Baltimore, as seen by Instagrammer @justn_timothy: Q&A

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Composition and balance, and his passion for Baltimore City, makes art director and yogi Justin Timothy Temple’s Instagram feed stand out.

THE DARKROOM: Tell us about yourself. What do you do? Where are you from? What’s your background?

JTT: My name is Justin Timothy Temple.

I am currently an Art Director for Charm City Yoga or as I like to say, my second and possibly third home. I spend the early mornings practicing yoga there and a few evenings throughout the week teaching yoga as well. My background is in graphic design.

DR: How do you/do you think that your background as an art director/having a passion for yoga plays into what you choose to take pictures of or how you take them? If no, what motivates you to shoot the scenes you do?

JTT: I think my design background helps insofar as recognizing composition. As far as my yoga practice is concerned, without getting too esoteric, I think the practice of yoga is as concerned with how present I can be when I am off the mat as I am (or try to be) when I am on it. For me, taking quick snaps of what I come across is an opportunity for exactly that.

DR: How did you get started in photography, or at the least, taking pictures?

JTT: The platform of Instagram itself was the game-changer. The ability to take quality pictures without having to carry an actual camera is still a pretty incredible to me. I’m not a photographer by any means so the simplicity of it all allows me to approach it at my skill level.

DR: What tools/apps/lenses/filters do you use for your images?

JTT:I typically use the shoot and edit in the VSCOcam app. From there its pretty 50/50 on using their filters or correction tools.

DR: In one sentence, describe your Instagram feed.

JTT: Say yes to life.

DR: What do you think sets you apart from other folks on Instagram in the city?

JTT: I don’t know honestly. Am I all that different? I think if anything I take more pictures of my shoes than most.

Genuinely, I think everyone that I have come across that also lives in Baltimore and are pretty active on Instagram have a tremendous amount of pride in this city. I think we all are just showing that pride through what we share and naturally there are going to be different takes on the same subject.

DR: Do you ever go out intending to take a photo, or do you happen upon the scenes you do? What do you usually look for/what usually catches your eye?

JTT: I have in the past like the Steve “ESPO” Powers murals and some of the Open Walls murals. Generally speaking, no, I don’t go searching. It’s more fun for me to stumble across something that even I wouldn’t necessarily have noticed on any other day plus it seems that the landscape changes daily as well. I think that’s so much more fun than trying to force it.

DR: Who are your favorite follows in Baltimore? Beyond that?

JTT: My favorite’s in Baltimore:
@mhips88
@brandonriggs
@trohv
@strangerswithstyle
@sourkraus05
@mr_jka
@flynnfinity

Outside of Baltimore:
@streetetiquette
@phil.martin
@pelhamstuart
@las_estrellas
@duncanwolfe

DR: Do you have any Instagram Do’s and Do not’s?

JTT: My only do’s are post what you like no matter what it is and ignore follower count. My one don’t is: miss an opportunity to actually see and experience something because it would make a good picture for Instagram. Let’s face it, one day we’re probably going to ignore this platform when something new comes along.

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You can follow Justin’s feed here: @justn_temple. Have a favorite Instagrammer who you think should be featured? Let us know.