Lifestyle

When was the last time you pulled out a digital camera to take a photo? Unless you're a pro with a cool camera hanging around your neck at all times, you're more than likely using a smartphone for everyday picture taking.

With cool apps that easily filter and edit your photos, an imaginary life as a professional photographer is near reality for novices. But, no matter how great your "smartphone-ography" skills are, true photographers have managed to cut through the clutter of social media and find a new kind of platform in the land we know as, Instagram.

It seems a true artist can transform any outlet into his or her own creative space.  And we've found a few.          

Check out our list of six creative souls you should check out on Instagram – if you haven't already.

Hank Willis Thomas: @hankwthomas

He may have the heaviest name on the list, but this popular New York City livin' conceptual artist is pretty awesome, even when it comes to visuals on his mobile device. His account is filled with a variety of cool photos from nature to snap shots of his personal artwork.

Jeremy Biggers: @stemandthorn

Hailing from Dallas, Jeremy Biggers is a graphic artist, painter and designer. His Instagram feed will have you coveting his phenomenal artistic abilities from shots of his popular speed paintings of hip hop artists, random photos around town or the gorgeous women modeling for his creative brand, Stem and Thorn. His pictures are sure to keep your feed interesting.

Christin: @christinshootspeople

She's a Houstonian, a mother, and a pretty awesome capturer of candid moments. You may recognize Christin’s kiddie shots circulating every social network you can post a picture to. Scroll her Instagram account, and you'll meet Christin's star model, Riley who has helped her mommy gain attention from across the country. Christin's account is filled with shots of her baby girl, usually tagged with #kidsfashion or #naturalkids. You'll also get a look into her personal endeavors, and you'll find that Christin is amazing behind any lens.

Alexandra L. Smith: @alexelle

You may know Alexandra Smith (aka Alex Elle) from her popular blog, The Good Hair Blog. Alex Elle uses Instagram to share all of her creative talents and ideas with her fans and followers. She's a pretty fun follow if you’re into natural hair, poetry, healthy eating and great photography.

Joshua Dwain: @joshuadwain

Award-winning wedding photographer, Joshua Dwain, uses his Instagram account to share his personal life with fans, but he also gives glimpses of his stunning photo shoots. If it's not a wedding, it's an engagement – and if it's not work, then it's fun shots of his friends and family. Like a traditional photographer, with any Instagram post Dwain's photography skills are still in use – unless its #ThrowbackThursday.

Mambu Bayoh: @mambubayoh

Mambu Bayoh is a Liberian born Sierra Leonean photographer. Unlike the rest of the artists mentioned, his Instagram account is filled primarily with uploads of his professional work for his followers to see. It's an alternative to his Tumblr blog, StaySuckaFree. Full of vibrant shots of African American men, women and children, Bayoh captures beautiful images of models and regular, everyday people. If you're into high fashion photos of people of color, then you're in for a treat. Mambu's goal in his photos is for viewers to see themselves, their mothers, aunts and friends in a different perspective.

Go ahead and get your visual stimulation – follow these photographers turned "smartphone-ographers."  Your Instagram newsfeed will never be the same.