Fairy lights, blue tones and vintage glasses from the 1970s – this is what’s trending on top photographers’ social media accounts recently. New York City photographer Brandon Woelfel has taken this trend to new heights and now has over 1.6 million followers on Instagram.

Woelfel’s work is often recognized by his use of blurry backgrounds, blue and pink tones (cotton candy tones), string lights and aviator glasses. His distinct photographs are so popular that he even has his own photo hashtag on Instagram and Twitter: #brandonwoelfelstyle.

Jupiter High junior, Katelyn Smallwood, uses Woelfel’s dream-like techniques as inspiration for her own art.

“I stumbled upon his work one day, and I really liked his use of color, neon lights and his exposure,” said Smallwood. “It just really intrigued me and inspired me to influence that in my photography.”

She not only admires Woelfel’s work but also celebrates the fact that other photographers are duplicating his style.

“I think it’s really neat that other photographers are replicating his style,” said Smallwood. “It’s obviously encouraging a younger population to expand photography from only doing typical basic subjects. They’re using different, abnormal things, like in cities or towns, or something as big as the city lights themselves.”

Junior Tyler Gacek, an avid photographer, is also a fan of Woelfel’s, but he feels that artists should look beyond what is already out there to find their own voice in pictures.

“To me, photography can be a hobby…or a way to express someone’s opinion,” said Gacek. “I do not think copying a style is a good way to expand one’s abilities; you have to find your own route. I like Woelfel’s style a lot but his work looks a lot better to me knowing these were his original ideas.”