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When you look at @SincerelyMaureen's Instagram feed, you don't see a flaunting fashionista at NYC's coolest places, you see a love letter to the city itself.
From stunning floral landscapes at Central Park to everyday street scenes that pop, her photos are vibrant moments that capture the city in all its glamorous glory.
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@SincerelyMaureen, whose name is Maureen Steinert, makes it a point to get out every day and take some snapshots of the city. She keeps an eye on NYC media and takes note of events and new art installations and adds them to her personal calendar.
"There's always something new every day in NYC," she tells us. "I keep track of everything—when everything opens, when the Empire State Building turns 90—I like having that overview. I try to be organized."
The crazy part is that this isn't her job. It's a hobby. Steinert works in marketing full time and goes out before work, on her lunch breaks and around work to capture the city.
But what does she look for when she goes out?
"I try to capture everything, whether it be in Times Square or a street in the West Village," she says. "It's about walking through the streets and discovering along the way."
That's the only way to capture the real NYC, she says.
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"It sounds cliche, but everything has beauty. As New York City is so big, I don't want to focus on just one thing—I want to cover it all if possible."
She says it's like sightseeing, even on the same streets she goes down every day because she could see something she never noticed before. She said aspiring street photographers should just walk the streets without a destination in mind but to be aware of their surroundings and be open to trying different angles.
Her favorite places to walk specifically include the West Village with its cozy streets.
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"Wherever you look, it's so beautiful, and there are little streets that I really enjoy," she says. "But I also find myself taking pictures of the Oculus. I cannot walk through it without taking a photo."
She walked along Fifth Avenue last summer and stumbled upon a random flower flash.
"I'm not sure why it was there or for how long, but it certainly brought me cheer knowing someone put it up and I was lucky to have walked by," she says. "You just never know what you'll find when walking the streets! NYC is made of these little, unexpected moments that make you smile."
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Since she started documenting NYC two years ago, she's noticed there's a community of people who are in love with the city and love seeing real glimpses of it—both those who have been here and those who want to visit one day.
"I was surprised when got I a message that thanked me," she admitted. "For other people, it can mean so much, so that really changed it for me. I can actually have an impact by taking photos, especially now when we can't travel."
Steinert, 28, was born and raised in Germany and spent many years traveling the world after high school. She lived in Vietnam and in Spain for some time and she found that she could stay connected to her family and friends by taking photos.
Now that she lives in NYC with her husband and her family is still far away, she continues the tradition and now has a new photo family to share them with.
"I love sharing photos of New York City," she said. "It's the center of the world!"
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