August 1, 2013

#BlogHer13 - Instagram & TOONswag Adventures...day 2

I woke up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. I had the whole day ahead of me to relax in Chicago before the official BlogHer conference kickoff.

Do you know Neil Kramer? He's the award-winning blogger behind Citizen of the Month.Neil is hugely popular on Instagram. He's known for his photographs people in sweeping city-scape tableaux, as they're hurriedly jaywalking, or texting while leaning against a building. Many are engaged in deep thought, mostly unaware they're being captured. The resulting images are evocative, like single moments plucked from the rush of life. He does it very well.

I thought it would be interesting to follow Neil around and Instagram him in the act of Instagramming. He agreed. All these pairs of shots were taken around the same moment, his and then mine.

Downtown Chicago gives good architecture.



We Bean-scaped.

 I like this pair because He caught my crazy face and I caught his.

We wandered into the Chicago Cultural Center and discovered The Happy Show by Stefan Sagmeister on the top floor. Thought-provoking messages and ponderings, the exhibits challenged you to really think about your own state of happiness. If you're in Chicago, go see it.

But don't get locked out of the fire exit like this guy did.


I laughed cuz he was still taking pictures through the glass.


I thought I was supposed to be following Neil around. I never imagined I'd end up being his subject. But on this one, I knew he was sneaking this shot...


...so I decided to trick him with the reverse cam.


Just look at all the likes Neil has on his Instagrams. He's tapping into something with his eye. Do not look at all the likes I do not have. Look instead at my drawings.

We meandered over to Millenium Park for lunch and I toonswagged that dude.

Neil has a very specific way of holding his iPhone; his fingers splay outwards as he zeroes in on whatever he's capturing. He's like a ninja.



Back at the hotel SOME PEOPLE bought me glasses of wine and I got the drunkies. I'll show you those drawings in my next post, so stay tooned...


11 comments:

  1. Aahaha, what a great idea! I love the results of your experiment, especially your reverse cam capture.

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  2. Love Neil.... and I love you for capturing him at work!

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    1. Right. I figured I was doing a public service for his many fans.

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  3. Wait, were we the "some people" that night or are you referencing the night before that when you got the drunkies? Side note: Is it possible for me to mail you white wine even though you live in Canada? I'm asking for a friend.

    P.S.- You totally drew Neil's mouth perfectly. It's like a smile that tries to hide as a scowl.

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  4. A terrific public service. I love this post!

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  5. I'm so glad you posted both of your pics here. I love them!!! I have been showing them to people. Also, the book idea? Yeah. You both are going to tour cities and documenting them with your pics of each other. Xo

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  6. Holy shit! The toonswag of neil is spot on. I mean, every single one you do is spot on, but wow! Great post!!

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  7. Cool idea and you both got great shots. Love the toon swag. You captured Neil perfectly.

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  8. That Neil is more accurate than the real Neil!

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Cuz You Rocketh.