#SFGuide Featured Photographer: Lexi Brooke Osborne
Each week we select and profile a photographer from our #SFGuide community on Instagram. We believe these photographers capture the everlasting beauty of San Francisco and the Bay Area. For a chance to be featured on our Instagram feed, or here, on 49Miles.com, tag your photos with #SFGuide.
This week’s featured #SFGuide photographer is Lexi Brooke Osborne (@lexibrookephotography), a Kansas City native currently residing in Half Moon Bay. Scroll down to view Lexi’s amazing work, and learn more about what inspires her as a creative.
#SFGuide Featured Artist Profile
Name: Lexi Osborne
Age: 24
Profession: Social media manager for various companies/ restaurants, and part-time photographer.
Place of Birth: Kansas city, KS
Where do you currently reside: Half Moon Bay, CA
Something you’d like viewers to know about you: 90’s alternative music is my jam! Especially Blink 182. I am also a huge foodie!
What is your favorite spot to shoot in San Francisco, and why?
This may be a cliche, but pretty much any unique view I can find of the beautiful Golden Gate Bridge. Or, the always classic Twin Peaks lookout. Away from the city- Half Moon Bay has my heart for photos.
When and why did you take up photography?
I took up photography while living in Los Angeles in 2014… Basically, I was tired of seeing all of the beauty around me everyday, and having no way to capture it. That really inspired me to get my first DSLR Nikon camera.
What do you love about photography?
So many things… but personally, one of my favorite things about photography is creating an image that is unique to you and your own perspective. We all see the world differently, and that is a beautiful thing. Photography has it’s way of describing life, when you can’t find the right words. One photo can say so much. 🙂
How do you decide what to shoot?
It depends on the vision I have in mind for the times I choose to shoot; sometimes, I don’t plan on going to shoot and just drive somewhere random, and those can often be the best photos! But if I have a particular vision, I choose a place that can help fulfill that vision for me. Whether that be nature or urban.
What’s your favorite part about going out to shoot?
You just never know what might happen! You might go out and shoot and take one decent photo out of 400 tries, or you may get 400 great shots! I like the unknown of a new adventure, it excites me every time. I try to go to new locations every time!
Which location did you have the most difficulty getting to, and how did you do it?
I don’t do it often… but I would say rooftops have been my biggest challenge! There are so many obstacles, if you’re not supposed to be there, make sure you don’t get caught! I’ve been to a few that are locked at the top and you have to find a new way on. It’s challenging but usually worth it!
What is your dream shot? (Where, what time of day, what’s in it / the subject?)
As a newer resident to the Bay Area, I still haven’t gotten the perfect ‘silky fog’ shot atop Mt. Tamalpais… but my goal is to get an amazing sunrise/ sunset shot from that location. (Someday very soon I will do this!) And of course, not in relation to SF… I will without question go to Iceland someday and capture the northern lights! That is a dream.
What is your favorite app to use for photo editing on the go, and what are your top 3 favorite filters?
Lightroom, Photoshop, and on-the-go I use the Adobe Photoshop Express app on my phone (which can be very helpful!) I don’t typically use any filters outside of those apps.
How does Instagram and the #SFGuide community inspire you?
Kind of in relation to what I said above, I love how diverse the IG & #SFGuide communities are. Speaking on behalf of SF, it’s amazing how we can all live in the same city, but everyone sees it from a different stand point! I get inspired by different/ new accounts daily. I may see a viewpoint one way, and someone else sees it completely different. It’s interesting and keeps my creative juices flowing!
What are your favorite San Francisco-based Instagram accounts to follow?
There are SO many great ones! And I’ve met many great local artists. But some of my very favorites at the moment are: @thesanfrancisco, @sanfrancisco_toys, @gettyphotography, @iwozzy, @ellekaiser, @greghillson, @mattfraser9, @twixfunsize and more!
What type of camera do you use? And what is your dream camera?
I shoot with a Nikon D5500, and Nikon D610… currently I’m dreaming about drones! I need an awesome drone to get started with a whole new perspective! And if I could upgrade my camera body… I’d choose the Nikon D750. 🙂
What are your favorite settings in your ideal shot?
For a sunset shot…
Lens: 14-24mm Nikkor lens (my favorite wide angle lens)
Aperture: 7.1
Shutter Speed: 1/15 sec.
ISO: 200
White Balance: Auto
Focus (Manual / Auto): Manual
Image Format (RAW / JPEG): RAW (Always!)
What advice would you give to new or rising photographers that you wish you had received when you first started?
Learn as much as you can from any photographer you meet or shoot with. And meet as many as you can! You can be years into the hobby and there is always something new to learn. Stick to your own, unique perspective. And figure out what type of photography interests you most, so you can buy the most accommodating lenses/ camera bodies. Really do your research before settling on one! And I suggest renting different options to test what is best for you.
What do you love about living in the San Francisco Bay Area?
I am somewhat new to the area, but I don’t think I will ever run out of places to go explore all over the Bay! It’s so beautiful and unlike any city in America. The nature and fog is amazing, and the size of the hills in this city are crazy! And of course ‘Goldie’ looks good from every angle. 🙂
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