Insta Fav #75: Corina Esquivel

Follow: @corinaesquivel

Where are you from? How does that place influence the way you photograph?
I’m from a lovely city called Guadalajara in Mexico, and I moved to Vancouver, CA at the age of 17 with my family.
I’m truly blessed to live in a place surrounded by beautiful scenery; It never ceases to amaze me that I have the ocean, forests, mountains and the city all within driving (and sometimes walking) distance. It’s something I didn’t grew up seeing so I don’t take it for granted. I’ve definitely learned to appreciate and love the outdoors and the moments I get to adventure, honestly Vancouver makes it all too easy.

What are your favorite environments to shoot in?
Places full of natural light! I suppose if I had to choose I would say the forest, there is nothing more beautiful than seeing rays of light coming through the leaves and trees, however there is something so magical about the ocean breeze and sounds. I try to shoot in places that have a nice mixture of both.

What are the strengths of shooting primarily mobile?
Spontaneity! I love that if I have an idea I don’t have to worry about not having my camera, or being fast enough to capture the moment. I also think people are less intimidated if you are photographing them with your cellphone as opposed to using a DSLR, honestly it just feels very natural and raw.

How does this affect your imagery?
I love capturing genuine moments, and my cellphone has helped me achieve that very well. Connecting with people while I photograph them is very important to me, and when I use my phone it almost feels like there is less of a wall between me and the subject. I love that.

Who and what are the things that inspire you?
My faith plays a big role in everything that I do, and photography is no exception. I am so inspired by all that God has created around me, He’s the biggest inspiration of all. I try to capture His creation the way I see it and feel it, but it’s not easy!
I’m also inspired by my family and my friends, I am lucky to know very amazing and talented people. My! so many things! My culture and background, music! Autumn! probably all the Wes Anderson movies.

Favorite instagrammers?
So many! you should probably check who I follow for a better idea but recently:

@navanel for his creativity
@johndunfee for the emotion in his photos
@sonofnasser for his tones

Which Apps do you use to edit your pictures?
Snapseed and VSCO Cam

Tell us a little about your everyday.
My weekdays tend to be quite busy and all over the place. I’ll be either shooting, or working on a graphic design project, and if I’m not doing either of those you can probably find me scooping at my part time job in a lovely Ice-cream shop. I always try to fit in hanging out with friends, and visiting my favourite coffee shops to my agenda. Weekends are a little bit on the slow side, I try to fit in as much outdoor activities as I can on saturdays, and Sundays are mostly spent at church and with my family. Even though I have a busy schedule sometimes; I love my quiet times, it is so important for me to take some time to recharge, to maybe read a book and to spend time with my Creator. I need these times the most.

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