Instagram influence on Mass tourism
6th November 2019

Despite being a fiery Italian (at least half of me is), I rarely publish rants on Instagram. It might happen on Facebook, where I still keep my private life and my friends separated from the rest of the world. But not on other platforms. Today, though, I woke up to fellow Instagramers from London promoting an app they are featured in (also hiding their involvement). And what I saw made me run...

Read More
Photo critique
1st November 2019

As of this month, I started offering free photo critiques through my Instagram account @fabienb. The concept is really simple. I always try to find ways to give back and help the community and this is one more way for me to do so. I ask my followers to send me their pictures to review and critique. It’s the same kind of work an editor of a magazine could do, for example....

Read More
you got talent
17th October 2019

I feel like I need to write a few words about talent. It’s something I thought about after some feedback I received following my recent attempt to immerse myself in the world of Street Photography. You might have seen the results in my Instagram feed and stories (@fabienb) or in the Highlights. Or in some recent blog posts. Among the feedback I received were comments like “you’re very talented” or “you’re very...

Read More
street photography workshop in London
1st October 2019

Together with John Hughes, I will be hosting a street photography workshop in London on the 23rd of November. John and I have become friends through photography. We have met several times for photo walks in London and also went shooting together a few times. John is a well-known talented street photographer. I learned a lot from hanging out with him and all the people he’s connected me with. He already hosts...

Read More
Jerusalem light
21st September 2019

While in Tel Aviv for the OFFF event and my workshop, I decided to go capture the Jerusalem light again. When I went last year, I explored the holy city to find good Landscape and Travel Photography opportunities. This year, I went with my friend Chris to photograph life in the old town’s narrow alleys. We had some restrictions, but nothing major. First, you can’t access the Muslim side on Fridays and...

Read More
graphic designer studio portfolio stable diffusion illustration ink
16th September 2019

I know this will sound incomprehensible to most of you: I don’t have a public portfolio on my website. Which looks pretty counterintuitive for a Designer.This article is not meant to be a suggestion to ditch your own. This works for me for reasons I will elaborate on here, but it might be the wrong choice for everybody else. It could also be for me, but since making this decision, I have...

Read More
mental health, depression, lonely man on a sofa, stable diffusion, illustration, ink, therapy
15th September 2019

– So, I went to see your dad yesterday. He asked me if you’re well.– Uh, yeah. I guess. Why did he ask?– He said the last time he saw you, you never smiled.– Oh. Well, maybe I was tired for the travel.– Then he said he saw your cousin, and he also mentioned when you two met. He felt you were not well either.– Oh, really? This is pretty much when...

Read More
Workshop in Tel Aviv
3rd September 2019

TL;DR: I’ll be hosting a photography and editing workshop in Tel Aviv in a couple weeks. It’s been almost a year since I went to Israel for the first time. I was there to attend another one of the many OFFF events worldwide. And the Israeli edition was one of the highlights of last year.I can’t believe time flies so quickly! But it does indeed. And it’s time for me to go...

Read More
26th August 2019

This must be the first creative advice I give in this blog. But I have developed a few techniques to help with my creativity, and it feels fair I share them here. So let’s begin. One that’s always been fruitful is constantly looking away from my “bubble”. In some ways, it resembles the advice to go out of your comfort zone 🙂 Design For example, I attend design conferences not directly related...

Read More
20th July 2019

After the story about my shadowban and how it happened, I’m back to talking about Instagram account issues. Yes, again. How Positive… One thing I try to do every time on Instagram is reply to all who leave a comment on my photos. Even only to say thanks. Instagram is a social media so nurturing the social component is very important to me. And I like to talk with people, hear what...

Read More
9th July 2019

Readly is now running a Summer deal, which lets you try the service and read their entire catalogue without limitations for 2 months. All for 0.99. Just use my link, register and start.

Read More
Giant rainbow flag carried by parade participants at London Pride
7th July 2019

Like I try to do almost every year, I attended the London Pride again in 2019. It’s always a colourful parade and a full day of joy, fun, quirkiness, and love. And in these past 2 years, I also went with the clear intention to shoot some good portraits. For somebody as shy as me, the London Pride is always a great chance to do so, because people expect to be photographed....

Read More
warm sunset over West London
21st June 2019

I often get my best results when I follow my gut feelings rather than plan for something. This story is a good testament to that. Since I returned from beautiful Georgia (more on that in a future post), the weather in London has been pretty grim and depressing. It rained almost every day, and it was generally cold and grey most of the time. This day was no exception. And frankly, there...

Read More
Fading figure leaving along rail tracks
9th May 2019

You might have heard of this thing called “shadowban”. Allegedly, Instagram has ways to punish spammy content and counter the rise of bots, fake accounts, etc. What Instagram does is flag suspicious accounts and consequently slash the reach and engagement that these accounts receive. And that would obviously be a good thing. You see this shadowban term surfacing in discussions because perfectly legit accounts get caught in Instagram security’s net. I’m sure...

Read More