Photo Credit

Now that Andriod has hopped on the Instagramed-wagon, this thing looks like it’s finally gonna reach the upper tier of social media. Maybe you’ve been skeptical about it (“who wants to look at a bunch of new pictures that look old anyway?”) or maybe you just don’t know who to follow. Here to help you out are a few Chicagoans who I don’t mind blowing up my feed and showing me new perspectives of the city. (note: links lead to personal website, search for the names in parenthesis)

Clayton Hauck (claytonhauck)

You may already know Clayton Hauck as a nightlife and musician photographer. Hauck’s Instagram feed takes you out of the club and shines a light on Chicago’s nuances, whether it be trash on the street, impromptu portraits and other every day details you may glance over but never look at. For the cat fans, there’s quite a bit of feline pics too.

Craig Shimala (cshimala)

The Threadless employee definitely takes some of the most colorful pics of all who I follow. He’s very big on scenic sunrises / sunsets, especially from a roof in West Town (what I assume to be his residence). Also expect friends and coworkers looking and acting ridiculous.

Elise Swopes (swopes)

The majority of Swope’s feed takes place in Chicago, unlike a lot of the other nomadic photogs on this list. She mostly focuses on the lake, alleyways and downtown shots. Some photos get an extra hint of the surreal with the addition of red, green, and blue spheres, or elephants and giraffes.

Trashhand (trashhand)

From the massive skyscrapers to the crumbling and forgotten spaces, Trashhand gets it all. He sometimes keeps it simple with minimal edits and letting the natural beauty of the city dominate and sometimes adds very unique effects (the faceless portraits series for example).

Of course this is only a start. Who else is making you constantly refresh your Instagram feed?

And why not check out some of the UPC team as well: Jackie (jcberkery), Gene (genew3), and yours truly (isotherpeople).