Friday, January 3, 2014

Friday Favorite—Instagram

I am going to try something new in 2014, and that is to add a new feature to my blog called Friday Favorite.  I will be sharing one thing that is a favorite of mine.  It may be a font, website, app, blog, a Pinned and tried Pin from Pinterest, a product that I have come to love, or even a family favorite recipe.

This Friday, I have chosen to share a favorite app with you called, Instagram.  I have been using Instagram for over a year now and I really love it.  It’s been so much fun to look back and remember things that I had forgotten.

Instagram capture logo

Here’s why I love it…

Instagram is a social network that uses pictures and captions.  It’s a really fun way to share everyday experiences with others through photos.  I like Facebook, but sometimes I can be overwhelmed by the negativity of some of the statuses, whereas with Instagram, I find it much more uplifting and enjoyable to just look at photos.  And I love that I can capture a moment in time and share it with my friends and family with just a few clicks.

Instagram capture 1

How it works…

Instagram uses your phone or tablet’s camera to take a photo, or you can import a photo from your camera roll to share on your Instagram feed.  You are able to import your photos onto Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Flickr or email them to yourself or someone else with just one click.  It’s a great way to get it all done quickly and easily if you share on all, or some, of those sites.  Instagram has several fun filters and borders that you can play with to add different effects to your photos.  I really enjoy playing with the filters and changing the look of my photos.

There are several fun apps that work well with Instagram that I really like.  PhotoFrame is my favorite app for combining my photos and making collages.  Flipagram is a ton of fun for combining your photos into a mini slideshow.  You can even add music and change the timing.  There are a few others, but these are the ones I go to again and again.

My tips for using Instagram:

~~Use your camera phone app to take the photos and edit them instead of the camera on the Instagram app.  You have much better control using your camera’s phone, and features like focus and exposure that you don’t have with Instagram’s camera.  You also have the capability to zoom and enhance your photo in the edit mode before sending it to Instagram to add filters and borders.

~~To quickly like a photo in your feed, just tap the photo twice.

~~To respond to a comment and tag the commenter, tap and hold the user’s name and then send your message.

~~Use hashtags to find other users that have similar interests as you.  Just search the hashtags.  You can also use hashtags to keep all of your photos in categories.

Ideas for using Instagram…

~~~Challenge yourself to take one photo a day of something you are thankful for.  Use hashtag #thankful and the month or year to be able to search them at a later date

~~~Chronicle a long term project that you’re working on to be able to see the steps you took and all the effort you put into it…very rewarding

~~~Take photos of gifts you give and hashtag them so you have in instant reference to previous gifts given

I’m sure there are a million other uses, but the thing I most love using Instagram for is capturing those sweet little moments with my kids and grandkids, a beautiful sunset, or a great meal shared with someone special…

If you would like to follow me on Instagram, you can do so by searching for karen_m_murray or by clicking here.  I also have a link “View on Instagram” on my right sidebar with my Instagram stream underneath.

Do you use Instagram?  If so, I would love to follow you, please leave your username in my comments.

signature final

2 comments:

Jennifer said...

This sounds so great! I've never looked into instagram, but now I'm curious! hmmmm.

kiwimeskreations said...

I don't use instagram - yet!! My daughter does, and I love the photos she posts, and as I am likely to get her 'old' camera phone soon, I just may start using it! ;-)
Blessings
Maxine