Over the past few months I've become a total, unabashed Instagram addict. And apparently, so has Facebook.

Now, with its recent acquisition by Facebook and its expansion to new phone platforms, Instagram's popularity will continue to grow.

The iPhone's camera and the apps available enable you to create some incredible images. And as a photo sharing app, Instagram is simply amazing. 

Click here to see the photos I took >

The two have totally changed my street photography. I now use the iPhone for most of my non-work photos, a big shift from before.

Editing apps like Snapseed allow me to instantly edit photos and bring out colors and play with effects. Then running the photos through Instagram provides for additional filters and immediate sharing. 

As a street photographer, I try to capture a little bit of New York in my photos, and the ease of access and discreetness of the iPhone have allowed me to capture candid moments in situations where it would be difficult to use my big DSLR. And at 8 megapixels, the camera on the iPhone 4S is capable of producing very high quality images. The f/2.4 aperture enables the camera to work acceptably in dark situations and can even be used to create some natural "depth of field" effect without a filter.

The sharing and community is where Instagram shines. The app can seamlessly share photos with Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Tumblr, and more so you can instantly get your photos out through all your channels.

But my favorite part is the active and growing community of great Instagrammers. I've got a number of people I now consider Instagram friends whose photo style I know and like. Seeing their pictures often helps inspire me to try new approaches and shots. And I appreciate the glimpse into their lives, even if I don't know them. Hashtags are popular and they provide easy ways to find communities with different interests and Instagrammers with great feeds. 

I'm always checking #streetphotography. And #iloveyounyc is also cool if you like pics of New York. Go explore and check out the Instagram Tumblr for some tips on using hashtags to find some other great topics to follow.

If you decide to get into it, Instagram can become a fun way to share and find great photos. So if you aren't on it yet, get on it, but be careful...#instaaddict is a very popular hashtag.   

[UPDATE: Don't just take my word about Instagram, also find out what normal people really think of it!]

The iPhone camera takes large pictures, in this one cropping from a wider shot gives the impression of a zoom shot. Using Snapseed I brought up the saturation and structure to give the image an almost painting-like look.

Instagram is so popular people are using it everywhere.

At Fashion Week outside the main tent things were moving quick and when you see a look like this you don't want to wait until you get home to post.

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See Also:

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