City vloggers going places

They are out there, using their DSLRs, GoPros and smartphones to capture life as it unfolds

The video-blogging community in the city is growing, and covering a wide range of topics. The vloggers, as they are referred to, have been garnering attention on many social media platforms: YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and the latest IGTV. All a vlogger needs is a good camera and engaging content, they say.

Metrolife checks out popular vloggers in Bengaluru.

Diipesh Joseph Daniel
Facebook: DFormat
Followers: 282
USP: One-minute videos
Diipesh started vlogging a year ago as he wanted to practise storytelling. “My process is simple. I always carry a camera and shoot things I find interesting. I sometimes have a story ready before I head out, or find something as I edit my footage at the end of the day,” he says. His mission is to showcase artforms from all parts of the country. He explains, “When someone asks me what Indian art is, I usually don’t know how to answer. Traditional art isn’t valued as much as digital art these days. I want to build a community to change that through my one-minute videos.”

Arun Kumar Kulal
Facebook, Instagram and YouTube: GoPro Man
Followers: 10,831 (Facebook), 9710 (Instagram), 32,000+ (YouTube)
USP: Bike adventure
Arun started his vlogging journey three years ago, mounting a GoPro camera on his bike or helmet. He uploads the rides he’s been on. He upgraded to Instagram stories a few months ago. “I prefer to let people watch my ride rather than talk. The footage I capture takes at least a month to edit and upload on YouTube. Instagram helps with an instant connect, especially when my followers want to know about the new places I’ve discovered over the weekends.” Now a software engineer, he hopes to become a full-time motovlogger soon.

Vidya Lakshmi
Facebook, YouTube and Instagram: Vidyascooking
Followers: 5,400+ (Facebook); 79,798 (YouTube), 1,000+ (Instagram)
USP: Food videos
Vidya started posting her recipes on YouTube nine years ago. She gradually moved on to product and brand reviews, with the focus remaining on food. “I think people follow my work because I create traditional dishes with a fusion twist. It’s also the kind of food that people want to learn to cook, especially since Bengaluru is diverse in culture.” She posts her videos also on Facebook and Instagram. She says, “Since I started my journey on YouTube, a point-and-shoot or a DSLR was my main equipment, but now I also use my phone to produce content.”

Harleen Singh
Instagram: Wander_leen
Followers: 36.4K (Instagram)
USP: Travel and lifestyle
Harleen started her Instagram page last year when she decided to spend a whole year travelling solo. She visited Thailand, UK and Canada and used her stories to build up her Instagram followers. “My now-husband encouraged me to start sharing my stories with the world. I didn’t think much of it then but people showed interest and here we are.”
Her stories have diversified to speak of her puppies Glen and Whisky. “I talk about my day with the pups, what I do and where I travel. People find it interesting that I don’t concentrate on just one subject,” she says.

Nandita Iyer
YouTube, Facebook and Instagram: Saffron Trail
Followers: 6,574 (YouTube), 23,000+ (Facebook) and 44,000+ (Instagram)
USP: Food
Nandita started her journey as a vlogger sometime in 2014, when a friend pushed her to upload her videos on YouTube. “I have always been shy to face the camera but I went ahead. I got a full production team to help me out. I still have my team uploading content there, though not too frequently,” she says.
The cookbook author now uses Facebook Live and Instagram Stories to share what she’s cooking for the day and meal plans. “I started posting a few of my singing videos on IGTV and Instagram. What I like is that I can use these platforms on my own without a full production house,” she says.

Sanghamitra Gupta
Facebook and Instagram: avrilsfoodjournee
Followers: 537 (Facebook), 2,413 (Instagram)
USP: Food and travel
She began as a foodie writing reviews on Zomato and other review sites. Eventually, she decided to start a blog. “I eat everything, so it helps me travel and explore. I eventually started getting invited to places. I realised people also want to see the places I write about. So I started vlogging and giving my followers a glimpse of the places I went to,” she says. She uses a Prime lens so that she can capture better food images. “It has been close to two years since I started vlogging, so investing in good equipment, like a lens and a phone, seemed like the right thing to do,” she says.