15 BLOGS THAT WILL HELP EVEN THE TECHNOLOGICALLY CHALLENGED CREATE THE BEST INSTAGRAMS

Posted on February 7, 2013 by admin | in longhorn

Instagram started out as an app for the iPhone, but quickly expanded to include Android phones as well.  This free app allows you to take photos and apply different filters to your images.  Maybe you’d like to take a picture in black and white; you can do that with a filter.  Maybe the lighting wasn’t quite right in your picture; you can fix it with a filter.  Maybe you’d like to make a crazy psychedelic picture, there’s a filter for that too.  Be creative with your pictures and then share them with your friends and family on Facebook or Twitter.  These 15 blog articles will help you figure out the ins and outs of Instagram so that you can create your best Instagrams.

Filters

There are lots of filters on Instagram.  Each filter will give your photo a different look.  Some of the looks are subtle and you might have to see the picture in a larger size in order to truly see what the filter has done to the picture.  The subject matter and location the picture was taken can also affect how well the filter works.  These five blog entries will try to explain the different filters and when you might use them to achieve a desired effect.

1. How Instagrams Filters Work This blogger explains how and why certain filters are used and includes pictures to help in the explanation process.
2. Using Instagram Features to Make Your Photos Pop This photographer knows her way around a camera. She has written an informative article about using the features of Instagram and explains how they can help improve your pictures.
3.  Instagram: A Walk Down Memory Lane While explaining that she no longer posts pictures to Instagram, this blogger shows how she still used the Instagram filters on her photos.  This gives the user a good idea of how the filters affect the shot.
4. Do More with Your Instagram Images This post contains an explanation of what you can do with your images if you get more filters or move the images around and will give the reader a better understanding of their options with Instagram.
5. The Plastics Revolution A fascinating example of using stop-motion photography and Instagram filters to create a video for the song Invasion by The Plastics Revolution.  The video will give you an idea of just how far you could take Instagrams if you wanted.

Frames & Tilt Shift

When you start using Instagram you will notice things that look like frames with different edges.  What do you do with them?  How do they work?  Each frame works differently, whether it helps to focus in on an element or to create a blurred edge to the photo.  Professional photographers have to use a special filter on their lens to get these same effects.  With Instagram you can add the effect to any picture and see if it adds anything to the picture.  Take a look at these five blog posts that will try to explain how frames can be used.

6. Working It Cool pictures are shown as examples and lots of frames are used for different effects.  The blogger even makes some of these pictures look like professional postcards.  He gives a lot of good advice about taking a lot of pictures at different angles and only sharing the best ones.
7. Rhonna Designs Insta Fonts + Bubble Frame App = Video Tutorial Watch this video and learn how to install fonts to your phone to improve your photos.  The blogger particularly loves the bubble frame.
8. How to Master Instagram Tilt-Shift Informative article about understanding tilt-shift on Instagram.  The photos really drive home the points made by the blogger.
9. Instagram Updates with Improved Camera, New Filter, and More Examples are shown of using the grid and tilt-shift and making a photo have better balance without looking fake.
10. How to Instagram Like a Rock Star A good overview of the features on Instagram including frames and tilt-shift.

Tips and Tricks

There are some tips and tricks to using Instagram that bloggers have figured out and are willing to share with you.  How are people on Instagram getting all of those fabulous pictures you might be wondering?  These bloggers will share some of their tips and tricks to help you achieve the same results.  Check out these five blog posts.

11. 10 Instagram Tips and Tricks This blogger gives great tips and tricks for using Instagram that you might find useful.
12. 5 Ways to Establish Your Instagram Identity While this blogger is trying to help your images be seen on Instagram, he has some insightful info on the importance of having consistency with your photos and the use of frames and filters that are worth the read.
13. Oil Spill Just one of several photos by this blogger.  He explains what filters he used and goes on to talk about quality of light and what that can do for your pictures.
14. Four Fab Photo Apps  Once you get started on Instagram, you can then move on to other apps that will work with those photos.  Read about other apps and how they work with Instagram to create even better photos.
15. Instagram Tips and Tricks Great before and after pictures can be found on this blog.  Ever wondered how a certain effect will change your photo?  You can see examples on this post.