Thick In Fog in Vancouver, BC, Canada
We love Seng Sengsavanh’s evocative portraits and city shots. His foggy early morning photos and urban landscapes capture the heart of Vancouver. Follow the fun at @iamsengs.
Place you live: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Place your Instagrams were taken? Vancouver
Can you sum up Vancouver? It has everything you would want in a city: great people, great food, great architecture and the landscape is stunning!
What is a perfect day in Vancouver? A perfect day always starts with a great cup of coffee at any one of the many world class cafes around town. The morning would be thick in fog before making way for a sunny afternoon. The day would end with a gorgeous sunset with colors that light up the sky.
How long have you been using Instagram? A year and a half.
Do you shoot with your phone or other cameras or both? Just my iPhone 4s.
What is your editing process? At times it’s just a simple crop and stop (in Snapseed). If an edit is required, I’ll start with Snapseed by making minor adjustments in brightness and contrast. Since I’m shooting with my iPhone 4s, sometimes a bit of sharpening helps. I’ll then take it to VSCO. If I add a filter, it’s SE3 (Street Etiquette 3). The main reason I take my photos into VSCO though is to view my photos as a gallery. It helps me get a better idea of how my photo will look next to the others.
Do you create images outside of Instagram? Yes, but it’s typically of my family out and about or on vacation. I am playing with the idea of taking some big camera shots so that I can sell prints, etc.
Has Instagram/phoneography affected how you shoot? Yes, definitely! I believe shooting with a mobile phone has made me a better photographer. I see things a lot differently now.
Can you give a couple tips to aspiring Instagram photographers? Take photos because you enjoy it not because you want to increase your followers. When you enjoy doing what you do, the results will show. Look at photos and study the elements that make them good. As an artist and designer, I try to implement some of the principles and elements of design into my shots – line, shape, form, balance, rhythm, etc. If there is a strong line in the photo, I will try shoot with it ending in one of the four corners of a 1:1 (square) image. At times, I have several lines fading into the corners. I can probably go on for a while but I’ll stop here. I’d be more then glad to provide people more tips and or critiques of their photos via Instagram or by email.
Who are your three favorite Instagrammers? Wow, this is a tough one because I have so many favorites. Here are three that I think you will all enjoy – @boodee_celio, @tonoariki, @emanuelsmedbol
Want more Instagram tips and inspiration? Check out all of our Best of Instagram features here and learn from the masters.
Name:Seng Sengsavanh
City:Vancouver
Best place to eat:
My parents’ place. My mom is the best cook I know.
Best outdoor activity:
Running, biking and hiking.