Emory’s very own Instagram superstars

A week ago @lolilucaciu started hunting for the most striking Instagram visuals and after attentive deliberation concluded that the following 5 Emory students deserve some special kudos.

Chatting with them, they all hinted to me that Instagram is a most efficient mode of expression. The saying, “If you want to know who someone is, look at his/her friends,” could easily adopt a digital era version such as, “If you want to discover who someone is, look at his/her Instagram”.

Here are the stars, in no particular order:

Jay Neilson, Junior, Media and Sociology (@jayneilson23 – 944 followers)

Originally from Seattle, Washington, Jay told us:

“I started using Instagram because my twin sister signed me up and I wanted to be apart of another social medium. It wasn’t until I started my trip to south east Asia when I realized the potential Instagram had for telling a personal narrative and connecting my eye to my image.

“As I’ve grown more as an artist I’ve pushed myself to take the self-image out of the eye and strive towards capturing my perspective.”

Who follows you?

My followers are composed of people I’ve met around the country and world, mainly people from Seattle, California, New York, and Emory, but also friends I’ve made from Thailand, Vietnam, South Africa, England and Canada.

As I’ve moved away from strictly images of myself and my friends I’ve begun to lose followers and likes but I’d rather be posting things that I connect with over what my followers are interested in seeing. That being said, I have two Instagram accounts and this one is definitely more curated to be a public profile of myself.

Tell us about your Instagram profile

My personal growth can be seen in the transitions my Instagram has taken. Starting last fall, I picked up a digital camera and spent months backpacking in South East Asia. Following my return, I focused more strictly on film photography and throughout the past several weeks I’ve chosen to only upload images taken from my iPhone. I hope to capture my perspective and aesthetic through a more genuine and authentic approach, chasing narrative and composition over bursts of ego.

Ideal future Instagram post featuring Emory people and places: 

The connection I have with photography is the beauty of engaging the present moment with appreciation. Seeing a moment and creating an image that articulately expresses depth within it. At least that’s what I try to aim for.

So all environments and people have the potential to be captured beautifully, I’m just working on engaging my eye and the tools at my disposal to be increasingly articulate with a camera.

Dahlia Dreszer, Freshman, Media and Pre-Business (@dreszer_photography – 1,150 followers)

Panama born Dahlia said:

“I created my photography Instagram account about 6 months ago and initially utilized it as a business card/portfolio for an arts fair on campus. My Instagram started to pick up a lot of followers and I began receiving requests for free ance projects from my followers through Insta direct messaging.”

Who follows you?

My followers are composed of various Insta communities because of my variety of styles. From travel lovers, to wild life photographers, to friends and family in Panama, Tel Aviv, Atlanta, and N.Y.C.

Tell us about  your Instagram profile

Whenever I see something beautiful in the world I have an impulse to photograph it. I see the image I want to capture before taking the picture and do whatever it takes to get the shot. Photography is my passion in life.

My photographs depict how I see the world, and represent the way I investigate and address what I find interesting. My Instagram features many styles of photography; from nature shots to landscapes to modern abstract architecture. I use Instagram as my portfolio, which includes my best pieces that I have taken throughout the years around the world in Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Panama, Amsterdam, Paris, Tel Aviv, L.A, N.Y.C, and Atlanta.

Elliot Erwitt said:“Photography is an art of observation. It’s about finding something interesting in an ordinary place… I’ve found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.'”

Ideal future Instagram post featuring Emory people and places: 

I’d love shooting at Lullwater Park. I enjoy shooting my friend Toby Teitel, he is a great model and amazing to work with.

Mark Igbinadolor, Senior, Philosophy (@mark.aghatise – 1,761 followers)

The student originally from London said:

“[I joined Instagram] like 4 years ago, the first two years it was very personal and playing around with it, but now that i have been taking my photography seriously, I use it exclusively as a portfolio, client builder, and branding.

[I’m followed by] mainly creatives and mainly VSCO followers.  I have about a thousand on VSCO, and I am followed by a lot of creatives in Atlanta, New York City and France. ”

Tell us about your Instagram profile

I shoot editorials among other personal projects. I usually am inspired by a combination everyday women, creative use of clothing in personal style, and draw inspiration from old editorial archives. My Instagram, like my website, is my digital playground where i share my creations, my photoshoots, my thoughts and much more.

It also is a dynamic portfolio and networking tool!

Ideal future Instagram post featuring Emory people and places:

Ohhh, myself. Is that narcissistic?

But really I would shoot myself at the top of Michael street parking lot and it would capture the energy / vibe in fashion right now – 70s, hopeful youth, diverse.  And I would shoot by the sunset.

Jun Ha, Junior, Film and Business (@junhacreative – 582 followers)

Originally from San Diego, California, Jun Ha said:

“I had just gotten my first smartphone in my junior year of high school and I was really stoked to start downloading all these crazy apps I’d heard about. Instagram just happened to be one of the big ones that people kept talking about so I jumped on it real quick.

“It started off with just a bunch of crappy pictures I took with my phone, but it quickly moved towards something bigger than that, and now I’m a lot more serious about it.”

Who follows you?

I think most of my followers are just my friends. Recently, I’ve been having a lot of people follow me from random sources, and I think that’s because I’ve been hashtagging all my pictures like crazy.

Using popular hashtags really does help with publicity.

Tell us about your Instagram profile

My creative process tends to be pretty spontaneous and devoid of logic. I feel like most of what I do just sort of explodes into existence from nothing. I like to take the seed of an idea and run with it to see where I end up; this can be either really good or really bad, but it’s all a learning experience either way so it never really feels like I’ve wasted time.

I like to utilize Instagram’s grid system to my advantage. Each row allows for 3 images, so I like to make each row its own cohesive microcosm.

Ideal future Instagram post featuring Emory people and places:

So there’s this guy on campus named Mark, I think his handle is “onlyafrican,”  (Check out Mark above!) and his body of work is so dope.

I’ve never actually met him so this might be weird, but I think it’d be really cool to work with him and collaborate. Our styles are really different, but the way I see it, it can’t hurt to try and make something incorporating both of our artistic backgrounds.

Hilleary Gramling, Junior, Creative Writing and Art History (@hillgram – 935 followers)

The Tampa, Florida native said:

“I began my Instagram sophomore year of high school when I downloaded the app, curious as to what it was. My account has evolved from simple discovery to complete personal expression.”

Who follows you?

My followers are those I know from high school, college, and growing up in Tampa. I don’t allow random accounts or people I have never met to follow me.

Tell us about your Instagram profile

@hillgram’s Instagram presence is uninhibited, unapologetic and above all poetic. Drawing from minimal and gothic influences, @hillgram as an account has become a haven cultivated by images of pop culture, art, feminism, fashion and literature.

@hillgram is your internet health goth dream girl, but she is not-your-wifey or your babe and she is not afraid to say so. she is both self-deprecating and confident, at ease and anxious, aggressive and melancholy; and above all, truthful. @hillgram is a portrayal of my truest self.”

Ideal future Instagram post featuring Emory people and places:

I’d photograph one of my best friends, Ben Stevenson, in front of my favorite sculpture on campus: Tower With Vertical Blocks 1 by Sol LeWitt.