Let us help you sift through the varied and vast world of New England photographers on Instagram to find the good and weird New Englanders.
Like most other social media platforms meant to showcase a self-curated feed of the visual, Instagram thrives because of the niche communities created by its users. Whether you’re scrolling for memes, pop culture news, NSFW stuffs, or a vintage pin to add to your collection, one thing’s for sure; you can find anything on Instagram right now.
Though Instagram exists today as a kaleidoscopic sea of strange and diverse content, its original intended purpose—assuming it had one—was to share photography. Instagram photographers and professional photographers in general still garner the most likes and reposts on the popular social platform. Sounds suspect until you remember the most liked Instagram photo to date isn’t a selfie shot by The Queen herself, but a meticulously planned photographed event.
So, where do the New England Instagram photographers fit in this equation? They seem to be deep in the woods, hanging with celebrities, skating and going on Pitchfork-perfect vacations through Maine and beyond. Here are some of our hand-picked favorites for you to check out.
Massachusetts Photographers to Follow on Instagram
Greg Gaffney
Remember when 2Chainz broke his damn leg and instead of taking a break, he performed in a wheelchair? Greg Gaffney was there to photograph Tity Boi in that moment, elevated leg and all. Head to his feed for more behind-the-scenes and on-stage pics of hip hop’s most dashing and current icons.
Caleb Cole
Caleb Cole isn’t joking when he says he’s a “collector of odd things.” The photos of dolls featured on his Insta are quite odd and some might even call creepy, except for the ones that look a little bit like him (those ones are actually super cute).
Courtney Brooke Hall
Courtney Brooke Hall’s photo feed tops our list with the most followers and, by far, the witchiest output. Her work explores themes of intention and closeness, showcasing womyn amongst the deep wilderness as goddesses, warriors, and/or natural forms as a part of the wooded landscapes. Taken in as individual photographs, or observed as a whole, her feed is simultaneously gorgeous, political, and powerful.
Chris Daniele
From western Mass and Vermont, to Washington and Ireland, Chris Daniele is all over. This perfectly shot photo diary of his travels will inspire deep envy, so maybe don’t follow him.
Rob Collins
Chubby Boy Productions
Even if you can’t tell the difference between a switch tres and a backside heel (or don’t care), these two skating accounts will intrigue and entertain.
Rob Collins brings the sleek, high quality photos you might find in Transworld or Thrasher, while the videos and photos on the Chubby Boy Productions account offer the visceral delights of hard falls and nailed tricks alike.
Chorale Miles
Self-proclaimed “lady photographer” Chorale Miles shoots soft poetic portraits, gets on set and behind-the-scenes for maximalist fashion shoots, and is at lots of hot events across the city. She’ll help you figure out who and what’s cool.
Connecticut Photographers to Follow on Instagram
Adrian Martinez
Adrian Martinez captures moments between people; closely observing fleeting interactions among his friends, family members and the places he moves through. With a proper mix of point-and-shoot film pics and more immediate uploads from a mobile phone, Martinez’s work also offers a great variety of visual textures and styles.
Ricky Aponte
Simply put, Ricky Aponte takes impossibly beautiful photographs of skaters. Poetic, spacious and sometimes harrowing (he get VERY close to the skaters in some of these shots), it’s no wonder he has thousands of followers.
Rhode Island Photographers to Follow on Instagram
Jesse Burke
Regular Take readers will recognize Jesse Burke as the fine art photographer whose photos often feature his highly photogenic daughter, Clover. His Instagram account is more than re-posts of his work though—it’s an honest and playful look at the visual motifs and characters he establishes in the work.
Liam Campbell at Elska Magazine
Remember Providence’s newest city boy and Elska Magazine? Follow the magazine on Insta for some more-than-half-naked handsome boys-of-all-kinds from around the world. No further description needed.
New Hampshire Photographers to Follow on Instagram
Cait Bourgault
“Hiking & dogs” reads Cait Bourgault’s Insta bio. Can’t sum it up better than that. Suffice to say that if you’re into perfectly composed, HQ snaps of summits and good dogs with cute bandannas (like her 12k+ followers), then go ahead and give her a follow.
Vermont Photographers to Follow on Instagram
Montgomery Sheridan
Hers is an insta feed of variety. Portraits of pets, beautiful people nestled under secret waterfalls and, sort of out of nowhere, a photo of Danny Brown? She’s posting it all.
Shane Lavalette
Would any list of Instagram photographers be complete without a mostly black and white account? Lavalette fills this role with easy offering black and white portraits, landscapes, cityscapes.
Maine Photographers to Follow on Instagram
Tanja Hollander
Tanja Hollander continues her artful quest to make all the friends in all the places. Much as with Burke, Hollander’s shots feel like an open invitation to her one-of-a-kind world of social media preponderance and real time, real-friend-making journey.
Justin Levesque
Since we last chatted with Justin Levesque, he has completed his artist residency aboard a ship from Maine to Iceland and headed out again on a different residency among scientists and other artists to the Arctic Circle. Follow him on Insta to keep track of his photographic documentation of all his work in their wide-ranging iterations iterations.
