Nokia Lumia Instagramer of the Week: Antoniel Pavliš
Search Instagram for photos tagged with #Lumia and, at the time of writing, you’ll find more than 110 thousand to choose from. When you remember that Instagram for Windows Phone has only been around for just over three months, the figure is even more astounding.
Of course, it’s not all about quantity, quality counts just as much. Happily, in that department Nokia Lumia Instagramers excel as well. This week’s sharp shooter, Antoniel Pavliš a.k.a recycler920, is a case in point. From the small town of Modriča in Bosnia and Herzegovina, he works for a local photo-video studio called Canon and has a truly awe inspiring Instagram feed. Antoniel tells us he’d “love to have the opportunity to travel the world and shoot photos in amazing places, experience new cultures and meet new people.” Once you see his photos, you’ll understand why we hope he gets that opportunity too. But before you feast your eyes on his work, why not hear what he has to say about his love of Lumia, ruins and the beauty of every day life. Take it away, Antoniel.
So, Antoniel, which Nokia Lumia do you have and what do you like most about it?
I have the Nokia Lumia 920. Well, it would be a lot easier to say what I don’t like about it since I like some much stuff this phone has to offer. So I’m just going to tell the basics. Before the Lumia 920 I was using a couple of smartphones that were nothing special, and since I work as a photographer I wanted to have a useful camera on my smartphone for quick snaps. My previous smartphones didn’t have enough camera quality under the hood so I’ve decided to switch to Lumia. I could get the best bang for my buck with the Lumia 920, and so I went for it.
Now, a few months later, I love it and would recommend it to everyone. I love the wireless charging, amazing design, sound quality, snappy speed throughout the WP ecosystem, the apps quality and the main thing for me, the camera. This camera made me fall in love with photography all over again, so in the last few months that I’ve had the Lumia I shoot photos all the time. I can’t remember when was the last time I used a dedicated camera aside from work. I always have the Lumia with me and it’s like having a dedicated camera in your pocket all the time and I can rest assured that Lumia will give me the quality I need, in different light conditions. Sometime in the future I’m hoping I will get my hands on the Lumia 1020, I would love to try out DNG.
Where do you shoot most of your photos and what sort of photos do you like to take best?
I shoot most of the photos in my hometown. I love to explore places, whether it’s nature or some abandoned house or the town itself it doesn’t matter. I often stop by the things that people normally don’t notice and see beauty in them. It could be the texture of the wall or the wood or something else that people usually take for granted.
For me photography is like stealing small moments in time that were meant to pass by unnoticed, but we give them life with our captures and can relive the exact feeling we had at the time photo was shot over and over again.
I like to take all sorts of photos, I try not to limit myself by just shooting portraits or sunsets or whatever. I have a lot of ideas in my head that are waiting for realisation, from long exposure steel wool shots to portraits. I don’t have a tripod yet but I plan to get one, plus I’m planning to get additional wide and macro lenses, but we’ll see what happens.
What are your top tips for taking Instagram photos on your Nokia Lumia?
1. Don’t be afraid to shoot something. If somebody has problem with it, they’ll let you know.
2. Don’t wait if something is going on. Sometimes things happen fast and if you don’t capture it at the right time then the moment is gone forever, and you will be sorry if it is.
3. Shoot more photos. If you have one blurry shot that’s all you end up with but on the other hand you can always delete if you have some extra shots.
4. Edit your photos. You can get some amazing results if you know what you want to achieve.
5. Explore the places and experiment with different framings and positions you are shooting from. Take time to get familiar with the surroundings of the places or the people you shoot.
6. Learn and get inspired from other photographers you can find online.
7. Use manual settings. Experiment with different focal points, white balance settings and shutter speeds. Nokia Camera has got all that you’ll need.
Which five Nokia Lumia instagramers do you recommend everyone to follow?
There are loads of great Nokia Lumia instagramers that I could recommend so it’s hard to choose just five people. But these people are the ones that never stop inspiring me:
Passing through. I love the clean and cold look of this photo, almost as if you could feel the cold.
The prism. My tribute to Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of The Moon” album. I like the way that the light breaks its way through the glass.
It’s black, it’s white. I find this photo cool for its darkish feel.
Hideaway. Just looks like the perfect place to hide and become one with nature.
5. Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder… What is a ruin to somebody to could be beauty to another. This photo always reminds me that we are all different and we enjoy different things, so we should respect one another.
Wintertime. I love this low light photo. Amazingly it was taken from hand, no tripod needed for Lumia’s OIS.
It’s too late everybody, my time has come. It’s great to know that we have a helping hand when needed.
Through the windows of my soul. I took this shot through a moving car’s steamy window. I really love the end result.
Hard as a rock, well it’s harder than a rock. I love industrial photography and this is one of my best shots from the old train station.
Dog’s life. I’ve found this fella left out on the streets, I love dogs so I love this photo.
We think Antoniel’s photography really is stunning and we love the wonderful insights his work gives us into his life and his country. If you are as impressed as us, make sure you follow him on Instagram. And if you’re a Nokia Lumia instagramer, and you’d like to see your work showcased here, you can either follow us on Instagram or share your best pics with #Lumia, or both. In the meantime, let us know which of Antoniel’s photos most inspired you in the comments below.