For Roslindale resident Kiana Gibson (@kiana29), taking pictures for Instagram is an absolutely crucial part of the week. “I have photography withdrawal if I don’t do it after a few days,’’ the 37-year-old pre-kindergarten associate teacher says, laughing. As one of three moderators for the popular IGers Boston account (@igersboston), Gibson works not just to populate her own feed with scenic snaps, but also to help find shots for the group and cultivate one of the photography-sharing app’s fastest-growing local communities.
Q. How would you characterize your personal account?
A. My personal profile is mostly street photography. My style is everyday life and the beauty of the city, through my lens. It’s all of architecture, people, and popular landmarks. Q. Do you go to specific areas or all over?
A. I tend to walk in the well-known tourist areas, such as Beacon Hill, downtown, Boston Public Garden, and the Copley area.
Q. What catches your eye, subject-wise?
A. A lot of times, I’m inspired by the weather. When it’s rainy, that can make the bricks on the streets shiny, and I’ll go out and shoot someone with a cool umbrella. I find myself inspired by snow as well — I go out and shoot things that might look different, like the George Washington statue in the Boston Public Garden, which just looks so much cooler in the snow. And the littlest thing will catch my eye. Three or four weeks ago, I shot someone holding two red bags, one in each hand, and that caught my eye, so it can really be as simple as that.
Q. What makes a good photo?
A. It’s the connection you can make with the photo. I might find a cool building downtown and take the photo of the building. Architecturally, it just looks really cool, and when I post it to Instagram, the people who follow me can make a connection with that place. They might say they walked past it when they visited Boston, or that they walk past it every day — and that they’re excited to see it. It’s not just about me — it’s also about the connections others can make with it. Q. Is there a recent photo you took that you’re particularly proud of?
A. There’s a rooftop photo that I had taken from the Taj. The subject is the Prudential, and behind the Prudential is the sunset. It’s something you can’t particularly see from the ground, but from above, you can see the sunset starting to come in, and the color that it brings to the background of the city. I like that one a lot.
Interview was edited and condensed. Isaac Feldberg can be reached at isaac.feldberg @globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @i_feldberg.
