FocusOn Instagramers 1.11: @Cirkeline

FocusOn Instagramers 1.12: @Cirkeline

Each week, Instagramers.com discovers new people. People addicted to Instagram revealing their lives, passions, tips in Instagram. This week we discover one of the most amazing Instagramer in European Northern Countries. After visiting few weeks ago Norway with @Ria we fly to Denmark and meet Christina.

Her name is Christina…

But around 10.000 followers know her as @Cirkeline and we celebrate it with her!

As almost all my previous Interviews I found her through an instagramer friend who recommended me her stream. And that was love at first sight.

As an Instagramer user, I´m found of colorful pics but I enjoy so much others User´s Black and White pictures when well done.

I don´t know why but I loved her nick too. By the way, I remember you the importance of choosing a good nick!

@cirkeline is the name of a Danish cartoon character.

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Cirkeline is a small elf-like figure, which was created in 1957 by Hanne Hastrup for a children’s book. Cirkeline is a simple innocent figure with black spiky hair, a red polka dot dress and bare feet. She sleeps in a match box on the author’s desk and helps keeping things tidy. Her best friends are two mice. (see attached a picture of her). Christina chose the name cirkeline because like her, she prefers a simple life style and her name starts with a C also like Christina.

Christina lives in Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark. Denmark is a quite small country with some 5,5 million inhabitants in Northern Europe. She was born in Randers in Jutland and she grew up in a small village.

When she was 17 she went to London and stayed there for nearly 9 years. She worked in the hotel industry while she was there and got a Bachelor degree.

“To be honest I feel more at home in London than I do in Copenhagen. I adore the English humour and the diversity of cultures that can be found there” says Christina.

Her background is now within the areas of sales and marketing. But before InstaGram, as many other million people, she did not know she had a creative bone in her body. Instagram just gave her the possibility to express herself through her iPhone lens.

“I love also to meet wonderful likeminded people from around the globe. I consider IG a gift and I am grateful for it!”

She has been honoured to participate in the “Instahibit” in Berlin arranged by @herrkrueger and PhotoGlobal in Inverness in Scotland arranged by @christopherhowell where she exhibited with more oustanding Instagramers users. It was definitely a first for her.

Loads of users love her work and are grateful to see her works everyday. We appreciate very much her answers to our Instagramers.com weekly interview.

When did you first join IG?

I joined IG one week after I bought my first iPhone, a 3 GS. Instagram was a featured app and I downloaded it by chance. I think this was in September last year. I thought it was so exciting to see all the pics from IGers around the globe – like little real time post cards. Decided to post my own pic and was over the moon when I got my first like by my now friend from Tokyo @yammcat. I have to say that I hadn’t a clue about photography at the time, so I am not proud of my first pics. However some 1596 pics later I have gotten some practice 😉

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Why are you so addicted to IG?

Apart from the obvious part which is the love of photography, I have gotten many dear friends on IG – people I say good morning and good night too. The support and love that exists in the community I believe is very rare and special. As Instagram is quite anonymous I have experienced that people often share their inner self whereas in real life people often hide behind filters.

Before IG when I walked down the street I used not to notice things around me, now I notice just about everything. Sometimes my senses are overwhelmed and I can get excited by a shadow or reflection on the ground or a beautiful ray of light. I love finding the beauty in everyday life. On IG I have gotten the nick name “Queen of light and shadows” – a name which makes me smile. I prefer b/w photography, not something that I chose, but there was really never any question for me.

A fellow IGer recently shares this quote which I relate to:

“When you photograph people in colour you photograph their clothes. But when you photograph people in B&W, you photograph their souls” Ted Grant.

When you post a pic on IG, you get an instant reaction to your work, I really like that and it is highly addictive.

Were you already found of photo before?

Although always appreciative of photography, I can say that IG has really awoken my interest. Now photography is a part of my daily life that I wouldn’t be without. I only photograph with my iPhone, but I plan to buy a “real” camera soon as I would like to get some technical skills also. So far I have relied solely on my intuition and have not really studied photography – although I guess that looking at hundreds of IG pics every day is some sort of practice Lol.

French Master of candid street photography Henri Cartier Bresson is a great inspiration to me. Within the four walls of IG I would like to mention my friends and fellow IGers @thomas_k in Berlin @eros_sana in Paris who also inspire me on a daily basis with their candid street photography.

For you, which are the 3 best pics apps?

Photo fx is currently my favourite as it has so many editing possibilities, where it is possible to fine tune the expression of the pic. For an abstract look, I favour the streak effects, which I think are quite interesting –also there is a grain effect, which I really like.

Camera+ is another favourite – I used to used the b/w Ansel filter a lot, but currently the Analog grainly filters appeal to me.

Finally Focusoid is a great app to simulate different out-of-focus techniques such as tilt shift effect and depth of field.

How long time do you spend a day in IG?

Too much time is the short answer. LOL!

IG is the first thing I do when I wake up and the last thing I do before I close my eyes at night. It is only recently that I have watched a whole movie – in many months I have rather been InstaGraming.

Apart from my photo walks (which is basically every time I step outside my house), I spent time editing, replying to people who are kind enough to comment on my pics and of course checking the stream of the people I follow.

I follow some 856 people at the moment, but I must admit that it is too many and I intend to cut it down. I cannot keep up – it would be a full time job to do so. It is important for me not to miss the pics of my close IG friends and talented photographers.

I guess I spent some 2-3 hours a day on IG at the moment. It used to be much more, but other things in my life need attention at the moment.

How did you get so many followers?

I haven’t been focused on increasing my number of followers although of course I am flattered and grateful for the ones that I have got – some 9008 wonderful people at the moment.

The main key on getting followers I think is to be active within the IG community. That means comment on pics and reply to the ones that leaves comments on your own pics. Another great way is to participate in the various challenges and competitions that are around.

Needless to say the pics that you post are also an important part of it. If you get a pic on the Pop page it offers great exposure and new followers.

Which is your favorite pic?

My favourite pic is a photo I took on a rainy day just a minute from my home. It is of a bicycle and its reflection in a puddle – it is quite murky and abstract which I like. To me great photography is not about how crisp a picture is, but moreover of what it expresses. I guess a suitable attitude to have when photographing with an iPhone. Lol.

What have been your first reaction when you had your first Pop?

I remember it happened I think a month after I first joined. I was over the Moon and I laughed about it – because I have never had any creative way to express myself before – it was just so alien to me that other people would actually like a pic of mine so much, it became popular!! I was glad and proud in days!!

The pic was of an iron gate, which is a little funny to me, because today nearly all my pics are with people.

Do your “non Instagramers” friends and family are bothered by your IG addiction?

I wish I could say no, but the truthful reply is that yes they are. They think that I spent too much time IGing (which I do) and that I am distant (which I am). At the moment I try to balance my life and prioritize both IG and my IG friends as well as my “real life” friends, whom I can actually hug. LOL. So now I actually leave my iPhone in the pocket sometimes.A funny anecdote in your short Instagramer life?

I used to be shy, when taking pics of people on the street. Whilst I still try to be discreet, I am definitely a woman on a mission when there is a shot I want. I don’t care anymore if I look silly and if somebody looks at me wondering what I am up to, I just give them my best smile and carry on with my business of getting the shot. I don’t know if that is a good thing or not? LOL.

A trick you would recommend?

From my own experience I’d just say keep an open and curious mind when you are out and about and keep your iPhone ready – perhaps even carry it around in your hands. The pic I got recently with the lady walking beneath a ray of light – I only noticed because I by coincidence pointed my camera at the scene and then noticed the light through the lens. Don’t be afraid to experiment and try different things and styles out – until you find your own style. And remember that practice is key.