Summer Shots With Instagram"s Nei Cruz
Nei Cruz has a great eye for the simple, clean, and crisp lines. His art shows a sense of complexity within all the lines. I was blown away by his architecture shots and wanted to feature Nei by asking him to showcase some of his awesome shots of summer.
Who is Nei Cruz?
N: I was born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, but the only place I really feel “at home” is Manhattan, NYC. My background is German and Portuguese, so my brain is always at odds with my heart. I have three college degrees in Art Direction, Fine Art and Design. I obtained them all simultaneously. I speak five languages: English, Portuguese, Spanish, French and Italian. I read a lot! My favorite books are 18th century literature. Yes, I’m a romantic. I come from a family of scientists. I chose to be the “artist” of the family. When I was a child, I had trouble learning and was labeled as “stupid.” Then 25 years ago, I found out that I was dyslexic, which explained the problem. It was a relief, but I spent my whole childhood and teenage years thinking that there was something wrong with me. I’m HORRIBLE at writing and terrible at spelling (see above), which is why I use Emoji so much.
However, I’m EXCELLENT at feeling. I feel things intensely and to the fullest. I take bullying very seriously! I believe that the solution for it to stop lies at home with family and at school with education. I was bullied a lot and my family and close friends who know my story think it’s a miracle I’m still alive. I have never repaired a small chip in my front tooth (a gift from one of the many bullies I encountered) to remind me that I’m a survivor and that many kids were not lucky enough to live to tell their story.
I’m shy. Through art, my career and even something simple like posting what I see through my eyes and the content of my head on IG, I try to overcome that. I love ALL forms of art. And I still truly believe the answer for everything is LOVE. Yes. I’m a dreamer…
Morning light has a special shimmer to it. It was early in the morning and the sunlight reflecting on the water made everything slightly silver and soft. I had been shooting mostly black and whites and I wanted my last set of Summer images to be in color.Shot with iPhone native camera. Edited with Camera+, color in Fade at 75% and light in Auto.
This was a lovely and quiet time for me. Fire Island was empty because it was during the week. I went to the pier to contemplate and enjoy being alone, which is a rare thing in NYC. Being alone is such a luxury to me, but I’m glad I had my trusty iPhone with me. This was my first “nature” shot.Shot at dusk with iPhone native camera. Edited with Camera+, color to Fade at 50% and light to Dark. Simple.
I have this affection for the number 3. I’m not sure why. I was born in March. I wonder if that has something to do with it.Shot with iPhone 4 native camera and edited with Camera+. First I changed the color to Ansel and the light to beach. Then I saved it and reloaded again on Camera+ and set the lighting to clarify. 6 Under the chairsI was just lying by the pool and noticed the lines of the chairs and the shadows. I shot it simply for the appreciation of the lines.Shot with iPhone native camera and edited with Camera+ color in B&W and light to Beach. Saved and reedited with Snapseed highlighting some of the whites with Selective Adjust.
Lots of feelings attached to this shot. It was my last trip on the boat leaving Fire Island for the summer. A bit of farewell, sad to part with my summer house, longing for the next summer… I thought the sky and the blue on the boat were lovely. They complemented each other beautifully.Shot with native iPhone camera. Edited with Camera+, color to Fade at 75% and light to Auto.
I was just lying by the pool and noticed the lines of the chairs and the shadows. I shot it simply for the appreciation of the lines. Shot with iPhone native camera and edited with Camera+ color in B&W and light to Beach. Saved and reedited with Snapseed highlighting some of the whites with Selective Adjust.
Since I work with vibrant colors on an everyday basis, white is one of my favorites. I love all things white. It relaxes my retina and slows my heartbeat…Shot with iPhone native camera. Edited with Camera+, color in Black and White, light to flash.
Who is Nei Cruz?
N: I was born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, but the only place I really feel “at home” is Manhattan, NYC. My background is German and Portuguese, so my brain is always at odds with my heart. I have three college degrees in Art Direction, Fine Art and Design. I obtained them all simultaneously. I speak five languages: English, Portuguese, Spanish, French and Italian. I read a lot! My favorite books are 18th century literature. Yes, I’m a romantic. I come from a family of scientists. I chose to be the “artist” of the family. When I was a child, I had trouble learning and was labeled as “stupid.” Then 25 years ago, I found out that I was dyslexic, which explained the problem. It was a relief, but I spent my whole childhood and teenage years thinking that there was something wrong with me. I’m HORRIBLE at writing and terrible at spelling (see above), which is why I use Emoji so much.
However, I’m EXCELLENT at feeling. I feel things intensely and to the fullest. I take bullying very seriously! I believe that the solution for it to stop lies at home with family and at school with education. I was bullied a lot and my family and close friends who know my story think it’s a miracle I’m still alive. I have never repaired a small chip in my front tooth (a gift from one of the many bullies I encountered) to remind me that I’m a survivor and that many kids were not lucky enough to live to tell their story.
I’m shy. Through art, my career and even something simple like posting what I see through my eyes and the content of my head on IG, I try to overcome that. I love ALL forms of art. And I still truly believe the answer for everything is LOVE. Yes. I’m a dreamer…
1. Pool Summer
Morning light has a special shimmer to it. It was early in the morning and the sunlight reflecting on the water made everything slightly silver and soft. I had been shooting mostly black and whites and I wanted my last set of Summer images to be in color.Shot with iPhone native camera. Edited with Camera+, color in Fade at 75% and light in Auto.
2. End of Summer Sunset.
This was a lovely and quiet time for me. Fire Island was empty because it was during the week. I went to the pier to contemplate and enjoy being alone, which is a rare thing in NYC. Being alone is such a luxury to me, but I’m glad I had my trusty iPhone with me. This was my first “nature” shot.Shot at dusk with iPhone native camera. Edited with Camera+, color to Fade at 50% and light to Dark. Simple.
3. Number 3
I have this affection for the number 3. I’m not sure why. I was born in March. I wonder if that has something to do with it.Shot with iPhone 4 native camera and edited with Camera+. First I changed the color to Ansel and the light to beach. Then I saved it and reloaded again on Camera+ and set the lighting to clarify. 6 Under the chairsI was just lying by the pool and noticed the lines of the chairs and the shadows. I shot it simply for the appreciation of the lines.Shot with iPhone native camera and edited with Camera+ color in B&W and light to Beach. Saved and reedited with Snapseed highlighting some of the whites with Selective Adjust.
4. The last boat trip
Lots of feelings attached to this shot. It was my last trip on the boat leaving Fire Island for the summer. A bit of farewell, sad to part with my summer house, longing for the next summer… I thought the sky and the blue on the boat were lovely. They complemented each other beautifully.Shot with native iPhone camera. Edited with Camera+, color to Fade at 75% and light to Auto.
5. Under the chairs
I was just lying by the pool and noticed the lines of the chairs and the shadows. I shot it simply for the appreciation of the lines. Shot with iPhone native camera and edited with Camera+ color in B&W and light to Beach. Saved and reedited with Snapseed highlighting some of the whites with Selective Adjust.
6. White Light
Since I work with vibrant colors on an everyday basis, white is one of my favorites. I love all things white. It relaxes my retina and slows my heartbeat…Shot with iPhone native camera. Edited with Camera+, color in Black and White, light to flash.
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