“Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still.”
— Dorothea Lange
I’ll be honest with you…I’m a little jealous right now.
As we speak, the second Travel Bloggers Unite conference is getting underway in Innsbruck, Austria, and from what I can tell from tweets and photos already pouring in, Innsbruck is, well, gorgeous.
What I’m perhaps even more jealous about, though, is an iPhone photography tour that happened earlier with Kirsten Alana, a well-known photographer in the travel blogging community. @AdventurousKate blogged earlier about how it was her first time using the Instagram iPhone app and–understandably so–she fell in love with it.
When I myself got an iTouch earlier in the year for my birthday, Instagram was the very first app I went about downloading. I’d seen the photos other bloggers posted using both it and Hipstamatic and had been dying for ages to take my own. It seemed like a way to bring my huge yet often impractical love for Polaroids into the 21st century.
Indeed, now that I’m in the midst of packing and squeezing things into my backpack for India, I’m grateful one little app will help me save who knows how much space without my old Polaroid camera and precious boxes of film around.
And so as I looked Kate’s instant photos from the tour, I had three thoughts on my mind:
- I love Instagram.
- I miss taking [real] Polaroids.
- I want to be in Innsbruck.
But, because I’m definitely not in Innsbruck, I thought I might as well post on an Instagram-tour I did myself a few weeks ago when my best friend Jen came to visit London. Rather than lug my SLR around with us all day and night, I chose to rely on my sleek little iTouch and the new Instagram app I can’t believe I ever lived without…and here are the results!
Russell Square & the British Museum
Afternoon tea & scones at Tea and Tattle
Quick stop into the National Gallery
Evening stroll along the South Bank
I’m still part of one of those weirdos that don’t have an iPhone or iPod touch (I’ve always got imposed a blackberry, since I was 20 years old… And have never before thought of switching to Apple). I know I won’t do so (I like Blackberry’s reliability), but I admit that I secretly wish and hope that someday, they’ll make instagram for BBs!
Hey Katherina! Thanks for the comment–and yes, I definitely hear ya…I’ve been a “weirdo” (as you call it :)) for a while now, but only just got my iTouch this summer…an iPhone plan is just way too expensive at the moment, unfortunately! Maybe one day… But I agree–Instagram is too good an app not to go universal.
I’ve often wondered if all these iPhone photo apps will be the end of cameras as we know them. I mean, they are able to do some pretty amazing things, and it makes it possible for someone with little photographic skill to male some great images.
P.S. Nice blog ya got here
Hi Matt, thanks for the comment, and nice to “meet” you! Hmm…I can definitely see your point, but as a photographer myself, I can’t ever see myself giving up my SLR in exchange for an iPhone–no matter how much of a pain it (and all its lenses) is to drag around, haha. All the iPhone apps are great and adapt so well to travel blogging, but I can’t imagine ever not using an SLR anymore 🙂 I look forward to following along your adventures!
I was on the tour which Kirsten gave and it was wicked. Learnt so much about the iPhone and how to take pictures. Instagram is my new addcition.
That’s awesome, Mike! I was pretty jealous not only to miss Innsbruck, but such an interesting walking tour…glad you enjoyed it though! Hopefully they’ll offer something similar at the next TBU in Umbria 🙂 Thanks for saying hi.