Mitchell Phun is a sophomore at Parsons studying Photography. He started his photography account, @mitchellphun, less than two years ago. On it he showcases his New York cityscapes and the occasional portrait. According to Phun, he finds his inspiration from the city, but with a laugh he mentioned that “it’s hard to stay original when you’re in NY and everything looks the same.”

Phun uses his Instagram to connect with people who are creative and have the same passion for photography. He described Instagram as “a vehicle of people”. “Having a larger following helps me get brands to reach out to me,” said Phun, who gets work as a photographer through his Instagram.

“You need to be genuine and follow people that inspire you instead of following the people that you’re obligated to.” – Mitchell Phun

His advice for people who are new to Instagram is to “post photos with a similar style, a similar filter and not too many selfies and no white borders – and no videos, they don’t really do well”.

“I wouldn’t die without Instagram,” said Phun, although it doesn’t appear that he has plans to quit anytime soon.