THE JOURNAL
Photograph by @withhearts
Take a virtual tour of the City of Angels via these top accounts – and get photography tips and tricks on how to get more followers of your own.
With its palm-lined beaches, iconic architecture, cafes bristling with #avocadotoast and year-round sunshine, LA is pretty much an Instagrammer’s dream. The evidence is in the platform – there are currently over 31 million posts gleefully tagged #LA, which constitutes an overwhelming amount of material to navigate as a virtual tourist. Given this rather overwhelming mass of imagery, and in full knowledge of the fact that LA is many things to many people, we at MR PORTER have put together a list of our favourite LA-based Instagram accounts for your perusal, which should help you sort the wheat from the chaff. Click follow on the profiles below, and be sure that your next LA immersion (whether digital or physical) will be one of the utmost stylishness.
THE BEST FOR ARCHITECTURE
Followers: 103k Follows @chriscreature LA recommendation: K-Town
Miracle Mile-based Mr Minh T is a graphic designer and photographer. On his Instagram feed he aims to focus on the hidden beauty of LA , or, as he puts it “unravel its mystery”, revealing locations, such as banks, courthouses and 1960s office buildings that are far from the typical tourist sights. He spends most of his time “discovering new photography locations and finding buildings that have been forgotten and neglected,” though if you’re looking for a more classically Instagrammable spot, he suggests “Griffith Observatory, Urban Light at LACMA and the infamous Paul Smith pink wall”, to name a few. If you’re into clean lines, shadows and heading off the beaten track, it’s time to click follow.
An Instagram tip:
“When taking a photo of a building, don’t try to fit the thing into one image. Focus on edges, connections, lighting and materiality. This will allow your audience to absorb the architecture as they would in real life – through smaller vignettes that collectively explain the whole experience.”
THE BEST FOR FOOD
Followers: 93.9k Follows @popscure LA recommendation: The Tasting Kitchen
The sheer wealth of choice in Los Angeles’ food scene may be overwhelming to some, but freelance photographer Mr Rick Poon manages to hone in on the city’s tastiest delights in his carefully curated feed. “The crazy mix of cultures and people that define the city” means that there’s always somewhere new to explore, he says.” From butter and salt doughnuts at Sidecar Doughnuts to foie gras on funnel cake with strawberries and fennel, his images will leave you tempted to bite into your phone. (NB don’t do it.)
An Instagram tip:
“Try to photograph things you love, instead of chasing what others are doing. Finding your own voice is what will set you apart.”
THE BEST FOR SURF
Followers: 249k Follows: @casualtimetravel LA recommendations: Poketo, Alchemy Works and New Image Art Gallery
Thanks to all the stunning women on surfboards, underwater shots of the coral reef in Marshall Islands and aerial views of Barbados beaches, it’s far too easy to get lost in Mr Morgan Maassen’s crystal-clear blue feed. “LA is a true Wild West of creativity, freedom and opportunity” to Mr Maassan, and his Instagram feed is a gateway to this world. Though he spends most of his time on a beach (Little Dume Beach in LA to be precise), his favourite place to take photos, as “a secret aviation geek”, is at LAX. Caution: this feed may pause your productivity at work for a few moments, but at least you can consider your next surf trip sorted.
An Instagram tip:
“Use Instagram as a tool to interact with your subjects, fans, and clients. There is nothing separating you from them but a private message or a comment.”
THE BEST FOR INTERIOR DESIGN
Followers: 83.6k Follows: @lifeserial LA recommendations: Lawson-Fenning for modern designs and Wertz Brothers for vintage pieces
As the west coast creative director of by-the-hour home design service Homepolish, Mr Orlando Soria knows a thing or two about interiors. Based by the Silver Lake Reservoir, his favourite place to take photos is in his home (which is constantly being updated with new additions from local flea markets), though he believes Hearst Castle further up the Californian coast is one of the most Instagrammable design spots in the state. What does he love about LA? “It feels like a place where people can still afford to be creatives – it’s a city that’s having an art moment.” Using his knowledge and love of the design world, Mr Soria’s covetable feed of home decor #goals is the place to head for new ideas and inspiration.
An Instagram tip:
“People tend to respond to images that are bright and luminous, so usually photos that are taken during the daytime are much more popular.”
THE BEST FOR TRAVEL
Followers: 672k Follows: @bethanymarieco LA recommendations: Mr Holmes Bakehouse, Gracias Madre and Soho House
Empty roads, snow-capped mountains, forests and crystal-clear lakes fill Mr Cory Staudacher’s feed, which captures the photographer’s travels across the US. Though based in LA – a city he says has a “refreshing excitement in the air” – Mr Staudacher is originally from the Pacific Northwest, and often returns there to capture some truly stunning vistas, which means that his Instagram account offers both a fresh perspective on the City of Angels and a little bit of an escape from it. For those that want to follow in his footsteps, he suggests “taking a drive through the Angeles National Forest at sunset for a view unlike any other.”
An Instagram tip:
“Post a consistent style to your Instagram feed. People love to know what to expect from what you post.”