Portrait by @brendon_wainwright
Follow Nick on Instagram
Like so many others who have been drawn to the magic of Cape Town, Nick Kinsky, our featured Instagrammer for March 2016, heard the call of the Mother City five years back and has been happily discovering and documenting her unpredictable moods through his lens ever since.
Nick’s Instagram handle, i.e. @nick.in.sky, is a tribute to a nickname that stuck due to this talented photographer’s fascination with clouds and their perpetual fluid motion. His Instagram gallery highlights this passion by way of striking images showcasing the landscape and tumultuously beautiful skies of Cape Town. A creative with a flair for pushing boundaries, a disregard for the conventional “rules of photography” and one of the kindest people you will meet in the Instagram community, Nick’s Instagram is a definite must-follow.
The Interview
1. What gear do you use? What do you use most: DSLR or Smartphone?
I love my Nikon D600 & Tamron 24-70 - It's a fantastic, versatile combination and almost always with me!
2. When and why did you start taking pictures?
Roughly 2 years ago when I opened my Instagram account. Back then, I used to use my phone for all those crazy angled shots, ha! I'm addicted to the magic that happens between the user, the camera and the subject... This is why I started.
3. When did you start your account and why Instagram?
As above, +2 years ago. Instagram - because I wanted to Instagram! I love sharing with the world and what better way to do so?!
4. What's your favourite image you've posted and why?
A silhouette image I took of my friend Mike. We were on Lions Head at night when the low-lying, Atlantic fog rolled in and the scene was just right. This was my very first feature photo, the photo was simple yet it worked! Photo below
5. Are there any photo apps that you would recommend?
I've used many different photo editing apps as I enjoy exploring all the various editing styles, however, my favourites are SnapSeed, VSCO & Instagram.
6. Have you had any formal photography training?
Yes and no - I started an online class then left it because there were just too many "rules". I don't like to base photography on rules.
7. Would you classify yourself as a hobbyist or pro? If hobbyist, what's your 9-5?
Pure hobbyist! It's my kind of "meditation." And when I'm not outside having fun with my camera, I'm indoors, ensuring travellers are having the best time of their life! Maybe it's not what you think it is, it's hospitality!
8. Instagrammer you most admire?
@brendon_wainwright - the very first person I met through Instagram and also the legend who took the photo I submitted for this kind feature.
9. Any advice for those just starting out?
Start off small and try everything from shooting landscapes to portraiture to shooting close up pictures of your food - force versatility & creativity. Also, be kind to everyone. You'll learn a lot from the people you surround yourself with.
10. 3 Photos | 3 Stories Feature
The photo I made mention of earlier, my friend Mike called me to let me know that we should be expecting some Atlantic Fog to roll in, it's always magic when it does! We hiked up Lions Head and stayed up all night photographing the clouds - this was my first experience of this sort and I remember it like it was yesterday! Very overwhelming at the time.
1st January 2015 - What a way to open the year - magic everywhere! This was taken from the top of Table Mountain. I remember how busy it was. At the time I was using my Canon 650D with kit-lens, 18-135. I wanted to capture the scene based on how I saw it, the contrast between 3 different layers of clouds, the foreground and one of the 12 Apostles. It was a very quick shot as there was so much of everything else going on at the same time, we all know how that goes! Only after putting this image through editing, I noticed there were people standing on the 12 Apostles! Sometimes, things work out better than expected!
Right, so here I was with one of my best friends, Duncan. I promised him that I'd show him the stars like he's never seen before, hoping for clear skies which is exactly what we got. We headed towards the Cederberg, the sun was setting and we needed to find a spot quick before it got dark. Driving on a long gravel road towards Citrusdal, we saw many roads branch off. However, they all lead to private properties. After some time, we spotted a very rocky, narrow road which we followed with our eyes to the top - I had a good feeling about this road so we continued to climb it by 4x4 until we reached the end. It was incredibly exciting not knowing what awaits us at our destination, which was still unknown at the time. Once we reached the top, we’d made it just in time for sunset. We located the tallest rock we could find and watched the sun setting from there, soon after we setup our tent. This image was captured at around 11pm, the skies weren't even at its darkest and the stars weren't even at their brightest yet! I sat with the image for some time before I decided to get very creative – hence, the heart bokeh. The image has been printed on a block-mounted, A2 Canvas.
