@ThisMintyMoment
Pelle Tessuta

On a platform that rewards excess—a certain flower and tulle-laden birth announcement with 10.1 million likes comes to mind—Los Angeles–based art director and photographer Minh T’s work stands apart for its audacious austerity. Greige stairwells that lead to nowhere; the placid shadows of palm fronds. “I want to create a fantasy world that combines timelessness, simplicity, nature, architecture, escapism and purity,” says T, who has 129,000 followers and beat out the other four finalists by earning the most likes, on the Surface feed, in a 24-hour timeframe. Apps like VSCO help him achieve a muted look; Skew straightens lines; Touch Retouch removes minor blemishes from shots; Unum allows him to plan his grid in advance. But it’s more than that: “A good image isn’t about equipment or app settings, but having a vision,” he says. “Each one should have an emotional pull or visual play that allows ‘the eye to travel,’ as Diana Vreeland put it.” instagram.com/thismintymoment

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