Anna Lisa Falzone, also known as RecessCity on Instagram, is a passionate, self-taught travel photographer. Falzone has 30,000 followers on Instagram and focuses on lifestyle photography with unique angles and lighting.
Falzone first gained a passion for photography about two years ago when she left the United States to sail in the Caribbean for six months. She started her account about a year after and quickly gained followers because of frequent posting, something she says is essential to increase traffic on your page.
"Monday Bunday"
"Create your own path"
"I'm over this weather"
She chose the name RecessCity because that was what she and a group of friends called Dublin when they were studying there. It "felt a lot like recess with the constant activities and energy," Falzone said.
Falzone originally became interested in photography when she travelled abroad.
"I've always been a creative person, and I was traveling a lot for a few years. I wanted to document that period in my life, so I started taking pictures and realized pretty quickly that I enjoyed it, and it became a hobby from there," Falzone said.
To gain a professional photography understanding, Falzone has worked hard and practiced a lot.
"Like most successful photographers, I’ve relied heavily on practice, practice, practice. I'm a strong believer that the only way for anybody to get anywhere is [through] hard work and no shortcuts, so that’s what I continue to do. My boyfriend and I are both self-taught (he shoots the bulk of the images you see on my Instagram), but just getting comfortable with your camera and shooting wherever and whenever possible is pretty much all there is to it," Falzone said.
" Pants this ripped should probably just be called shorts"
"Pillow for now, snack for later"
Her unique flare is found through photographers she acclaims and the location chosen to shoot in.
"A lot of our ideas come from studying photographers we admire, other times, if a photo isn't inspired by another photo we've seen, the lighting, textures, and materials present dictate how we shoot. The light can really control what angles we're able to work with," Falzone said.
In her personal life, Falzone finds inspiration in her mother.
"I really admire my mother. She's always had a very strong will & sense of style and never encouraged any of us (I'm one of three girls) to do anything but what we felt called to do. We were always advised to let our intuition or faith determine the path we chose, not the opinions of others or what society [thought]. She celebrates the rewards that come from taking risks & relies on her own intuition very heavily, which I admire," Falzone said.
She is passionate about photography because each picture is like a captured memory that she can travel back to.
"I like photography because it's a way to capture memories or particular moments [in] time but through an individualized perspective. When I look back [at] pictures, I'm able to relive whatever the moment we caught was. I think there's something powerful about how the medium of photography is able to evoke so many diverse emotions in different people," Falzone said.
"Sunday Bunday"
"Come at me Autumn"
Being a successful travel photographer, Falzone has had the opportunity to explore and experience many different countries.
"Dublin was the first place outside of the United States that really felt like home, so it will always be special to me (I lived there to go to University). As far as places I’ve just travelled to for short stints, definitely the coolest place would be the Amazon. I spent some time leading a group of teens on a community service expedition there and it was just such an overwhelmingly amazing experience. From the culture to the wildlife to getting to contribute to some of the environmental conservation efforts that were underway while I was there, it’s one of those places that’s so hard to put into words. I would encourage anybody who ever gets the chance to go [to do so]. If I were to say my favorite city I’ve travelled to, it would probably be Venice. Similar to the Amazon, it’s just so unique and stuck in time. In Venice, the people are very proud of their heritage, and that pride really infuses the energy and magic of the city," Falzone said.
In the future, Falzone expects to still be a photographer, but she chooses to focus on the present.
"For me, the daily excitement of [being a photographer] and being present is, right now, overshadowing any focus far down the road. On any given day I have a dozen different ideas about how best to expand on [my] love for photography. I do know that documenting our lives in this way right now brings me a lot of fulfillment both creatively and personally, and I don't foresee that ever changing," Falzone said.