In the spirit of celebrating Freedom Day on the 27^th of April 2016, Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism will host their first Instameet for 2016. If you have a phone, a camera or if you are curios and feel like joining a few Port Elizabethans, make your way down to the South End Museum this Wednesday at 11am. There are some great prizes up for grabs as well as a free coffee or soda courtesy of South End Boulevard Café.

 

 

In Nelson Mandela Bay we have our bread buttered on both sides when it comes to photography. On the one side we have the ocean, on the other side we have nature reserves and right in the middle we have our beloved city; quiet yet energetic, old yet modern.

Every day Instagrammers from all over the Bay capture the heartbeat of the city. Compelling photographs fill our Instagram feeds under the #MyNelsonMandelaBay hashtag; urban delights get snapped under the #CityofPE and #ColourstheCityPE hashtags and the Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism inspired #ShareTheBay hashtag invites and encourages all to share their moments from the Bay.

I dove into the hashtags in search of the Bay’s finest Instagrammers. I had a look at the collaborative accounts such as @cityofpe, @igersportelizabeth, @showmeportelizabeth and @coloursofyousa. I backtracked to recent photos and photos from 30 weeks ago. I saw the Shark Rock Pier every now and then, a few too many selfies and the colourful Donkin Reserve. Multiple photos unfolded before my eyes showcasing the city’s sights, spots, sunrises, streets, smiles, sunsets and seaside views and under the power of the hashtags I realised that Port Elizabeth is one photogenic city and home to a bunch of unique and extremely talented photographers who are all about the moments, the people and the spirit of Nelson Mandela Bay. They deserve some Friendly City and Mzansi Instagram love.

 

Port Elizabeth’s Top Instagrammers Capturing the Spirit of Nelson Mandela Bay

In no specific order...

 

Gary - @garyblomphotography

Favourite photo spot in Nelson Mandela Bay: Schoenmakerskop.

"To me Instagram is a platform I can use to show my adventures and stories to people on a global scope through photography. I can show people the different creative views of the beautiful places I get to visit and hopefully pique their interest in going to visit these places too."

 

Elmar - @the9thsky

Favourite photo spot in Nelson Mandela Bay: No particular spot, wherever and whenever the moment strikes.

"Instagram is a place where you can be creative and share your perspective of the world with other like-minded people."

 

Marion - @marionmarais

Favourite photo spot in Nelson Mandela Bay: Somewhere that shows the beauty of the Bay with a view.

"Instagram is a way for me to express the way I view the world through a creative outlet, without judgement or fear of criticism."

 

Theveshan 'Tv' Pillay - @tvpillay

Favourite photo spot in Nelson Mandela Bay: King's Beach and Cape Recife.

"Instagram is a place where I get to showcase my creativity and it is also a place where I get an insight into the life of other Instagrammers and I get to see their city/country through their eyes."

 

Marc-Hervé - @el.herve

Favourite photo spot in Nelson Mandela Bay: Schoenies Beach.

"Instagram is a medium to express oneself whether through caption or picture and it is a place you meet new people and see their perspective of the world."

 

Khurshid Samarqandiy - @africuz

Favourite photo spot in Nelson Mandela Bay: The harbour and Shark Rock Pier.

"Instagram opened up the world of enthusiast and professional photographers for me. I made new friends who share their experiences with one another. It is one of the best social media platforms to share, learn and most importantly, gain exposure amongst other Instagrammers."

 

Emmanuel Jafta - @emmanueljaftha

Favourite photo spot in Nelson Mandela Bay: City Hall, Govan Mbeki and the surrounding areas of the Donkin Reserve, especially the Alfred Terrace.

"Instagram is more than a social media platform to me, it's a part of my life. It is through Instagram that I developed as a person, went out of my comfort zone, made lasting friendships, created life-long memories and got to know my girlfriend (before we had ever met in person). The past 18 months of being an active Instagrammer have transformed and shaped my life more than I could have ever imagined and I look forward to sharing the stories, memories and all my adventures from this gem of a city for generations to come."

 

Jason Ridge - @jasonridge81

Favourite photo spot in Nelson Mandela Bay: Sardinia Bay.

"For me Instagram means community because it brings everyone together and allows you to share photos with one another".

 

Shawn Marsh - @marshyphotography

Favourite photo spot in Nelson Mandela Bay: Cape Recife (at sunrise).

"Instagram has been more than just an app to post pictures, it has been a platform to express my emotions through my pictures and more seriously, to share my pictures to get my name out there through social media to try to expand marshyphotography."

 

Zinzi - @zinzimay

Favourite photo spot in Nelson Mandela Bay: Downtown Port Elizabeth (City Hall to North End).

"As a graphic designer/art director I've always believed that visual communication plays a huge part in your brand, it is the deciding factor of whether people find that they are suited to work with you or not, depending on how you position yourself and Instagram is a platform that allows for that. Instagram can and has been a starting point for creatives to collaborate. It's a space for me to show where my interests lie, a personal portfolio piece, a space outside of the corporate environment where I can express myself visually and most of the time it is where I find inspiration".

 

Gerard Addison - @g.wow.addison

Favourite photo spot in Nelson Mandela Bay: The heart of the city, Downtown Port Elizbeth.

"Instagram has become such an amazing platform, not only does it allow you to showcase your experiences instantly, it's developed into a creative space where we can share our talents, inspire and bring the community together through Instameets, for example the worldwide Instameet #lifeonearthwwim13_za, which happened last weekend because of @cityofpe, @igersportelizabeth and @coloursofyousa. 

 

Chasing the Rainbow - @therainbowsa

Favourite photo spot in Nelson Mandela Bay: Sardinia Bay Beach.

"Instagram allows you to experience the wonder of the world, from your phone. Not only can we share our moments, miracles and special places, but we can look through the eyes of others, seeing the incredible beauty of their favourite spots and feeling their emotions".

 

Gabriella "Luna" Groepe - @diaryofluna

Favourite photo spot in Nelson Mandela Bay: Early morning around City Hall and Settlers Park.

"Instagram is my way of showing off my city and its people. The beautiful faces you find in Port Elizabeth and how those people enjoy the spaces we have around here is mainly what I show on my feed. So my Instagram feed shows how I love Port Elizabeth and the people that occupy it. If I find a beautiful face and an unseen or untapped area of PE, you will find it all over my feed."

 

Stuart Black - @crazyninja88

Favourite photo spot in Nelson Mandela Bay: Cape Recife Nature Reserve

"Instagram is what I use to show off the beautiful country we live in!"

 

Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism - @nelsonmandelabay

Favourite photo spot in Nelson Mandela Bay: Port Elizabeth, Uitenhage and Despatch.

"Through Instagram we get a glimpse into the lives of our people and how they experience, see and enjoy the Bay. The #ShareTheBay hashtag encourages everyone and anyone to share their moments, memories and milestones in Nelson Mandela Bay."

 

Do you have a favourite Port Elizabeth Instagrammer? Comment below and share the names of our local Instagrammers who deserve some Friendly City and Mzansi Instagram love!

And don't forget to join in on the Instameet fun on Freedom Day: 27 April 2016, 11am, South End Museum!

Compiled by Anje Rautenbach, travel blogger at Going Somewhere Slowly - follow her journeys around South Africa on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.