Instawesome

I’m hooked on Instagram. I’m not an apps gal but there’s something so great about this photo-sharing tool for my iPhone. Namely, it takes incredible photos. Any banal subject becomes beautiful when you add a grainy washed out filter and rounded corners. At first I felt like I was cheating on photography, but now I feel like I’m creating meaningful masterpieces and on top of it…I’ve joined the conversation!

With Instagram first you take your pic, then choose your filter, then share it with your friends via your usual social networks and your Instagram network. But did I really need another social network? Probably not, but how could I resist. I am, as we all are suckers for social – hello Google+. And anyways Instgram is all of the fun of Facebook without all the blather!

The brainchild of two guys with deep digital roots (Google, Meebo), Instagram is but
4 people big and they already have 6 million users! I’ve been on for a few months now and just amongst my friends I can see the growth. Beyond the tool and the sharing, the company seems pretty cool. Their API is acsessable, the app is free and they are totally open to all projects.

With their growth in popularity, the Insta-style is certainly catching on! Lately, I’ve noticed more and more that magazines and design are appropriating this vintage look. This weekend I flipped through EnRoute magazine and every layout had images that were washed out with rounded corner.

It’s funny though…as much I love this tool (my photos have never looked better), I do admit that the style might be getting tired. When mass media gets hold of a trend we sure know how to flog that horse. For now I will continue to take stunning portraits of cats and cooking and marvel at my faux-skill while waiting for the next shinny app to catch my eye.