Through My Lens : On Instagram


Since joining Instagram, I find that I've been taking more photos and using my phone camera more often. Being a bit of a photo purist, I haven't really been too interested in using filters or changing my photography style. This is just a small selection of photos I've posted recently. I don't like to overload my posts with images cause I personally feel inundated after about 10 or so and just lose interest. To see more, please visit me on Instagram. You can find me at @rolalaloves. I've been really appreciating the view uptown from my building lately. The Empire State Building was lit in blue and white pinstripes and blue and orange in honor of the Yankees vs. Mets Subway Series. They would dedicate the lights to the winner after each game. This is how it looked after the first game. Let's say this Yankee fan was happy.

It took awhile but it's finally starting to feel like Spring in New York City and everything is blooming. It's really such a pretty time of year and if my allergies weren't going crazy I'd probably be taking more photos but I have managed to capture some of the cherry blossoms downstairs.
This could be my Spring uniform - my favorite trench coat and one of my many striped tops.
A few new additions to my closet. I actually own a good deal of color so I kept is it neutral. The text on the t-shirt says "I don't like you." in French which my husband says is kind of perfect for me haha.
I usually plan ahead with what I make for dinner but sometimes I just wing it with things I have in the refrigerator and this rice noodle dish sautéed with broccoli, red pepper and organic pork in a black bean sauce was the result one night. It was delicious and I will be making it again.
A pizza bagel from Black Seed Bagels to celebrate their first birthday in New York City.
BBQ at Miss Korea
Sunset on the Hudson River as seen from Brookfield Place. Such gorgeous colors!
A quiet morning on Doyers Street in Chinatown. Took this one on my way to the post office. This street was filled with revelers from Vogue's Met Gala Pre-Party the other night.
A close up view of the Empire State Building when I was in the neighborhood.

The lucky winner of the Derma E Earth Day Beauty Giveaway is Cheryl F. Congratulations Chery! I will have another giveaway for you all soon.

54 comments

Unknown said...

Beautiful photos!

Gemma
TaipeiStyle

My Garden Diaries said...

My goodness are your shots just incredible! They completely transported me friend! And the shots you took of the city are so rich in colors and emotion! I love when you do these posts! Happy week to you Rowena and thank you for inspiring!!!! Nicole xo

sonia // daring coco said...

You have one pretty Instagram feed. I'll have to look you up when I go on it next. Truthfully I've been keeping away from it. I needed to disconnect for a while and since doing that I'm finding it harder (which is a very good thing) to engage as I once did. Plus most of the photos I capture I am never happy with either.

Sxx
www.daringcoco.com

CQUEK said...

nice shot.- tshirt i don;t like you i thought it will be Je'taime

Paola Lauretano said...

Amazing shots, I love all your pics Rowena!!!
xo Paola
Expressyourself
My Facebook

Emmylou said...

Just awesome pics, Rowena:) You make everything about NYC (more) beautiful:)

Anonymous said...

I always enjoy your snaps! You see beauty in everything, I love that.

Jackie Harrison said...

Great shots doll.

The Dainty Dolls House said...

Amazing pictures, always enjoy seeing them. The pizza bagel looks sooooo good :)) Happy week to you doll xx

Margaret Dallospedale said...

Hi Rowena,
Beautiful pcs.
I love this tree.
Kisses
Maggie Dallospedale Fashion diary - Fashion blog

Diana Mieczan said...

Your photos are so pretty!!! Btw: I am totally craving a pizza bagel right now. Kisses and have a great morning.

Elle Sees said...

LOVE your photos!!

Shireen L. Platt said...

You have a very good eye for photography, Rowena! And you just gave me an idea about black beans sauce, never thought of using it in my noodles dish so thank you for the inspiration!

Shireen | Reflection of Sanity

little luxury list said...

That view of the sunset on the hudson is so gorgeous! It is so great to see that the cherry blossoms came out in full force as well. Ahh I miss spring in NY!

xoxo,
little luxury list formerly Chic 'n Cheap Living

Stanislava E. said...

Seems that the Empire State Building is your favourite one for photos! And to be honest, it would have been my favourite too, if I was living in NYC. You are such a lucky one to have this gorgeous view from your building! I really enjoy your Instagram photos; each one is a perfect one and I often think that they were taken with your DSLR. Sorry to hear that you have allergies, my mom and boyfriend have it too and I know what it is. You are killing me with that pizza bagel, Rowena, you're not fair! Have a great day ahead, dear friend! xo

Tales of Whimsy said...

Love it!

I hear ya on being a purist. I find that I stay away from photographers that use filters too much. I like filters for selfies and portraits but not for capturing a scene or landscape.

Ha! That shirt sounds fun!

Anonymous said...

Everything is so gorgeous but especially infatuated with that pink flower pic. Too perfect!

xx 365Hangers

Lilli said...

Hi Rowena, you know already the first and the last ones are my fav, Empire State Building is so impressive and I wish I saw it soon from real. Id be so curious to taste the pizza bagel, Im hungry only seeing the pic! Your spring uniform is very lovely and I always love your blossom snaps, mesmerizing! Happy Monday, hugs! xo

May Cho said...

You take such pretty pictures! Those food ones have gotten me hungry, though!

May x • The MaydenBloglovin'

Kelsey&Kenecha said...

Loving the outside shots, it looks beautiful where you are x

Florals&Smiles
Twitter

Anonymous said...

Beautiful photos Rowena! I don't know why I missed you had an Instagram account! following you right away ;)

BEAUTYEDITER.COM – Beauty Blog said...

Fab post! Thanks for sharing this to us. :)

xoxo;
STYLEFORMANKIND.COM
Facebook / Bloglovin

Jane said...

Those are some gorgeous colors in the sunset photo!

Marcela Gmd said...

Wow lovely post!!! nice photos and colors!!!
Have a good week, dear Rowena!!! g+ and like for you!!:)))

Besos, desde España, Marcela♥

Jo said...

I've already told you, Rowena, that I'm so glad you are on Instagram. You are meant to be! I mean look at your photos! Your great photography skills and eye for details really make everything so beautiful. I love how these were taken with your phone! I couldn't do the same with mine and mine is iPhone 6 which isn't too bad already. I'm comparing our food photos and yours look as pro as if they were shot usign DSLR. I've to learn a tip or 2 from you.

RYC:
The rain didn't dampen anything at Beitou though it did for the next 2 days. It rained heavier when we were at destinations that required the good old sun. Hehe... It's a habit to take photo or video tour of all my accommodation. I like to remember it that way. Glad people like you enjoy it too! Xiao long bao is the best!

Jo
Jo's Jumbled Jardinière

Lenya said...

I love your photos, Rowena. They are so beautiful. Happy start into a new week, doll.
kisses
Lenya
FashionDreams&Lifestyle

Beauty Follower said...

Wonderful photos!
Have a great new week :)

http://beautyfollower.blogspot.gr

Sakuranko said...

Oh very gorgeous pics sweetie
Thanks for share
xx

www.sakruanko.com

buffalo journeys said...

Beautiful photos! As always, the food looks delicious. It's making me hungry right now, especially the rice noodle dish. I just had rice noodles for lunch, but I could eat it again :)

Coco said...

Dear Rowena, your snaps of NY are like a magnet to me. So so charming! Big hugs doll
Baci,
Coco et La vie en rose fashion blog - Valeria Arizzi

Corinne said...

Your instagram photos are amazing! Mine are always all the same.

Corinne x
www.skinnedcartree.com

Ivana Split said...

Clearly you're a pro, that first photograph is insanely perfect. I love the light and the way the Empire State Building is lit in blue is gorgeous. I'm sorry to hear about your allergies but at the same time I'm glad the Spring has arrived there as well...such lovely blossom pics!
I do like all of the photos...I say yay to the trench and the striped top...tres chic as so is that 'I don't like you' tee ( I'm not sure would I understand it If I saw it on someone, I don't speak French).

the broccoli, noodles and pork seems like a great combo...yummy dish for sure!

http://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/

ALLIE NYC said...

I am excited for iphone 7 I am still on the 4s and now will just wait as rumor has it that the i phone 7 will come out in September and is going to feature a dual lens! Your photos are gorgeous as usual.

Allie of ALLIENYC
allienyc.com

Unknown said...

I love all these photos...you captured each of these moments so beautifully!

http://ourruins.com

Beauty said...

Very beautiful pictures; the pic of the empire state building and sunset on the Hudson River are just breathtaking.

Rebeca Muñoz López said...

Oh yes! I've seen your instagram account and have very nice pictures I like the style of your fotografñia. Rays! need a trench like that this season, Kisses Rowena.

www.urbanikamoda.blogspot.com

trishie said...

Love the caption on the T-shirt. I need it too! I've been wearing my trench coat a lot too. Perfect for autumn here as well.

Effortlesslady said...

You so talented. Amazing shots.
www.effortlesslady.com

Jenmarie said...

I'm so glad you've been taking more photos! I think you take stunning photographs of everything.

Leslie said...

Hi Rowena! Lovely pictures of NY in bloom. After the long winter I hope you are soaking up that sunshine. I like the way you share a little bit of everything:)

Mihaela Pojogu said...

I love the way you do the photos, I learn a lot from you, thanks! xo

miasmode said...

Hi Rowena! Congrats to the lucky winner. Yes I also lose the interest if someone posts too many pics :D Esp. 100+ pics of the same look. I admire your photography skills and btw you don't need any filters. A trench and a striped top is the perfect combo. That rice noodle dish looks so yummy. Okay I have to eat something right now. Wish you a happy Tuesday!

xx

Sunstreetbymonica said...

Your pictures always impress me Rowena! Beautiful!:)
M
http://sunstreetbymonica.blogspot.com

K / House of KTS said...

Look at the food and all the flowers... stunning. I definitely have to visit you over at Instagram.

K / The House of KTS (formerly of Pure & Complex)
www.houseofkts.com

AiringMyLaundry said...

I love your photos.

The food ones look amazing.

Natalia | Look-A-Porter said...

Wonderful shots! I especially love the street views and the blooms - so beautiful. x

oomph. said...

i know...aside from my outfit photos, i hardly pick up my dslr. it's partly due to the fact that my lens broke, so i only have my 50mm and zoom which are too close for everyday random shots. i miss shooting, though. beautiful shots.

Midnight Cowgirl said...

That pizza bagel looks really good, and I love seeing the trees in bloom :)

Vanessa N said...

It's finally warming up here in Toronto too, and I'm just in love with seeing all the new growth and blooms that are happening! I'm going to a huge park tomorrow to check out the cherry blossoms, and I'm pretty happy that most of the plants I bought recently for the home office are doing pretty well too! (I've got a strawberry and blueberry plant that's rapidly growing and I EAGERLY AWAIT FRUIT!)

That pizza bagel looks delish, and you know I love seeing your snapshots on IG ;)

FASHION TALES said...

I actually really love seeing more Instagram images from some bloggers like this, especially if I don't see their feed much. I just don't like seeing so many Selfies, lol. Love your images. Wonderful city shots as well. Wishing you a great week Rowena.
Fashion Tales

A Very Sweet Blog said...

when you take great photos, you don't need a filter! hahaha love these. that trench is fabulous.
http://www.averysweetblog.com/

Anonymous said...

Love your NY snaps! I had never seen or heard of a pizza bagel before. It looks yummy.

LUXESSED

Diva In Me said...

You have some beautiful pictures from your Instagram girl! I'm going over to follow you on Instagram now =) Mine is @stilettoesdiva

j said...

I always love your pictures, even if you posted 59 at a time like I do! Doyers and that area has such an interesting history, my dad's family was from around there (Little Italy). I LOVE the shirt!!! Where did you get it? I think it might be appropriate for Friday at work. :)