Toronto Instagrammer in Focus: @dineandfash

I knew ever since I was a kid that I wanted to be a lawyer (although, I had no clue at the time what a lawyer actually did). Food, fashion and travel have always been things I am very interested in and passionate about, but they were more like hobbies. I never thought I’d be working professionally as a lawyer and blogging about my passions at the same time. I’m still navigating my way through juggling both.

http://instagram.com/p/BDtSrEKRkRU/
You recently started your blog in February. How has that changed the way you post or how is it different?

Currently, my blog is more of a complement to my Instagram account. I am still more active on Instagram than I am on my blog; I post at least once a day on Instagram and try to post once a week on my blog. When I have more time, I’ll put more effort into developing my blog’s layout and content. But, for the time being, it’s somewhere that I can express more of my thoughts on food, fashion, travel and lifestyle, and share much more than I can on Instagram and Facebook.

http://instagram.com/p/BETYBSdRkWy/

How did you get into photography?

I am not a professional photographer by any means, but I have always appreciated beautiful photography. Because I traveled a lot, I loved to take pictures of the places I visited (I upgraded from a point and shoot camera to a DSLR). When I got my iPhone in 2013, I started doing more ‘iPhoneography’ since the camera quality is so good.

http://instagram.com/p/BDZBexTRkbx/

Blogging definitely helped develop my skills; I’ve learned quite a bit. I used to be afraid of using my DSLR settings, but now I’m a lot more comfortable. I also started reading more about photography and realized I was already using a lot of the principles and things without realizing.

Who are some of your inspirations?

I follow a lot of fashion bloggers, both Toronto-based and in other cities. Some of my favourites outside of Toronto are: @jillian.harris, @sincerelyjules, and @shalicenoel. There are also many fabulous bloggers in Toronto, like: @allons.y, @thiswildheart, and @notyourstandard, to name just a few. I really respect the great talent we have in our city and get a lot of inspiration from them.

http://instagram.com/p/BEHV7d8Rken/

Do you have any favourite Toronto neighbourhoods?

There are so many great neighbourhoods in Toronto, and they each have their own vibe; I love that most about Toronto. While there are so many cool neighbourhoods on the west side, (Ossington Ave., Trinity-Bellwoods, Parkdale, Dundas West) I think the east side deserves more recognition. There are many excellent coffee shops and restaurants on King St. E., in Leslieville, and Riverside, not to mention St. Lawrence Market and the Distillery District. I’m a big fan of the east side of the city (and not just because I live on the east side).

If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Pizza, for sure.

http://instagram.com/p/BCqzvNVRkZb/

You call yourself a wanderlust at heart in your bio on your blog. Where is your favourite place you’ve traveled to?

This is so tough to answer. I’ve been to a lot of places but have so many more places on my bucket list. I’d definitely say Israel and Turkey are up there for me because they’re so unique, have so much to offer, and I love the food in both countries. I only wish they were less dangerous to travel to, and I’m fortunate to have been to both places when it was relatively safe to do so.

http://instagram.com/p/BBgMMXDRkQ3/

In Israel, in addition to the food, I fell in love with the culture and vibe of Tel Aviv. It was also amazing to see so many religious and historical places in Jerusalem, float in the Dead Sea, and scuba dive in the Red Sea.

Turkey has such a varying landscape. Istanbul is a city like no other – it’s a mix of traditional and modern, with so many mosques, markets, and palaces. Cappadocia is like stepping into another world; it is the best place in the world to go on a hot air balloon ride because of the geography and all of the rock formations. I feel like I’ve only scratched the surface of Turkey, and I’m excited to return (my fiancé’s family is from there).

http://instagram.com/p/_Cg_AvxkXs/