Christie is a 20-something designer and director from Sydney, and the driving force behind indie online and print publication Pitch Zine.
“There's probably not a single day that I don't login to Instagram. I believe it’s is one of the important social media platforms. Without it I probably wouldn't have reached the number of people I have by using it.”
Proudest image? It's something I created completely randomly and I really love the way it turned out.
Tell us the story… It’s something I made with a pretty rad app from one of my designs.
Who do you follow? @kesterblack – the company that make cruelty-free and vegan nail polish. They upload daily colour images and I always feel so inspired after looking at it.
Cliff is a home baker who applies his architectural skills to bake seriously cool cakes.
“I use Instagram even more than Facebook. I use it to show off my latest creation or to connect with my followers. The best thing about it is that it’s a free marketing platform no matter what industry you’re in.”
Proudest image? This cake was created for a Jack Daniels event.
Tell us the story… I was experimenting with metallic drips – something that no one else has really done before. Keeping within the brief, I made oversized gold chocolate sails to make the cake more dramatic.
Who do you follow? @minhky.le – an upcoming creative photographer-videographer. His 15 seconds food 'instavids' are truly inspiring and capture the food industry in a creative way.
A cafe and picklery in Marrickville, Cornersmith is committed to seasonal and ethically sourced produce. They also run workshops that teach traditional food craft skills.
“We use Instagram to draw attention to our workshops, producers and traders. We’re especially interested in showing that ethical food choices can be made in the city.”
Proudest image? Without a doubt, the image we’re most proud of is the picture of boxes and boxes, (100kg in fact) of traded citrus. Amazing! All in one week.
Tell us the story… The image is testament to how successful our trading program is: citrus season is our busiest trading time and we’re so proud that we are able to use all those oranges and lemons and kumquats that would otherwise rot in people’s back gardens. People bring us their gluts of produce and they take some pickles home and we make litres of marmalade or pickles – win win!
Who do you follow? @dishpigs and @doctorcooper.
An artist specialising in lettering and typography, Gemma works across calligraphy and illustration to large-scale murals for commercial brands and art projects.
“I’m browsing Instagram at any free moment, and I post images at least four times a week. It started off as a personal account, but as my following grew over the years it’s become more a professional tool to show my work, process and a little bit of social in between.”
Proudest image? I don’t think I have one single image I’m most proud of. I love capturing large-scale type murals as it gives a sense of context and scale even though you’re viewing from a tiny screen. I also like to use Instagram as a platform to show calligraphic experiments with different hand made tools.
Most likes (so far)? My “Fear Less” mural has the most likes of anything I’ve ever posted.
Tell us the story… I created the mural on the last night of my artist residency at Powder Mountain in Utah. I started the drawing at 4pm in the afternoon and had transferred to the wall and finished by about 4am before I had to fly out to New York the next morning. I used at least 30 Sharpies in the process.
Who do you follow? @seblester for live calligraphy, fave studio @ilovedust, local artist @melgrisa and @emily_katz for dreamy interiors.
John O’Callaghan is an urban planner and co-founder of Idea Bombing – a creative exchange of ideas in Sydney.
“I think three Instas in the one day is my max; I use it like a journal, posting moments that I can come back to later. I'm a big fan of the Instagram community and I often come back to it for creative inspiration. I like the idea of someone stumbling across my account and seeing another side to Sydney, perhaps something that they’d never thought about visiting, or even knew existed. There's a personal connection that I don't find on other social platforms.”
Proudest image? One of beach volleyball shadows on Tamarama Beach.
Tell us the story… The Bondi to Coogee walk is one of the best coastal walks in Sydney, if not the world. I was walking it with friends and noticed these shadows playing in the sand before I saw the people. I think instagram gives us the opportunity to reframe the everyday and these shadows were pretty cool.
Most likes (so far)? A shot of the war memorial at night.
Who do you follow? @Demasrusli.
Milly is a ceramic artist based in Sydney (originally from the Sunshine State).
“I tend to use Instagram every day. If I come across a heap of things I am excited about I may post three in one day. My Instagram is my personal account, and as my practice as a ceramic designer grew, so did the porcelain pictures. My other passion is the ocean, which can be seen all over my feed. I love everything about it, and I think there’s a correlation between it and my work. I like to post about other things I believe in or love, and they may not have any correlation to my work.”
Proudest image? Photos from the 'Sqoot' (Squirrel Shoot).
Tell us the story… When I was back in Montreal a few months ago, I thought it’d be fun to get some photos of squirrels and my pieces. We Googled some clips on hand signals used to lure a squirrel and it worked a treat! It was silly and fun.
Most likes (so far)? Ice cream seems to be the real winner when it comes to likes. My photo of a marbled gem cup filled with mint ice cream has the most likes so far.
Who do you follow? Bettina McILwraith @appetitefordecoration.
A fiercely proud Canadian, Patrick is head chef at Papi Chulo and all-round nice bloke.
“If you asked any of my friends [they’d probably say] I used Instagram way too much. It’s great to see what other chefs are doing around the world as well as just looking at beautiful things. I tend to like posting things I have created or events we are putting on at Papi Chulo.”
Proudest image? A professional photographer took a photo of me behind a massive barbecue spread.
Tell us the story… It was great to see the finished results of a few days hard work.
Who do you follow? @darren.orourke – the head butcher at Victor Churchill. I love seeing his beautiful creations with meat.
Studio Neon is a colourful warehouse space in Waterloo that can be hired for parties and events. Owner Aaron Teece is known for running and catering for conceptual events throughout Sydney and Australia.
“I try to upload something each morning and then I check it again at night.”
Proudest image? The picture of our current octopus dish is one of my favourites.
Tell us the story… The Studio Neon team spent a couple of long days cooking, styling and shooting dishes for the new website. It was great to see everything come together so beautifully in the end.
Most likes (so far)? I was working in Venice earlier this year and took this image of walnuts and pears as we packed away breakfast. I was helping to run workshops with @local_milk and it would have to have been one of the only spur of the moment, non-styled photos we took during the trip.
Who do you follow? @JUST_ADD_CREAM – inspiration for events.
Tahnee’s a young interior and lifestyle stylist, making everything from homes to magazine sets look schmick. She’s also the woman behind Citizens of Style, a creative collaboration with Bondi-based photographer Lynden Foss.
“I use Instagram every day. It’s sad that it has such a big influence on my life. It’s had a huge impact on me professionally – it’s [even] replaced the need for a website. I still like to throw in a few personal images to keep it real.”
Proudest image? A shot I styled for Real Living magazine.
Tell us the story… The art director has great trust in me and let me go off on one of my crazy tangents to create this set. It helped propel my career to the next level.
Who do you follow? @theladiesnetwork – a bunch of girls supporting female artists and hosting female-only exhibitions.
Voena is a Sydney-based, boundary-pushing creative agency, heavily focused on quality and alternative content.
“We typically only post one image daily – quality over quantity – there's enough shit on the internet. We use it as a platform to showcase the incredible [photography] that all the members of our team produce.”
Proudest image? One of our most amazing moments was doing the official coverage of Future Classic’s FCX event, celebrating ten years of the music label with some of Australia's most influential artists and with the best views in the entire city.
Tell us the story… This moment with Flight Facilities and Owl Eyes was definitely one of the highlights of the event and marked a pivotal moment of Voena's journey.
Who do you follow? @bellnjerry – Our team member Anthony produces some breathtaking images. Cannot recommend enough!
Five accounts you should already be following
These internet dominators need little introduction
1. The Design Kids – Graphic designers for lots of cool shit.
2. Citizens of the World – Stunning images of Sydney and abroad.
3. Tourism Australia – This is the cutest account ever.
4. Brown Cardigan – Because LOLs and memes are a daily need.
5. Katrina Parker – Can’t surf? Pretend you've got the skills, soak in this photographer’s feed.
Keep track of Time Out’s Instagrammers
A hit of Time Out inspiration, four times daily – @timeoutsydney
Arts & Culture editor – @deejefferson
Bars and Pubs editor – @emilylloydtait
Lifestyle editor – @emmajoyceyo
Music and Nightlife editor – @jordankretchmer
Restaurants and Cafes editor – @freyaherring
Sydney editor – @alyxgorman