Sharyn Honoured Up and Coming Garden Route Instagram Boffin
CXPRESS nagged the Garden Route’s most famous Instagrammer, SHARYN HODGES of ShowMe Plett, and then nagged and nagged some more (she’s particularly humble and rather shy, you see) until she agreed to share a little bit of what makes her tick, er, click with such spectacular results.
CX: Where and when and how did it all begin?
SH: I would say my love of photography developed in 2010 when I worked on a cruise liner for a few months. Fellow crew members nicknamed me “The Tourist” as I was always first to get off the ship wherever we docked.
I ended up exploring the streets of Barcelona, beaches of the Cayman Islands, the antiquity of Florence. My camera was my constant ‘sidekick’ and went wherever I did – I drenched myself in the history of Europe and wanted to capture every beautiful scene, every sunrise and ancient landscape, so that I didn’t forget a single thing I experienced.
CX: And when did the Instagram bug bite?
SH: I only got hooked on Instagram when I went to my first InstaWalk during last year’s Knysna Oyster Festival. Here I met @scrumpyjackson and, as they say, the rest is history!
I was really surprised that he knew who I was, but the Oyster Festival coincided with my Plett 0731 Project, which he was following!
(Turn to page 15 of the July 16 edition at www.cxpress.co.za to see some of Sharyn’s images and to learn more about this particular project.)
CX: So that hailed the start to a young but extremely exciting Instagram career. Is it even possible to number the best bits?
SH: There have been many amazing highlights so far, from being featured on most of the biggest South African Instagram Accounts to becoming a Manlger for the Garden Route. But the highlight I cherish most was being featured in the December 2014 edition of Kulula’s inflight magazine.
Kuluma did a beautiful six- page spread about the Instagram culture in South Africa. The article listed some of my all-time favourite Instagrammers across the country, including the uber-talented @garethpon, @deancothill and @scrumpyjackson.
I was introduced as one of the Garden Route Instagrammers to follow and I was so honoured (and humbled) to be featured next to some of my best-loved ‘grammers.
There is so much that I like about Instagram; not only is it a great way to share your photos, but also to discover and find like-minded people, who have similar photographic styles.
Instagram is intuitive to use and you don’t need any fancy camera equipment, just bucketsful of passion and heart. InstaWalks have introduced me to some amazing people along the way – people that I consider now to be best friends.
CX: Suppose the fact that your home is a place of scenic beauty doesn’t hurt, hey?
SH: I am very fortunate to live in Plett – it’s an Instagrammer’s paradise! What is there not to love? We have four seasons in one day, and the most amazing cloud formations. We have beaches, rivers, the lagoon, whales, dolphins, hiking trails, and mountains. I have never seen a more beautiful place in my life and I am at my happiest when I have sea sand between my toes, the sea breeze in my wild hair and my “Lion” by my side.
CX: Any words of wisdom you’d like to share with wannabe ‘grammers?
SH: My advice to aspiring Instagrammers and photographers would be to take photos every day – it doesn’t matter of what. Use your natural surroundings and look for interesting angles, shadows and textures that will give your photo that little bit of sparkle. And follow photographers with similar interests on Instagram; then go back in six months’ time to see how your photography has improved.
If you would like to join us on our next InstaWalk, follow @igersgardenroute and watch out for our InfoGrams. See you there!
(You can make contact via Twitter at Sharyn Hodges, Instagram @sharynhodges, at www.sharynhodges.co.za or at www.facebook.com/ sharynhodgesphotography.)