first things first…i am an addict! if you’re up for viewing a billion pictures of my kids, follow me at:  jillmarz

Instagram is a free photo sharing app. it originally was only available to iphone users, but in March ’12, droid users were added as well. since i have yet to make the switch to the iphone (being the nice mom i am, i gave my upgrade to my daughter so she could get it!) i was THRILLED! and little did i know how much i would love it! it was actually even named ‘app of the year’ last year and currently has over 30 million users…WOW!

it’s perfect! easy to use, fun to experiment with, readily available (who doesn’t have their phone close all the time) and i love looking back at all the little thing that go on in my families day-to-day life! i especially love to follow other instagram addicts to see how they view the world through their eyes!

a couple tips that work for me:

* try to get in the best lighting for you camera phone. if you are having trouble getting bright images, focus on the darkest spot in the finder and the white balance will           adjust and most often get brighter

* don’t be afraid of the flash…if it is nighttime, turn it on, but adjust the filters to make the flash less harsh

* check out some of the free or very inexpensive apps to enhance your images!  i really like magichour!  for only $1.99 you can play around with so many different styles and make your own filters!

* also get the free app photogrid!  you can put your images side by side or arrange 4 photos to appear as one image.

*  take a step back…i once heard someone say ‘you will remember their faces, but not what they carried around’.  to me, this means try to share a story, not just a face – try to capture the event, story and/or memory!

Lastly!

* print out your images! i know this is the hardest part, but try it!  there are some REALLY cool places to print from – even instagram photo books, square images, sheets full of instagram photo stickers, etc. check out the following links – blurb, printstagram and stickygram!  (watch for a future blogpost on these services)

 

here are just a couple of my images…each one takes me right back to that exact moment!  mostly important – have fun with it and do what YOU want to do!

 

 

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have a great weekend + start taking those instagram images!  you will be so happy you did when you look back at them!