If you own an iPhone or Android, you are probably aware of the growingly popular Instagram application that allows user to take, upload and add color filters to pictures while sharing with friends. Most people do not carry their digital cameras around all the time so using a mobile device lens is extremely convenient. With Instagram, instead of posting simple unedited images you can manipulate photos from your phone to create unique looking works of art. Although easy to do, here are a few points to maximize your work!
1. Think in Squares
Because most digital and film photography is taken in rectangles, is it difficult when using Instagram to mentally crop pictures into the square shape. At times I snap images on my phone and later load them into Instagram, but I have to cut the top and bottom part. By thinking in squares you stay consistent with the old Polaroid film theme that Instagram aims for and prevent images from looking too cropped.
2. Choose The Right Filter
It’s easy to think that no matter what color and frame alteration you use, the image will come out great. This may be true; however, picking the correct filter by the image’s coloring and content can turn a so-so Instagram into a masterpiece. There is no general rule for what border looks better or when black and white is best, so be sure to try all the possibilities.
Below is an example of how the first filter is more successful than the second. The Sutro filter on the right darkens the girl’s face and corners but Sierra gives the image a warm and appealing look.
3. Use The Tools
I am guilty of not using the tools on the top and bottom of the screen before I hit “done” and publish the picture. For starters, make sure you get rid of the frame options on the bottom after searching to see how the image will look in the newsfeed. Also, the brightness tool is very helpful if the image was dark when taken and the filter does not help. The tilt-shift tool is very popular as well.
4. Share!
As with all social media today, send your pictures to Facebook and Twitter so friends who do not have the application can see it. You have to manually slide the Twitter and Facebook switches for each picture, which can be hard to remember. Also, if your caption is longer than 140 characters, it will get cut off in your tweet (the link to the picture is included, too). Pictures on the computer always give more detail than on a phone, so be sure to look at your work when you’re at home. And don’t forget to hashtag!
5. Don’t Just Use Your Phone
I frequently load pictures taken with my DSLR digital camera to my phone’s album so that I can upload them on Instagram when I’m bored on the train or surfing the web. So, if you went on a phone-less vacation and really want to give that picture of your Pina-Colta a Polaroid film feel, sync it later and upload away! By using pictures not taken with your phone the quality is better and you do not worry about capturing moments with more than one camera. The best part about the application is that the creativity and opportunities are endless, making there no right or wrong way to use it! Instagram is free through the app store and lets you share all your images through Facebook, Twitter or Flickr. Check out Statigram if you want to manage your images online.