Why I Love Instagram

Say what you may about Instagram, but it is the only iPhone app I have stuck with consistently over the past two years. Part of the draw is the simplicity of the app, and I love being able to post photos of my day in real time. I love seeing my friends' daily activities, too.

But the simplicity of the filters and their ability to transform a photo is the main reason I love Instagram. First, the app allows me to take a photo first and then apply one of 18 filters. This is key for me, as I often shoot at a moment's notice and I don't like to be locked into a particular filter effect before snapping the photo. The filters can correct for a myriad of issues, like underexposure for a backlit photo. I like that I am limited to 18 filters - less choices means I choose and post quickly. I've been paralyzed before with some of the apps out there with a gazillion options. Again, I love how simple IG is.

Here's an example of how Instagram transformed a terrible photo I took while riding in the car. I didn't have time to set the exposure lock on the barn and it is completely dark.



After cropping it on IG and applying the Rise Filter, it looks so much better!

Another example, this time using the Walden Filter, which really highlights the sunflare in the photo. [I deleted the original photo, probably because I liked the IG version so much more]


Sometimes the iPhone doesn't get the White balance quite right. This original photo of the evening skies in our backyard is too pink.

In reality, the sky was lit in a weird, yellow orange color - the kind of sky that occurs after a small, but strong, storm front passes through. We got the clouds that evening, but no storm and no rain (which we desperately need).
So I applied the Lord Kelvin filter, which probably saturated the scene a bit too much, but this filter more accurately represented what I was seeing in the sky. Plus, it invokes so much drama.

The Rise, Earlybird, Walden and Hefe filters add warmth while Amaro and Hudson filters add coolness to your photo. Sierra adds a touch of pink, Valencia adds a touch of green. Depending upon your subject, the results are nice.

Which filters do I use the most? Probably Rise, Sierra and Lofi.
Do you use Instagram? What are your favorite filters? If you care to see more of my IG feed, my handle is @shirley319 and you can check it out on Webstagram, too.