Insta Fav #72: Michael Giroux

Follow: @michaelgiroux

Where are you from? How does that place influence the way you photograph?
I am from the pacific northwest and for the past few years I have lived in Seattle, Washington. Living in this city has influenced me to get out and adventure because of the nature that I’m surrounded by. Everywhere you look there are mountains, trees and water. It makes for a beautiful place to photograph.

What are your favorite environments to shoot in?
I primarily shoot in environments with natural light. Finding good light will always be one of those fun challenges for me. I also enjoy shooting outdoors because I’m inspired by the backgrounds created by nature.

What are the strengths of shooting primarily mobile? How does this affect your imagery?
The main reason mobile photography has become my go to, is because I always have my phone with me. That being said, the limitations of my phones camera have made for a fun challenge. First you have one wider lens, no shallow depth of field and no manual controls. This has caused me to take cleaner less cluttered photographs with more of an emphasis on sense of place.

Who and what are the things that inspire you?
My faith encourages me to be creative as I’m inspired by God who through life and nature has shown us His ultimate creation. For me photography is just a way of me capturing moments I find beautiful. I’m also inspired by my wife, family and friends. They are some of my biggest fans and encourage me often.

Favorite instagrammers?
I have favorite mobile photographers in every city and I am definitely influenced by my Seattle friends. But three standouts to me are; @rypat, @cschoonover & @jameslacroix.

Which Apps do you use to edit your pictures?
My editing style has evolved so much over the past 2+ years. I figure I probably see over 100 photos everyday on Instagram and it has shaped my own style as I’ve pulled cues from images I like. Currently I use vsco with an occasional snapseed and retouch:)

Tell us a little about your everyday.
My wife and I are blessed to be in a great community here in Seattle. My friends and family all live close and I try to see them as often as I can. My friends are all creative and they inspire me greatly. I work as a manufacturing engineer at Boeing and outside of that I enjoy photography, motorcycles, dabbling in woodworking and traveling with my wife.

If you’d like to become a future Insta Fav, follow @ignant. We’ll look into it.