iphone

6 instagramers on the watchlist

August 1, 2012


By now you may know about my Instagram obsession, right? The city walks, the workshops – even my side banners are instagram photos! Well, I must admit that if there was a support group for this app, I’d be in it.

I know there’s a lot of debate out there about “is Instagram killing photography?, is it all fake?” and to that I say – NO IT AIN’T and get over it. Instagram lets people share amazing images that otherwise we would not be able to see. It opens a little window to everyone’s creativity, how bad can that be? Plus, it’s all about the people! The app is just a tool.

Lately I’ve been following the feeds of a few peeps, you know, I do my daily check ups on their account and I always find something beautiful. Today I’ll share with you some of my latest favorites! (which was kinda hard to choose cuz I got so many) If you’re into art, design and photography, then you should definitely follow these fine fellas. Give it up for the 6 instagramers on the watchlist!

1: @michaelnewstedMichael has quite the feed with over 1,700 photos – all of them documenting precious moments with friends

2: @kaketeiruhoshi – I know little about this iger – what I do know is that her feed is a visual feast

3: @monbraee - Erica has a great eye for soft-mood photos and pretty vignettes

4: @thecuisinerd - Shazam! Lots of pretty food on this one. Kristin – aka The Cuisinerd – will make you lick your phone screen – that good!

5: @artchang - Startup founder / photographer / software engineer. Uh. Wow.

6: @hitchdesign - Megan’s graphic design skills and good eye for styling can be spotted throughout her feed. Just look at the picture above!

Got any other great Instagramers we should follow? Tell us about it on the comments below! Even better, leave your instagram handle so we can find you.

artful fridays – interview with Ben, Co-creator of Picfx

May 11, 2012

You may know by now that I am a bit obsessed with Instagram – so for today’s Artful Friday I picked one of my favorite photo apps as the spotlight of the feature. You know which app I’m talking about?

Picfx!

This powerful little app has the awesome ability of mixing effects and letting you choose how much you want to apply for each of them – so smart!

I went down to the root of Picfx and, guess what? I got an interview for you with one of the Co-creators, yah! Say hello to Ben Bradley – a.k.a Ben Curious - one of the guys behind this marvellous mobile editing tool.

Who is Ben Bradley?
 I’m a web/graphic designer and photographer from Wellington, New Zealand. I recently made the move to leave my job and go full freelance and to really focus on Picfx, exciting times!
What motivated you to create Picfx?
 Most of my work a year ago was very heavy texture based. I wanted textures that where not available at the time. Co-creator David Boyes of Active Development and I sat down and discussed making an app to fill this niche.
What was your biggest challenge and how did you overcome it?
Creating awesome filters that people love. Still trying to do it!
Did you have any previous experience with photography?
I have always loved taking photos, it’s only been in the past few years that I have started taking it more seriously. I’m snapping photos every time I leave my house. I carry my iPhone everywhere, + my SLR most places.
What’s your secret behind building a strong community online?
Talk and interact as much as possible. I’m always looking around Instagram to find picfx users, to get their thoughts and comments about the app. We have always had a great response and being active on Instagram has helped us get the users what they want. We have also started putting together a few brief tutorials which people have responded well to, so more of those to come!
Do you have any new developments coming for Picfx?
We are currently working on an update for Picfx right now. It will include a whole range of new filters that I personally think are the best we have released. Really interested to see how people respond and use them.
What are some of your favorite creative apps?
Picfx, Picframe, PicBoost, Filterstorm, Cross Process, Blender, Decim8, Slow Shutter
Your favorite blogs?
Thanks a lot for the fantastic app Ben and for sharing your words with the peeps of the Artful Desperado.
Folks, you go get that app because trust me, you’re in for a real good photo treat. Have a great weekend! And please, if you have any other cool apps you’d like to share, leave them on the comments below :)
all images: Ben Bradley