We love to highlight the professional photographers who use ONA bags in our Photographer Profile series. However, we realized that there are also plenty of super-talented bloggers who take beautiful photos (and write, and edit, and share) as a living–often without any formal training or professional associations. Even when bloggers are talented writers, they often rely on photos to bring their stories to life or to share their everyday lives as a story.
Jacintha of Urban Pixxels carries the Leather Bowery in Antique Cognac.
ONA: How did you get into blogging?
JV: I started my blog when I moved from the Netherlands to London in April 2013. It was something that I'd wanted to do for a while. I was following some other bloggers, and I love writing and photography, but I never knew what to blog about or how to get started. In my first week in London I attended a blogger event, and after meeting all these amazing bloggers I decided to just go for it.
ONA: What’s your favorite thing to photograph?
JV: I love photographing people, especially when I travel. But when you look at my blog you'll see that I often take pictures of food too.
ONA: How does photography play a role on your blog?
JV: Photography plays a big role on my blog. I love writing too, but with every blog post, the photos do most of the storytelling.
ONA: What camera do you shoot with? What is your “go to” lens of choice?
JK: I've been using the same camera for 7 years now, which is a Nikon D80. It's a great camera, but I'm planning to 'upgrade' to a full-frame camera this year. And I think about 80% of my photos are taken with my 35mm f/1.8 lens. I always thought that I needed a big zoom lens, but I actually prefer a prime lens. It forces me to get closer to what or whom I'm photographing and it's easier to carry around.
ONA: What inspired you to start your blog?
JV: I was inspired by successful travel and lifestyle bloggers. The way they shared their stories on beautiful websites with professional looking photos. I wanted to do the same now that I was starting a new life in London. Sharing my photos and stories while I was 'connecting the dots in a new city'. It's a great motivator to keep looking for new and interesting things to do in London, to travel the world and to improve my photography.
ONA: In one sentence, what advice would you give to a blogger just starting out?
JV: Meet up with other bloggers. I learned a lot from attending blogger events and meet-ups in London and other cities. Bloggers are nice people and almost all of them are willing to give advice and share their tips. Plus I made a lot of new friends this way.
ONA: What’s your favorite post on your site and why?
JV: It's difficult to pick a favorite, but I especially enjoyed writing the posts about London food markets such as Brockley Market and Maltby Street Market. These places are great for taking photos of both people and food and they're one of the reasons I love living in London so much.
ONA: How did you hear about ONA?
JV: I'm always looking for 'the perfect camera bag' (it's a bit of an addiction). I discovered ONA after reading Lindsey's review on her blog Lost in Cheeseland. I looked on the ONA website and fell in love with the Leather Bowery Camera Bag & Insert which is the bag I'm using today.
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