Hello, Instagram...At Last We Meet

I'm soooo happy!

Finally, I have Instagram in my life. I've been waiting a long time for an iPhone to drop straight from heaven and land in my hand, bringing this lovely little mobile photo editing tool into my life. It didn't work out quite the way I imagined. The angels didn't send me an iPhone; I'm using the newly released Android version of the app on my uppity little HTC Incredible. But that's okay; wishes come true in lots of different ways, and I'm just happy to be in the game.

I'm a fan of Instagram for several reasons. I endorse the trigger-happy philosophy of snapping lots of pics of ordinary moments and commonplace vignettes in life. I love the idea of a little Instagram community for sharing the pics. The retro vibe of most Instagrammed photos take me back to the good old days of Instamatic cameras and make me all nostalgic. Most of all, I am crazy about the artistic processes of thoughtfully cropping and applying the filters to my photos. To me, it's an interesting challenge of assessing the strengths of the original photo and then making changes that emphasize those features, in order to bring out the very best of the photograph.

Maybe this is how some women feel about choosing the perfect shoes to complete an outfit. But I'd much rather edit photos instead.

Just playing around with some of the photos already on my phone, I created these Instagrams tonight, and share my thoughts on them below.

I love the way this filter plays up the iridescence of the petals in the center of the shot and creates a pale space in the intense blue of the sky.

I wanted to keep the soft, blurred quality of the background and emphasize the bold figure of snowboarder. Also love how the black border provides another dark, crisp element in the overall composition.

The original shot is very crisp and bold with saturated color; I love the way the filter gentles and mellows out this image.

Luna, I don't like how I cropped you down so you look like a black blob with bulging eyeballs. Sorry 'bout it.

This precious photo was improved immensely by cropping. I chose a filter that brought out the fine details of the blades of grass and flower petals, and kept the shadows to a minumum.

Darling birds, horrible cropping job, boring colors. I did not do these cuties justice. 

Love that the colors of the pale pink petals and super blue sky are fairly true to life; this filter adds a sweet nostalgic vibe and leaves the original colors alone.

This pic is all about the candle flames and this filter really brings them into focus. The pie crust seems a little too red to me, though...I'd prefer a more appetizing look.

Most of the filters eliminated the subtle difference in color between the light green grassy field in the foreground and the darker line of trees behind them; this edit allows you to see that distinction.

The strong graphics, repeated diagonal lines and simple colors of this photo allow it to stand up to the bold edit, including white border, rounded corners, and heavy shading around the edges of the image. 

Softened colors bring a sense of nostalgia to this scene. Love the subtle variations of blue in what originally looked like a solid blue sky.

Because the sunset colors in the original were already perfect, I chose a filter that let them be, and brought out the subtle difference in light that allows you to see the trees against the snow-covered hills. 

The outrageously vivid colors of these tree socks could stand up to the boldest color editing, so I put them to the test  with Toaster. The blast of warm yellow tones and dark shadows brings charm and warmth to a strong image.

All in all, my first night's experiments were fun, if not completely successful. I'll just have to keep trying. To see what happens next, follow me on Instagram! My name is dcs0101; I'll hope I'll meet you over there soon.