Instagram update!

An Instagram update is available to download. Plus there’s a new filter! Happy snapping! 🙂

101 Reasons to #love #Instagram

Ok. Now before I get into the bulk of this entry, I’m going to say:
1- fear not, I am NOT abandoning Hipstamatic. It is still a much loved and frequently used app. (for further proof, see my photography time-space continuum post)
2 – I lied. I doubt I’ll list 101 reasons here. But it sounded catchy. And I will really try to come up with that many, but it’s not looking good.

So why do I love Instagram? So many reasons.

1. It’s a great way to share photos to the masses. (the “masses” being your friends, family, strangers, Big Brother, and the aliens, of course.)

2. When people “like” your photos, you’ll feel popular and socially accepted. Let’s face it. Who doesn’t want more social kudos?

3. Having “followers” might make you feel like a cult leader or an emperor, but in a socially acceptable and not creepy way.

4. Who doesn’t #love #hashtags? In al honesty – I ADORE hashtags now. I always made fun of them before, but you know what? Those little buggers are HANDY. Not only do they make you look super modern (or overly teenage), they also serve as a great way for sharing your photos to others who have similar interests. Plus they let you search and find others whose photos you may like as well. Enjoy photos of Fluffy Kitties in cute positions? There’s a hashtag for that:

. Myself? I’ve found a lot of supportive people who are art teachers, fellow artists, and others training for half marathons. It’s so great to be able to share a photo of your passions and hobbies and have others comment and appreciate them, too!

Apparently I’m 107 reasons short. Hmm. #backtothedrawingboard!

The Photographic Time-Space Continuum

I’ve had many questions posed to me lately: what’s the difference between Hipstamatic and Instagram? Which photo apps do you use? How do you decide which to use? This blog entry is to hopefully make this a bit clearer.

I think of my photographic world as a continuum. A time-space continuum, if you will. I decide which app to use based on two factors: how much time I have (time, obviously) and how much the object I’m photographing is moving (the space, if you will.) Here’s a brief intro into the continuum.

If I have a TON of time, and the object is doing whatever it wants to do (sports, dogs, kids, flora, fauna, etc) – then I go for my trusty Nikon D-50. (Hey. No judging.)

If I have some time, and the object is stationary to moving a little bit, then i use Hipstamatic.

If I am pressed for time and I have a slightly more movable object, but I still want to use a bit of post-processing flair, then I use Instagram.

If I have NO time and the object is not cooperating, but I want to capture the moment and do post processing in either Instagram or Photo Toaster, then I just use the basic default camera on my phone and hope for the best!

 

Basically, all that can be summarized on this handy dandy chart:

As explained further below, here’s the PTSC chart. As I was extremely short on time… can you guess what I used to take this photo? The answer is…. the default Camera Phone app.

You can see that as time increases on the left and space increases on the bottom, then the photo app that I use changes.  The highlights around the photo app indicate how wide of a range of applicability they have in regards to time and space. (In my world, anyway!)