s the best way to success, if there is such a thing. I believe in photographic memories that can instantly take you back to people and places. That’s why I take photos. Oh, and all of it gets better with the right soundtrack!

Who are your three favorite Instagrammers? That’s tough only picking three! I’m sharing my top ones, because they keep it simple all the time and I think that there’s not an audience big enough for their talent. They’re all Portuguese: @carlalrosado, @josecabaco and @ruicartaxorod.

instagram.com/ritacordeiro

Want more Instagram tips and inspiration? Check out all of our Best of Instagram features here and learn from the masters.

Want to be featured on our best of Instagram series and bask in the glory? Follow Global Yodel on Instagram and tag your best local shots with #GlobalYodel!