Where do you live?
I’m originally from Texas, where there are tacos as far as the eye can see! However, about a year ago I moved a few miles up the road to Washington, D.C. to take a job as a User Experience Designer. Sadly though, there are not as many tacos in D.C., but I am making do.
What do you love/love to do?
Literally 95% of my free time is devoted to photography. The other 5% is dedicated to fueling my addictions: Netflix binging, eating popcorn, drinking coffee and somehow combining whatever leftovers I have in my fridge into a taco.
The thing I love most is traveling to new places, no matter how big or small they may be. The experience of being somewhere new is exhilarating to me and I get a rush from not knowing what may be around the next corner.
What inspires you?
I’m inspired by the people I know that are passionate about what they do. The energy and passion that goes into their work is infectious and keeps me motivated to crank out new content everyday. I also like to consume content that is completely unrelated to design or photography, it helps me see things in a different way.
However, a huge source of my inspiration comes from exploring. I grew up and spent 20 years of my life in a neighborhood where the houses and buildings all looked the same. Now that I am in a completely new place (Washington, D.C.), the possibilities feel endless. There are so many beautiful cities around me now that I feel like I won’t ever be able to see them all.
What do you look for when taking a photo?
This is hard because I look for so many things when I'm out shooting! Colors, leading lines, shadow play, contrasting elements, interesting perspectives, and repetition to name a few. The key thing is that with whatever I shoot, I am always looking to tell a story.
But, in general, I look for the things that make me look twice and the things that evoke an emotional response out of me. I'm also always looking for a beautiful color, especially blue…my favorite! :)
What are your favorite apps and filters to edit with?
I take all of my photos with a Canon 70D and Sigma 35mm Lens and edit in Lightroom. A lot of my editing time goes towards color and adjusting the hues/saturation levels, but other than that, I don’t use any filters on my photos. Occasionally, I will edit in photoshop to create a more surreal feeling, but for the most part I try to leave the photo as close to the original as possible.
Who are your favorite fellow Instagrammers?
Hard to say who my favorites are (too many to name), but there are a few Instagrammers who inspire me to keep going everyday. They are very passionate about their work and show up everyday no matter what. I can always count on them to fill my feed with beautiful shots.
@juliegeb, @clo_looks_around, @shell_kr, @mattcrump, @javi_glz (a fellow friend of mine from school), and @steinardatter
He's so much fun and somehow his love of tacos translates so much, I was craving them through the entire Q&A! I love how deeply he looks for inspiration, looking beyond photography for design motivation. There's just something about his photos being able to tell a story- like that pretty blue sky shot that always makes me think that neon sign is flipping me off! (cheeky sign)
If you want more sky and wall porn, check out his awesome feed @justinrhernandez as well as his website: www.justinrhernandez.com. Oh! And make sure to wish him a Happy Birthday too! A special thank you to Justin for his time and awesome shots!
xo Sécia
F O L L O W U S O N I N S T A G R A M :: @seciasophia
his photos are so beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI know! They're so inspiring, right?!
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