Instagram

     One of my photographic interests is purposely taking a bad photograph and trying to make something interesting out of it.  I do not see it as a waste of time or a waste of digital space.  Instead, I see it as a fun creative challenge.  

Original:  A boring picture taken with my iPhone while moving.

     I think of it as the Pablo Picasso challenge - creating beauty where it did not exist.  To many people, Picasso was the eccentric artist that created weird paintings of grotesquely formed people, fat women, and general debauchery.  In reality though, he was skilled and talented at drawing photo-realistically.  However, at a certain point in his life I imagine that no longer became a challenge for him, and instead, the creative challenge became being able to create something one of a kind and unique, instead of drawing exactly what everyone else saw.  

     I am reminded of that every time I take a bad photograph on purpose - anyone can point a camera and shoot, but not everyone can create beauty where it did not exist before.  And that becomes the challenge with an iPhone, Photoshop, and all the available photo apps - creating beauty or interest with all the tools available to you.  

Finished picture after massaging it in various iPhone apps and injecting a lot of KAPOW!

     One of my favorite new apps is, Instagram.  Instagram is essentially the Facebook of iPhone photo apps.  It allows you to apply 17 different presets to a photograph to change the appearance, and share those pictures online with your online social community - Facebook friends, Twitter, Flickr, and other Instagram users. 

     But like most apps, there is so much more that you can do with it, than just what you see on the surface.  For one, you can massage the image in Photoshop or other apps, prior to taking it in to Instagram - the results can create stunning images.  Another thing you can do with Instagram is to share your portfolio of work with the Instagram community and have your work rated by strangers with either a “Like” or a comment.  What I like the most about Instagram, however, is the ability to meet other photographers, amateur and professional, and see how others are stretching the photographic boundaries with all the available apps.  A few years ago HDR photography was the rage, but now you can see how talented amateur photographers have gone on to create all new effects and methods.  As my fellow Instagram photographer, Tonythemaindog, said, “It is a great place to people watch.”  A fascinating place to see what others are up to.

Original:  An iPhone pic taken on a drab dreary day.

     Everyone has their own style.  Some people have a portfolio of nothing but black and white photographs, some people take a lot of pictures of hands, some people like to take pictures of shoes - everyone has their own idea of what they deem to be photo-worthy.  And this is what makes Instagram so fascinating - the wide variety of styles, effects, and abilities.

Finished pic with colors enhanced, a colorful sky added, a slight blur added, and a heavy dose of KAPOW!

     One Instagram photographer caught my attention recently.  Mommyroo3 posted a picture of a rain gutter with water pouring out.  A simple picture of an uninteresting object, yet by a little effort and creativity, she turned what would have been a trash picture in to a work of art.  I would have never seen her art if I had not joined Instagram, but by joining Instagram I can not only see beautiful fascinating artwork, but also see what others are doing with their work.  

     Are you on Instagram yet?  I am - go check out my growing portfolio - I am jimmy1963.