Instagram takeover: Meet Alexandra Dekerf, and see her 'life on Island'

CBC P.E.I. is featuring a local photographer on our Instagram page every Wednesday this summer. This week, we're showcasing the work of Alexandra Dekerf.

Alexandra Dekerf documents her life on P.E.I. through her Instagram account, posting photos of what she sees when out for a walk, what's growing in her garden, her journals, and what she's reading to her children.

Fittingly, her handle is @lifeonisland.

• Find Alexandra Dekerf on Instagram
• Find CBC P.E.I. on Instagram

Life on the Island

"I couldn't believe when I moved here that no one had something as simple as 'life on island' or 'life on P.E.I.' so I grabbed it, and I like it," she said.

"Moving to the Island, and really wanting to show friends and family that were not living here what the Island was like and how beautiful it was, is really what got me hooked onto Instagram."

Simple photos of everyday things

Dekerf describes her photography as "simple." She takes photos with an iPod touch, sometimes using an Easy Macro lens to get finer details in her shots.

"I'll notice something and I'll think, 'This is really fun, this is really nice, I love that.' They're often very simple." she said.

A community for homeschooling

It isn't just about posting photos and waiting for the likes and comments to roll in. Dekerf said she's also found a strong community through Instagram.

She homeschooled her three children her youngest is 12 and is starting junior high in the fall and she posted the books they were reading and lessons they followed.

"With homeschooling it was definitely a way to find a community of like-minded people," she said. "I get a lot of inspiration from Instagram as well I should mention that."

Challenges and community

As much as Dekerf's Instagram feed is a documentation of what she's doing, she also shares photos from her actual journal which she keeps as a simple "bullet journal."

That, she said, is another area where she finds inspiration and community online.

"I like to join some Instagram challenges and usually those come with prompts every day that you can read the prompt and then post a picture of what you interpret the prompt to be," she said.

"I like joining those and you get to build a community with other people that are doing that."

No place like home

Recently, more than a few shots of strawberries have been cropping into Dekerf's feed.

"We just happen to have ten little plants and they're just going crazy this year," she said.

"I'm thinking every day I just share what strawberries I got out of the garden."

It all comes back to keeping it a simple documentation of what she notices day to day.

"Just simple, simple things. Very simple."

Are you snapping photos of the Island as well? Tag @cbcpei in your photos to share them with us. If you're interested in doing a takeover of our account this summer, send us a direct message.

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