Instagram-tastic!

(I picked that title because it rolled off the tongue better than instagram*cracker, which somehow just didn't sound right ;)

I've gotten a new app on my iPhone lately and it's trying to consume my life.  Or maybe just fill in the gap where my old camera used to fit and hold the place before I can get a new one.

It's called instagram.  If you've been wandering through the interweb long, you've probably seen what it can do.

Basically it takes pictures either new ones or ones in your photo album and ramps them up a bit.  Or tones them down.  Or just waves some digital wand over them so they look like 1977.  That's even the name of one of the filters.  1977.  I'd like to say it was a good year.  I was in existence then, although I took all my oxygen in liquid form, as in from the womb.  But I like the 1977 filter very well all the same.

So here are a few of my favorites so far...

Here's the first before-and-after group.  Starring my favorite subject, of course.

The nice thing about the instagram photo is it really tightens in on Gabriel and perhaps gives it a wistful feel.  Well, it does to me at least.

Next up I definitely caught some 'emotion' that my Photo Journalism teacher would have been proud of. Let's just say Gabey wasn't having one of his angelic moments.  ;)

I really like how the instagram filter made the colors pop out!  It makes the slide seem more fun and his frowny face all the more stinky.  

On that note, or maybe not...

Another before-and-after.  This time of a more amenable subject.

While the double lip rolls on either side have always spoken to me, the instagram version is really soulful.  It takes, "Can I have a cookie, and have it delivered to my pillow?!" to a whole new level!

Next is a before-and-after that I took while we were walking in the vineyard yesterday evening.  Although we have only had about 4 drops of rain this spring, the vines are very vigorously growing.  Unfortunately they are also being attacked by killer aphids.  So we attacked back with some of our favorite glossy red aphid killers... Ladybugs.  I really love the change in mood that the filter from instagram gave this one.  I'm thinking of creating a bounty hunter poster with him to hang among the vines and scare the begeezers out of those aphids. 

Instagram has plenty of black-and-white filters, too.  It made this little lily take itself very seriously.  It may require therapy to return to the happy-go-lucky life it had before.  ;)

And finally, to round it out with my little assistant putting his watering can skillz to use.  I'm happy to say no plants were harmed in the making of these fun photos.  The same can not be said for aphids.  Ah-ah-A!!!!    If you want to have this kind of fun and make your pictures just a bit more fancy or whimsical or 'old school' then I highly recommend Instagram.  Fun will be had by all!

And a snippet of video to feed any Gabey addictions out there... ;)