We went to Oregon this past weekend and took some Instagram shots of our kids at Three Oaks Amusement Park in Portland. I was struck at how perfectly these retro filters captured the moment. The crap-tastic amusement park rides, faded color, and 70′s hair all perfectly complimented the filter. It could have been me on a ride in the 70′s.
Most of the time I loathe the ill-used filters that are randomly thrown on top of pictures - how retro can a contemporary gallery exhibit be? Is a piece of toast avand-guard artsy because it has the Pro-X filter? The post “Why I Hate Instagram” pretty much sums it up. However….I DO like the sharing community aspect, and like any social media tool, it becomes a habit. There’s also some crossover happening in the video world. Clients are asking for the “Instagram” look to be applied to video – sigh….just when DSLR is at the top of its game in quality and color….I understand though, and agree there are instances where it may be appropriate. Cineblur.com features a blog about applying Instagram-style video filters through using LUT’s (look up tables). It gives you instructions on how to download and install the free Magic Bullet LUT Buddy from Red Giant Software (for After Effects and FCP7), and also includes a link to a video tutorial on how to use the filter (watch it – so much better than randomly applying the filters incorrectly). I’ll test it out on some skatepark video I took this weekend with my new 24-70mm f.28 Sigma Lens, which I love it btw- it’s affordable, sharp image, and works well at the low 2.8 fstop (here’s a review, and a great comparison between the Canon, Sigma and Tamron if interested).
