So thrilled to have our family sledding video shared by Instagram! So far it has over 8 million views!
This is the fifth time Instagram has shared my work and it is always an honor.
In The Press: Huffington Post story & Interview
“The Umbrella That Traveled The World”
Thank you for the great story on my umbrella project!
“If you are as frequent a visitor to Instagram as I am, there is a good chance you’ve run across a colorful rainbow umbrella in your feed over the last several months. In addition, there’s a great chance that one of those umbrellas was originally started on its journey by Jill Emmer, also known as @shineonyoucraydiamond. I’ve seen a few other ‘traveling object’ projects, but Jill’s is likely one of the most widespread and successful. I decided to have a chat with her to learn a little bit more about both her and the project.”
In The Press: MSP Magazine "#ShineOn Meet the accidental photographer behind one of Minnesota’s hottest Instagram accounts"
Jill Emmer was a stay-at-home Edina mom with a minivan and an iPhone. Until two years ago, on a family road trip, when she decided on a lark to create a public Instagram account called @shineonyoucraydiamond (Pink Floyd might have been playing in the car). She posted an “artsy” picture of a deer on the road—#deer—and when she got her first “like” from a stranger, she was hooked. Thousands more likes later, Emmer still drives that minivan, but now her kids share the backseat with signature props: a rainbow umbrella, red boots, and, occasionally, the living room furniture, which Emmer photographs in glorious outdoor settings around the cities and state. The Airport Dog Park is a favorite spot. Also, Afton State Park and Lake Nokomis. “I like to find little hills where you can get a person with a lot of sky behind them.” Her infectiously charming Instagram feed is followed by more than 125,000, and these days, Emmer barely ever stays home. She’s become a professional photographer, a social media consultant, and the official shooter for this month’s Art Shanty Projects. Her photographs are sold on cards and canvases, available locally at Equation and Piccadilly Prairie. Now if she could just find the time to learn Photoshop. #goals. shineonphotos.com