FocusOn 1.71: Dirk Bakker aka @macenzo on Instagram

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Instagram is a where great creative and talented people come together.

Instagramers.com wants to contribute to helping you to discover surprising and creative users from all walks of life. Their common denominator?They are people addicted to Instagram telling us about their lives, revealing their passions and sharing their best Instagram tips.

Today we feature Dirk Bakker

(@macenzo on Instagram)!

My name is Dirk Bakker, I live in Amsterdam the Netherlands and I have a strong love for design, patterns and architecture.

I have always loved photography, but it was not until I discovered IG that my passion really took off!

The social and sharing powers of IG just rock!!!

Having a history in graphic design made me love the “lines of the city”, I see a big connection between architecture and graphic design. Its about shapes, form, layout and patterns as well as constructing things, putting things together.

The way I view and shoot the world is strongly influenced by this love.

I am one of the founding members of @SeeMyCity (www.SeeMyCity.com), an international city marketing initiative based on advanced and creative mobile photography and social media, and its such an awesome project to be involved in!

It started with our pilot project in Almere in the Netherlands but is now on to its third international project SeeMyDoha which will even be a yearly ongoing project. The organising of projects, visiting and shooting in other countries with our great team is an amazing adventure and enormous privilege! This would never have happened without IG!

Last week we launched our new website, to celebrate we are arranging several little challenges with great prizes! Just go to the site for more info!

I am also one of the members of @IGersHolland and we organise challenges, spotlights and instameets, in fact we just had a great instameet 2 weeks ago and despite the bad weather about 60 people joined in!

We had a walk through old the Amsterdam city centre with its picturesque canals and took the ferry to the great urban harbour/dock area in Amsterdam North, I loved the interaction and meeting with other local iGers!

Thank you very much Dirk, for your contribution to this website!

You can follow Dirk and his design, patterns and architecture picture interest on his Instagram profile, there are also the following websites:

https://about.me/macenzo

https://instagram.com/macenzo

https://www.seemycity.com

Here we go!

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You are: I am Dirk Bakker 48 years old and live in Amsterdam Netherlands.

You would like to be: Without worry.

3 items to take to a desert island: My iPhone, a hammock, and Coke zero…

What has been your most bizarre life experience: Being robbed by masked men after closing time in a bar I worked in .. a gun held to my head…

Super power you would like to have: Flying!!! Since childhood i have this recurring dream.. It starts with a kind of hovering… I lift my toes, lean back and slowly i float, hover over the streets… And than i get really good at it, dare to get higher and I fly away…

In ‘real’ life

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Happy alone (with Instagram), in love, married or it’s complicated: Happy alone.

You love to: Travel and see the world.

You can’t stand: Arrogance and sauerkraut…

A song that best describes you: Groove is In The Heart…

Your hobbies: Getting out on my bicycle, photography, design, watching movies, traveling

A trip you dream of: High on my wish-list is a trip to NewYork or HongKong, I love to explore and shoot big high-density cities or visit Rome again, or Paris, or….

A quote: Be yourself; everyone else is already taken. (Oscar Wilde)

A wish: Somehow i hope this IG adventure will end up in new job or something like that …

Some-one you admire: Steve Jobs

What more must we know about you in one phrase: I think in pictures, not in words…

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Your life on Instagram

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Your Instagram birthday: I posted my first photo on June 13th, 2011

iPhone or Android: It started with iPhone only and i loved that..!! Thats until i was given the fun opportunity to try/test new products… Now i also shoot and experiment with the Samsung Galaxy Camera and very recently with the Sony QX Smart Lenses for your phone. Every product has pros and cons and its great to examine and share those experiences.

Did Instagram change your life:

Totally..!!!

I really discovered IG on the right time in my life…

Unfortunately illness made me jobless and while struggling with my health and time

I found in Instagram the physical (cycling) and creative outlet i so much needed!!

You could say that all the IG related initiatives in which i am involved now keep me out of trouble..

Instagram for professional or personal use: Started out very personal, but since i am involved in SeeMyCity its turning into a real profession.

Define your style in one word: Photo+Graphic

Daily time spent on Instagram: To much

Favorite hashtag: #theworldneedsmorespiralstaircases and of course… #straightfacade

A favourite filter: None! I prefer my images to be as clear as can be, although i occasionally use VSCO filters.

An App: Snapseed and Camera+

A gadget: Cant live without my iPhone!

Pictures that make you laugh on Instagram: It’s often the combo pic/caption that make me laugh. Love it when people take the effort to combine those in a funny or creative way!

Pictures that must be forbidden on Instagram: None.. Its easy to say nails, food and selfies, but to each their own.

An improvement for Instagram: Separate section for comments cause they often slip thought the currently offered list which is too short.

Life without Instagram would be: I cant imagine…

An Instagram user we cannot miss: My IGfriend and amazing photographer Nicanor Garcia @nicanorgarcia

Anything else?: Follow me?

Describe your favourite picture: Impossible to choose just one pic, but this is one of my recent images. I have a big love for straight facades and this one in particular. Its called ‘Summer in the City” and gives such a lovely peek into the life on balconies.

How did you take it, any interesting anecdote?:

This is taken from far away with the Samsung cam which has 21x optical zoom.

Because of the distance there is almost no perspective correction needed; one of the big advantages of shooting these kind of shots with a cam with good zoom capabilities.

Techniques and equipment used: I did little perspective correction/straightening in the FrontView app and edited it in Snapseed.

Thanks Dirk, it’s pretty amazing what you can do without using any filters!

@igers

Here are some more of those great photo+graphic colourful pics…