Best Camera [is the one you have with you] | iphoneography in Denver

My mind is expanding in SO many ways right now, taking an incredible creativeLIVE three day course on women's portraiture (I have so many new photographer crushes! Sue Bryce, how funny, sexy AND inspiring can one woman be?!)

But I had to take a moment on our lunch break to share this composite of iphone shots from my commute this morning in Denver. Incredible light, lovely spring snow. Textures were incredible everywhere. Just beautiful!

Instagram: Sharpening Capture Skills on the Fly

The year 2011 introduced me to a powerful little app called Instagram. I first explored the genius of this simple app with the limitations of an iPod Touch camera, which, unbeknownst to me at the time, isn't even rated with pixels, but rather based on lesser graphics for video.  Not the best for clean, crisp images, but it forced me to really think about the basics of composition in a tiny square, and I found I could still capture compelling images (half of the images above are from my iPod, half from the iPhone 4s).

If you are even mildly interested in bettering your photographic skills, I swear by this simple technology as a way to explore your eye and sharpen your skills at composition.  I am constantly impressed at how this technology is inspiring me - and some 12 million others - to see the 3 dimensions of our every day world through new eyes; to see beauty, backlight, pattern and shadow as more than just passing parts of our periphery, but as subjects of composition and interest in their own right.

If you're in Denver, grab your iPhone or iPod and join us for our our first Instameet on Sunday, January 15th - base of the Clocktower on 16th Street at 2pm.  

Follow @merrittphoto on Instagram for more details!

Instagram | Portrait Fun

Since my studio is in our home, I try to make time every day to connect with my boy OUTSIDE of the house (without the distraction of the computer, phone, etc.), and one of our favorite spots has become a coffee shop on the walk home from school.

It just so happens that the coffee shop has this great shade which in summertime produces a fantastic light pattern.  While yes, this IS admittedly another distraction, it has a fun side-effect: cool photos!  We took these of each other yesterday with the iPod Touch, and I edited them very minimally in Camera+ and shared through Instagram.

The photo on the right was chosen as "best of the day" by members of the IG community today, and has received over 650 "likes" and more comments from all around the world since I first posted it just over 24 hours ago!  I'm clearly still bowled over by the power of this interactive tool to share creative inspiration.

Capture Philosophy | PHOTO TIP 03: SHOOT, SHARE, STAY INSPIRED

My newest creative addiction has a healthy side-effect: Pure, Raw, Synapse-Firing... INSPIRATION.

Instagram, if you aren't already familiar, is a free photo sharing app for the iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad which has skyrocketed in popularity in just a few short months (Check out this article on the simple but powerful features they nailed in their launch).  It took me less than an hour to figure out why it is so popular amongst photo enthusiasts, amateurs and professionals alike...

Photos taken with the iPod Touch and filtered with "Lomi-fi" filter in Instagram | ©merrittphoto

The basic tenet of "iPhoneography" is that the best camera is the one you have with you.

As any dSLR owner knows, it's not always convenient to carry tripod, camera body, kit of lenses, filters, batteries, cards, etc., and more often than not, there will inevitably be a great spot of light or moment of inspiration precisely when you decide not to tote along your gear.  If you are lucky enough to have a camera in your phone, however, the opportunity for creativity and capture is hardly lost.

iPod snapshots of architecture around Denver, with various IG filters | ©merrittphoto 

Dialoguing recently with a fellow Instagram'er, I realized how much inspiration I gather not only through this less formal method of shooting, but also through the daily feed of tiny square photographic compositions from all around the world.  I am provoked to consider what moves me about these images -- in intimate scenes from Italy; in extraordinary aurora sky photos from Lapland; in edgy street scenes from New York City and dramatic ocean sunsets from the equator -- as they each enter my personal photo feed...

... Like miniature vacations in the palm of my hand.

iPod Touch photos of my favorite model, with Lomi, Apollo and Gotham IG filters (l-r) | ©merrittphoto 

With visual media such as photography, we can learn so much from studying what we like (and dislike), and we can then attempt to reproduce our favorite elements -- pattern, simplicity of composition, use of light, etc. -- from the material in our own world.  A tool like this with a constant stream of content for inspiration can thus become truly addictive.

It may be obvious that as a professional photographer, I find that my style while shooting with the iPod is FAR less inhibited than when I am shooting with my dSLR.  Less obvious is how dearly I have come to love the results... as well as the new possibilities.  Often (as with the "drive by" photos below) I just hold the phone up to a scene and press the "shutter" without looking (not exactly possible with pro-gear).  It is delightful to look later and discover there are gems in the mix.

A new category of photos not possible with a dSLR (Please drive safely! Don't post and drive!!) | ©merrittphoto

The IG filters offer enough creativity to require no additional photo editing, but of course there are hundreds of amazing photo apps out there to process phone pix through as well, and I have found several that I enjoy, including Filterstorm, TiltShift Generator, FX Photo Studio, 100 Cameras in One, and Impression (if you want to add a copyright to your photos before posting).

Once you have even just a few followers on IG, the feedback is immeasurably enjoyable.  Like any other social media, a great part of the allure is the community itself.  So far my experience is that the IG community is like an incredibly supportive, creative, international family!

Where would iPhoneography be without coffeeshop photos? iPod Touch / IG filters | ©merrittphoto 

My hope with this post is to encourage you, if you have the ability to shoot from your non-dSLR mobile device, to USE it, and use it every day.  Take photos of your morning coffee, your pet and the walk around your neighborhood.  The discipline to simply do something creative every day is a wonderful way to sharpen your skills and stay inspired.  Regardless of your skill level, the tricks of composition, light and content choices which you learn quickly with this completely non-intimidating device will inform choices when using your "real" camera.

Just as important: SHARE your photos.  Photo sharing communities such as Instagram offer each of us the ideal opportunity to share our vision with other people -- people who don't know each other but who truly desire to share creativity and inspiration through each other's photos and feedback.

And thus our world expands yet again... Brilliant use of the technology, in my opinion!

Happy Spring from my iPod to your eyes | ©merrittphoto

Until next time, Happy Spring to you!  Shoot, SHARE and stay inspired!
... and as always, have fun!

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A complete collection of the @merrittphoto feed on Instagram, can be seen here.
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If you'd like to get started on IG, there are SO many incredible feeds out there, but here are a few recommendations for fun, interactive people to check out as you get started:
@joshjohnson @richnyc @iscooler @mouselink @brianng @electricdenim
and @steinvalente (thank you for this blog inspiration, Michel!)

Playing with Tilt Shift App

Denver Art Museum

I discovered another fun little app for the iPod this weekend and I've been having a blast experimenting with different effects on a variety of photos.  It it absolutely incredible to me what these simple little gadgets can do!

This one allows you to mimic the highly specific depth of field effect of a tilt shift lens, resulting in images that often look like tiny scale models, even though these are - I swear - full scale scenes.

If you have an iPod or iPhone, this particular app is called TiltShiftGen and so far, I love it!

Denver Capitol building from Art Museum window

16th Street Mall, Denver

Confluence Park, Denver

Mesa Verde National Park

Telluride Wedding

View from Tattered Cover Parking Garage, Denver, CO

Glenwood Canyon, CO

Telluride from the Gondola

Telluride, CO during Mountainfilm

Denver City and County Building, July 4th 2010

16th Street, Denver CO

16th Street, Denver, CO

Telluride from Town Park

Telluride, CO - July 4th

Merrittphoto on Instagram!

We got a fancy little iGadget over the holidays, and I have become completely addicted to a new form of social media / photo sharing, in the form of a free app called Instagram.

Through the app, you can photograph and apply from a selection of nostalgic and artistic filters... but the power is really in the ability to view, share, comment, "like," follow  and otherwise interact with photo-minded people from all over the world.  

Ridiculously fun and inspiring!

Here are some selections from my first few days of posting.  If you have an iPhone or iPod Touch, check out this free app and come say hello (@merrittphoto)!