Iphone anyone? Oh wait, a droid? Now instagram is available for android phones but from what i hear, its limited in the number of filters. So, for those who dont know what instagram is, where have you been? Its been my addiction for a couple years now. Its an iphone photo app (and now a version for android phones). It’s actually more than just a photo app. It’s a photo social media app. Think twitter, but with photos instead of tweets. That doesnt even capture it completely. Think twitter, with an button for instant translation into nerd speak, or hipster slang. Basically, take iphone photos into instagram, apply one of many cool funky filters or editing effects, then add to the Instagram world feed of streaming photos. Its social in that you can browse other people’s photos and “like” them, comment on them, and even follow other users so their photos show up in your instagram feed.

So, how does instagram work? I can only speak for iPhones because, well, I use iPhones. It’s a free app in the App Store. If you don’t have it, then stop right now, go to the App Store, and download it. I promise, you”ll kiss me for this advice. Once you download the app, you need to set up your account. It’s the usual stuff, username, real name, email, etc. it’s always nice to look at someone when you interact with them online, so add your profile photo. If you don’t have one, simply hold your phone out, and snap a self portrait of yourself right now

So, now what? Well, you start by taking a photo (or using a photo from your camera library on your iPhone). I prefer to take a photo with my normal camera app that comes standard with my iphone5, but taking the picture within the Instagram app would save a step. Instagram is based on square format images, so if you are using a photo taken with the phone (not within Instagram) then it won’t be square, so you’ll first have to size and crop the image. I’ll use an iphone photo of leaves as an example. Open Instagram and choose your photo from your camera’s photostream. You’ll now have the image in the SCALE & CROP screen.

choose your image and crop to your liking.

Just use your fingers to drag the square around until you are happy with it. You can make the square smaller, wich will zoom in on the photo. Once you’re happy with the crop of the image, click on NEXT.

You’ll now see your image cropped square, with a bunch of little thumbnails below (or on the side if holding your phone in landscape orientation). Each one of those thumbnails is a different filter, adding a different effect to your image. You can click on them and see how it alters your image. Here are examples of my favorite filters: Amaro, lo- fi, and earlybird.

a comparison of my three favorite instagram filters on the leaf picture

There are a few little icons that also do cool nifty awesomeness to your photos. The little diamond with the circle -arrow around it will turn the photo 90˚. The little frame will remove any border or frame that is included in the filter. The droplet will allow you to add a blur to the image. There are 2 types of blur: one is a circle in focus and the rest out of focus, and the other is a straight section across the image that is in focus. Use your fingers to pinch the focus area smaller, move it to a different position, or enlarge the transition between focus and blur. Finally, the little sun with black and white center will increase contrast and definition. Play around with them and see what you think.

Once you have finished choosing your filter, click NEXT. That will bring up a screen where you can add a caption. most people add some sort of description, or saying, or something to go along with the image. You can hashtag as well to help people find the image by searching. Think of hashtaging (#) as a file folder label. You can add as many as you want. You can also add them later in additional comments to the image. There are various other settings here. You can also post directly to your facebook page, tumblr page, Flickr, etc.

finished image, using Lo-Fi filter

Instagram has helped me be more creative in my regular work. It’s given me the freedom to be less than perfect and still have fun. They are only iPhone pictures afteral. No pressure. They don’t need to be well edited. I have to think about what I want to create and think how I can do that within the confine of an iPhone. Browse through instagram and youll see that photographic art is not about big fancy expensive cameras, but about the eye and creativity of the artist.

If you’re not on instagram, you should be. It’s free. It’s fun. It makes your Iphone happy.

You can find me (and follow me) on Instagram under the name Rocktog.

The first installment of Fine Art Friday in 2013 is titled Thunderdome and takes us to the Capital building in Washington DC. While the debates, arguments, and feuds that thrive within this building seem ugly at times, it is the search for common ground and compromise that is an essential part of our government. The peaceful serene image hides the thunder dome cage match that that has been taking place inside.

I’m part of a small group of professional female photographers who are committed to exploring and showcasing their own fine art photography. You should hop over to check out the awesome Britt Anderson, North Shore Photographer to check out her Fine Art showcase this month, and then complete the circle by clicking through to the link at the end.  In case you missed them, you can see last months edition of Fine Art Friday from Seattle Washington.

To purchase this print, visit the Fine Art Print Shop.

Durham North Carolina Fine Art Photography                   Durham North Carolina Music Photography                 Durham North Carolina Beloved portraits

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2013 Leigh Ann Hines

Its hard to believe that it’s been 4 years since President Obama was first sworn into office. The inauguration today, 2013, took me back to the events 4 years ago in Washington DC when I documented the inauguration. It was a cold, emotional, feet numbing, heart warming day. I remember the bone chilling cold. Seriously, I was not outfitted for such cold, wearing jeans, running shoes, and several layers of sweaters, scarves,and gloves. I remember walking, and walking, and walking, in that bitter cold, being overwhelmed by the sheer volume of people. And the people, old, young, were all filled with excitement for what this moment meant in the history of our country. I remember the kindness offered by total strangers, and despite tired and cold masses of people, we all were extending hands to each other. While I know not everyone agrees with the politics of Obama, then or now, I think everyone can agree what it meant to swear in the first person of color as our President. I meant that all people could conceivably dream of holding the highest office. it meant that parents of children from all walks of life could picture their child in places they never dreamed of before.

Watch the slideshow of images that document some of that day.

The final Fine Art feature of 2012 is titled “Magic.” While in Seattle photographing a 4 day event, I had the chance to tour the new Chihuly Garden and Glass. I’ve been a fan of his work for many years as my father had been a big glass art collector and had many large Chihuly pieces in his home. They were gorgeous. I have my own Chihuly pieces and original paintings. So this new gallery and exhibit was one of the highlights of my time in Seattle. If you’re ever in Seattle, head to the Seattle Center and go to the Chihuly Garden & Glass. You wont be disappointed.

I’m part of a small group of professional female photographers who are committed to exploring and showcasing their own fine art photography. You should hop over to check out the awesome New Hampshire Photographer Beth Philcrantz, to check out her Fine Art showcase this month, and then complete the circle by clicking through to the link at the end.  In case you missed them, you can see a previous editions of Fine Art Friday featuring images from London, click here
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To purchase this print, visit the Fine Art Print Shop.

Durham North Carolina Fine Art Photography                   Durham North Carolina Music Photography                 Durham North Carolina Beloved portraits

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2012 Leigh Ann Hines

Spiced Caramelized Pumpkin Seeds

1 1/2 – 2 cups fresh pumpkin seeds, cleaned and dried **
Salt
Cooking spray (or olive oil)
4 TBS sugar
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
Dash of nutmeg
Dash of cayenne pepper
1.5 TBS butter or olive oil
2 TBS white sugar
1 TBS brown sugar

**to clean and dry the fresh pumpkin seeds: Cut open the pumpkin by cutting a circle around the stem end, and pulling off the top. Use a strong metal spoon to scrape the insides of the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds and strings. Place the mass of pumpkin seeds in a colander and run under water to rinse and separate the seeds from the everything else. Place the seeds in a medium saucepan. Add about 6 cups of water (basically fill pan with water) and 2 tablespoon of salt to the pan. Bring the salted water and pumpkin seeds to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and drain. Spread on rimmed baking sheet that’s been lined with apartment paper. Pat drying with paper towels, then heat in 150 degree oven until dry (about 30-60 minutes depending on amount of moisture). I’ve heard of people using a hair dryer as an alternate way to dry the seeds, but the oven is no work (just time).

1. Heat oven to 300 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, stir together 4 tablespoons of sugar, the cumin, cinnamon, ginger, the nutmeg, and cayenne pepper, and set aside.

3. Spread the pumpkin seeds on the prepared baking sheet, spray them with cooking spray (or toss lightly with olive oil), and sprinkle with salt to taste (I use about 2 tsp). Bake the seeds in the preheated oven until lightly golden, 20 to 35 minutes.

4. Heat the butter (or olive oil) in a large skillet over medium heat, and stir in the toasted pumpkin seeds along with 2 tablespoons of white sugar and 1 tablespoon of brown sugar. Cook and stir the seeds until the sugar forms a coating on the seeds, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the hot caramelized seeds into the bowl of sugar-spice mixture, toss to coat, and let cool.

5. Scoop out half and hide away in your own secret stash because once you put them out, they will disappear!

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2012 Leigh Ann Hines

October’s installment of Fine Art Friday takes us back to London. Every Saturday morning there’s a massive invasion on Portabello Road where all of Europe (ok, maybe only half) flood the road and shops in search of fine antiques, less fine collectibles, and bargains of all sorts. It’s part antiques, part souveniers, part farmers market and food stands, and 100% people watching. There’s a scarf designer I always visit there (I’m a scarf addict). That collection and obsession is a whole story in itself. OK, so I was making my pilgrimage to Portabello (which is only a few blocks from the flat) and photographed the market. I was also being filmed for an upcoming project that will be revealed at a later date. So, this is one of the images from a shop on Portabello. 

I’m part of a small group of professional female photographers who are committed to exploring and showcasing their own fine art photography. You should hop over to check out the awesome Northern VA Photographer, Heather Leigh Photography, to check out her Fine Art showcase this month, and then complete the circle by clicking through to the link at the end.  In case you missed them, you can see last months edition of Fine Art Friday featuring images of London, click here
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To purchase this print, visit the Fine Art Print Shop.

Durham North Carolina Fine Art Photography                   Durham North Carolina Music Photography                 Durham North Carolina Beloved portraits

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2012 Leigh Ann Hines

September’s installment of Fine Art Friday takes us to London. Since I haven’t been blogging regularly, you probably aren’t aware that Ive been traveling like crazy for the last 4 months. I love that my photography takes me all over the world, meeting and photographing amazing people and events. Just call me the jetsetter. Now if I only had my own jet and could travel in style, that would be the life! OK, so back to the image. I’ll share more from my London jaunt in another blog post, but for now, enjoy this image of Big Ben, Parliament, Westminister Bridge, and Westminister Abbey in the background. I took this image from across the Thames on Millennium Pier.

I’m part of a small group of professional female photographers who are committed to exploring and showcasing their own fine art photography. You should hop over to check out the awesome Sharon Gartrell, Fort Worth Photographer, to check out her Fine Art showcase this month, and then complete the circle by clicking through to the link at the end.  In case you missed them, you can see last months edition of Fine Art Friday featuring images of an old ferris wheel in Southern California, click here

To purchase this print, visit the Fine Art Print Shop.

Durham North Carolina Fine Art Photography                   Durham North Carolina Music Photography                 Durham North Carolina Beloved portraits

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2012 Leigh Ann Hines

Atlas Sound (Bradford Cox of Deerhunter) took stage to an drenched crowd. its not many people who can command the attention of a large stage as a solo artist. Brandon is one of them.

Atlas Sound is the solo project of Bradford Cox (Deerhunter). he took stage just as the first downpour ended.  In true Bradford style, he was decked out with a polkadot shirt and whitened face. The straw hat was a nice touch. Its hard to raise the spirits of a  soggy crowd but he did a pretty good job. Unfortunately, the rain eventually took another casualty, as we hear a pop and hiss of his electronics. He apologized for the rain and the abrupt end of his set, saying “sorry guys, the rain killed my shit. I would have loved to play more.”

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2012 Leigh Ann Hines

The Olivia Tremor Control rocked out in Chicago to an energetic crowd. indie rock band prominent in the mid-to-late 1990s

The indie rock band was prominent in the mid-to-late 1990s before breaking up. They reunited in the last year with a new release and a few select tour and festival dates.

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2012 Leigh Ann Hines

This installment of Fine Art Friday is from a series of images I took in Los Angeles. Its titled Big Wheel, and although I was photographing the Barrett-Jackson Collectible Auto Action, this wheel was not on the auction block. I think most photographers have at least one series of ferris wheel images. I have many, from wheels around the world.  I love photographing them. The lines, structure, colors (although I usually do black&white), sky. There’s just something visually interesting about ferris wheels and emotionally connecting about them. Maybe its how they take me back to childhood, or maybe its that they represent fun. Or maybe its that they have been a great spot for me to take panoramic photographs of locations. Or maybe its because they’re just cool.

This photo was taken with a semi wide angle, at 24mm. I wish I had my 16mm at the time I shot this but I had chosen to leave that lens at my hotel for this job. Ug, why is it that I always want the things I leave in my hotel when Im trying to travel light and only carry the bare minimum. I guess thats why I have a Think Tank roller bag so I can haul it all around without breaking my back. but on this occasion, I didn’t want to haul that around, and didnt need anything other than what I brought, except for this particular shot of the ferris wheel. I shot this at f/13 which enables me to get detail of the wheels as well as lovely sun flare. Often people get stuck in shooting at wide open apertures to create a dreamy background and isolate their subject, which is great. For this type of image I didnt need to isolate anything but instead wanted to have everything in nice detailed focus and I wanted a more defined flare from shooting into the sun. And yes, i kept this image in color. It was a tough choice, as I’m a black&white girl, and this image is great in black&white. But the flare is more evident in the color version and I wanted to break out of my normal black&white style a little. In the Print Shop, this image is available in Black & White for those who are interested.

I’m part of a small group of professional female photographers who are committed to exploring and showcasing their own fine art photography. You should hop over to check out the awesome Tracy Tisdale Photography ~ Pensacola, FL to check out her Fine Art showcase this month, and then complete the circle by clicking through to the link at the end.  In case you missed them, you can see last months edition of Fine Art Friday featuring images of a bald eagle in Washington state, click here

To purchase this print, visit the Fine Art Print Shop.

Durham North Carolina Fine Art Photography                    Durham North Carolina Music Photography                  Durham North Carolina lifestyle portraits

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2012 Leigh Ann Hines