Monday, August 13, 2012

Flickr versus Instagram


Jockey's Ridge
Originally uploaded by photo516.

After weeks of being addicted to Instragram, I started to miss my old love, Flickr.

I spent some time on Flickr this evening. It is so rich (and complicated) with features. I can imagine Instagram adding features, but I hope not too many. I think Instagram is supposed to be simple like Twitter.

There is one thing that I'm trying with Flickr that I learned on Instagram. Be generous with the likes and favorites. We'll see what happens on Flickr if I do that.

There's tons of great stuff to like on Flickr. You can browse it for hours. The web site works great. Unfortunately, favoriting a photo with the Android app isn't as easy as double-tap.

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Pelicans

 The Pelicans in the Outer Banks are wonderful to watch. They are beautiful creatures that fly so gracefully over the surf. The fly in groups and individuals looking for food. The fly and dive over and over.

I've taken hundreds of pictures of them, but I'm never satisfied. I told my wife I was going to quit trying recently. I'm never quite satisfied. I have some popular versions on instagram. I like the one in this post too, but they are not as clear as I would like.

I don't like many of them because:

  • They are too small in the picture. You can see the environment that they are flying in, but they are black blobs.
  • They are not sharp in the picture. Zooming in on them just doesn't make a crisp picture. They are moving too fast.
  • They blend in with the water or sky. 
  • Capturing the right moment is always hard. I get tons of picture with a wing frozen in an odd pose.
  • The beauty of the formation needs to be wide screen. Then they are too small or have moved so fast, I'm disappointed.
Will I keep trying? Absolutely.
Posted by Picasa

Monday, August 06, 2012

Sunrise Over Dunes


Sunrise Over Dunes
Originally uploaded by photo516.

This photo was taken at Sweet Peace in Nags Head, North Carolina--the outer banks.

Fireplace


#hdr #fireplace
Originally uploaded by photo516.

This is an HDR photo of a fireplace. It is a study of light and shadows.

Instagram Numbers

Let's talk about followers and following. Thank you to all of my followers. I appreciate that you want to see my pictures when I post them. Thank you to everyone I'm following. I love seeing your pictures and getting inspiration from you.

When I first started getting into Instagram, I felt bad because I was following more than I was being followed. Today I'm following 905 and have 420 followers. I still follow a lot more. I've decided a really like looking at people's pictures. I have unfollowed a few people, but it is really rare. You really have to flood my feed with stuff I don't like to get unfollowed. I like the inspiration.

There are people out there with crazy numbers of followers or following. I tend to stay away from users  that follow less than half the number of followers they have. I like the two-way exchange of photos.

Follow me on Instagram

Saturday, August 04, 2012

What I've Learned From Instagram

I've become an avid user of Instagram on my phone. I might really be addicted, but I'm learning a lot about photography, marketing an me.

You can find my Instagram photos on the web at http://followgram.me/photo516/ or find me on Instagram as @photo516.

Here are the bullet points of what I've learned.

  • The square format is nice. It is simple. It is refreshing.
  • Size matters. I'm normally looking at these photos on a phone screen. Sometimes they don't look as good on a larger computer screen. You can see more flaws and imperfections.
  • You have to participate to make anything happen. I've been on Instagram for a long time. It seemed like silly little photo filters at first, I wasn't interested. You have to participate.
    • Tag your photos.
    • Search for those tags.
    • Like the photos you found.
    • This gets the attention of photographers with similar interests.
    • They will start liking your photos and will start following you.
    • Follow them back.
    • Like there photos.
    • Look at the photos they are like. Like those photos too.
    • Be generous with your looks. They don't cost you anything.
  • My favorite photos are not always as popular as I think they should be. My boring pictures can be quite popular. The key is my picture is boring to ME.
  • Flowers are always beautiful. I really like them.
  • I don't really care for flowers with insects.
  • I like food pictures. 
  • A food picture is an easy score for a daily photo.
  • Add the word porn to the end of all your tags, if you are really serious.
  • I have mixed feelings about photos with people.
    • People are beautiful like the flower photos, but I don't pass out the likes as easily.
    • I try not to post too many family and friend photos, because I have the emotional attachment to them.
    • My wife really prefers not to see people in a landscape photo.
    • I kind of think the beach looks desolate without people.
    • I want the people to be part of the scenery, not the focus.
  • You gottta love the resourcefulness of spammers!

I'm sure I've learned more and I'm sure I can say more about many of these things.