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

dual necklaces

A post shared by Greg Gaffney (@gregisonfire) on Sep 6, 2017 at 9:48am PDT

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

Just wearing a human suit, trying to fit in. #humansuit #skinsuit #doll #dollmaker #beardeddoll #wrinkles #bosarts #bostonartist #calebcole #imsorryglenn

A post shared by Caleb Cole (@calebxcole) on Aug 30, 2017 at 5:26am PDT

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

A few winters back, the stunning @marissa_nadler wearing a gown by @ashleyrosecouture

A post shared by Courtney Brooke (@light_witch) on Jan 9, 2017 at 11:26am PST

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

we fell in love with this cabin in Ireland check out @cabinfolk as we take over and show you around this perfect pint-sized retreat! ↟ ↟ #wanderireland #artofvisuals #bhghome #airbnb #beautifuldestinations #wicklowmountains #ireland #tinyhouse #tinyhome

A post shared by Chris Daniele ↟ Photographer (@dirtandglass) on Aug 24, 2017 at 12:01pm PDT

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

@small_paul in LA a few years back

A post shared by Rob Collins (@robcollinsphoto) on Aug 27, 2017 at 11:29am PDT

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.

@elementmakeitcount @elementbrand if y'all don't choose @devincolon… ??‍ #ElementMakeItCount

A post shared by Chubby Boy Productions (@chubby_boy_productions) on Jul 26, 2017 at 11:07am PDT

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

@ashleyrosecouture – 'My Dearest Dust'. . Model – @___canvas . Makeup by – @kelseyannaf & @paula.pedrosa Hair by – @shearsteph . ? Shot with a @canonusa ? #portraits_mf #Portrait_Vision #PortraitGames #portraitmood #PortraitPage #aovportraits #PortraitVision #portraitheaven #PortraitsLA #MoodyPorts #PortraitsNYC #BravoPortraits @bravoportraits #pursuitofportraits #portraitsfromtheworld #PORTRAITSTREAM #Creative_Portraits #theportraitcentral #kdpeoplegallery#folkportraits #vscoportrait #portraitsvisuals #portraits_vision #MakePortrait #portraitsquad #moodyfilm #thevisualvogue

A post shared by ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ChoRAWle Miles? (@choralemiles) on Sep 5, 2017 at 12:44pm PDT

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

Happy Valentine's Day to all you lovers out there ?

A post shared by Adrian E Martinez (@adrianxmartinez) on Feb 14, 2017 at 4:09pm PST

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

Nick McCann // Slob Plant // Estacada, OR // #skateboarding #oregon #rickyapontephotography

A post shared by Ricky Aponte. (@rickyapontephoto) on Aug 11, 2017 at 8:29am PDT

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

Eclipsed. ??

A post shared by Jesse Burke (@jesse_burke) on Aug 21, 2017 at 5:43pm PDT

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

Another self portrait from a reader with his copy of Elska. This one from @r.e.n.a.r.d.o.r Link to order in bio #elskamagazine #hoscos #instagay #indiemagazine #gaydude #printisnotdead #homotography #gayselfie #gaytravel #elska

A post shared by Elska Magazine (@elskamagazine) on Jul 23, 2017 at 4:33pm PDT

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

I've followed @adventuresofwinnie_and_anubis for a long time and today I finally got to meet this amazing mountain pup! ? #hikingwithdogs #whitemountains

A post shared by Cait Bourgault (@photocait) on Sep 3, 2017 at 3:02pm PDT

“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

Izzy

A post shared by Montgomery (@montgomerysheridan) on Sep 7, 2017 at 3:40pm PDT

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

The story of a highway, a new project with @topicstories. Link in bio.

A post shared by Shane Lavalette (@shanelavalette) on Jul 2, 2017 at 4:56am PDT

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

RIP, old gal. ? Thanks for letting me finish this crazy project. I you. And of course, the data: 227, 283 miles! 11 years! Adventures! #areyoureallymyfriend #massmoca

A post shared by Tanja Hollander (@tanjahollander) on Jul 6, 2017 at 4:23pm PDT

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

You said you liked me in your memory.

A post shared by ONE DYNAMIC SYSTEM (@onedynamicsystem) on Aug 23, 2017 at 4:10am PDT

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.

Top photo – (left to right) photos courtesy Rob Collins’ Instagram, Greg Gaffeny’s Instagram and Adrien Martinez’s Instagram

The post New England Photographers to Follow on Instagram appeared first on Take Magazine.

It’s been almost a year since photographer and Elska Magazine publisher Liam Campbell and his partner left their home in England for Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Campbell had lived in Chicago and Dallas prior to living in England, but never felt at home in the U.S., a feeling that didn’t improve after he and his partner were married in England.

A few Obama-era policy changes and one visit to Providence shifted Campbell’s trajectory. “When we visited Providence for the first time, I just thought, ‘wow,’” says Campbell. “I didn’t know this kind of culture existed in the USA [outside of New York and LA]. New England is really something different and somewhere we felt like we could be at home.” Campbell’s admiration for Providence only grew as he aimed his camera on it as the first U.S. city to be profiled in Elska Magazine.

Through Campbell’s photo lens, the “bookazine” Elska, whose name comes from an Icelandic verb meaning “love,” stylishly examines men and the city those men call home. While you might feel a bit lusty while perusing an issue in print or online, Elska is more than simply expertly shot and arranged photos of wildly handsome men-of-all-kinds. “Even though some of the images can be considered sexy,” says Campbell, “it’s really through the expression of their personalities via the naturalistic images and their stories that makes them compelling and attractive, and makes us love them.”

In addition to photo spreads of 14 local Providence boys, the latest issue includes revealing and intriguing text by the boys themselves: “Dee W’s tale of finally maybe feeling at home in Providence; Samuel K-M’s story of a Providence bridge’s cursing of past relationships; Norbert G’s recount of a recent threesome; Matthew L’s narrative on a typical night at a local gay bar; and Adam C’s ‘things he said/things I said/things I should have said’ report that will leave you shouting ‘fuck yeah!’”

Beyond the profiles and personal approach to text curation, Elska expands past normative ideas about gender, depicting all kinds of people who identify as male in a way that doesn’t feel self-serving or overtly political. “The only stipulation is that [the subject] is a man, and he lives in the city we’re featuring,” says Campbell. “We’ve had trans men, we’ve had queer men, we’ve had men who probably don’t know what they are. As long as you’re comfortable being in this magazine knowing that 90 percent of the readers are queer, then you’re welcome to be in it.”

The next issue of Elska Magazine will feature boys and stories from Brussels, although Campbell believes his photographic eye might return to New England soon. “I try to make each one different from the one before. It’d be nice to do a smaller book or a collection of books of towns of New England,” he says. “Since I’ve lived here, I’ve really grown to love the whole region. I want to get involved and explore more and do my part.”

Liam Campbell–publisher
Elska Magazine
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All photos by Liam Campbell

The post Meet Rhode Island’s Newest City Boy appeared first on Take Magazine.