Emily Blincoe is a freelance photographer based out of Austin whose photos of the warm life in Austin have gained her an Instagram following of nearly 400k people. Her shots are compositionally interesting--arrangements of colorful tomatoes, feathers, lip balm tins against plain backgrounds--but taken together, they paint a picture of a life well-lived. Eleanor, her dog, is often the star of her photos, sprinting joyfully through fields during road-trip pit-stops, or looking longingly out of windows on quiet afternoons. Blincoe seems to be a nature-lover, a curator of long-walks with an eye for color. Her photos possess a tranquil spontaneity that reveals Instagram's greatest offering: inspiration. Let's take a look at a few photos and see what they can teach us.
1. Color, color, color.
Pretty simple, this one. If it catches the eye in person, it'll catch the eye on Instagram.
This is happening. #TheShadesOfSummer
A photo posted by emily blincoe (@emilyblincoe) on Sep 5, 2014 at 4:25pm PDT
2. Interesting objects, interesting compositions.
Blincoe files all of her shots of this type under the hashtag #Arrangements. The nice thing is, these composed objects come organically out of Blincoe's life. Camping in the Redwoods is represented by a tableau of colorful stones, for example. A trip to the farmer's market reveals the simple beauty of tomatoes.
A photo posted by emily blincoe (@emilyblincoe) on May 18, 2015 at 10:27pm PDT
3. Pose your subjects, and don't be afraid to be strange.
In an interview, Blincoe explained: "I love to have a little fun in the way I take portraits, and if I can translate a little bit of my sense humor into a photo, I certainly will. Most of my friends and family no longer question my requests or motives. They are usually pretty quick to comply these days. It's not unusual to hear me say something like, 'I saw some cool flowers at the grocery store. I will be over in 10 minutes to put them in your beard.' or 'Hey, can you put this on your head and go sit over there?'"
A photo posted by emily blincoe (@emilyblincoe) on Jun 1, 2014 at 2:12pm PDT
4. Develop motifs.
Her #Arrangements are one. But, I, secretly, am always waiting to see what Eleanor's up to.
with the sun on your face and the wind in your snout.
A photo posted by emily blincoe (@emilyblincoe) on Mar 12, 2015 at 9:46pm PDT
A photo posted by emily blincoe (@emilyblincoe) on Dec 20, 2013 at 5:20pm PST
5. Consider downloading VSCO Cam, the photographer's iPhone app.
Photos taken on VSCO are easily uploaded to other social media outlets. In general, the app offers crisper filters and more granular editing tools for zooming and resizing. Like Instagram, but better, the app makes photos look as rich as film, as rich as life.
A photo posted by emily blincoe (@emilyblincoe) on Jun 30, 2015 at 10:33am PDT