Behold this atmospheric and painterly photo of the National Gallery of Art’s Sculpture Garden Ice Rink. Taken by my good friend, photographer and fellow Shepherd University graduate, Martin Cherry, with none other than his iPhone.

Thank you for sharing, Marty!

The picture was taken using the Instagram app. I’ve seen stacks of these photographs popping up on Facebook, random photos of lunches and flowers and curtains and pets, all with a nostalgic, vintage feel and arty square format. While fun to look at, I’ve noticed a nagging feeling of annoyance when viewing Instagram images. Is it that I know that the app does the majority of the work, instantly transforming snapshots into retro style images through the use of various filters?That these old-timey photos are actually the work of a  quite high-tech gadget? That the app probably has the ability to make an otherwise uninteresting photo artistic and cool?

photo taken from the Instagram blog

I find it fascinating that with the current availability of relatively cheap digital SLRs (and even high quality point-and-shoots), we are so charmed by the ability to instantly create digital images that look as if they’ve been yellowing in a box since 1972. I suspect it’s just one form of the back to the earth pull for authenticity so many are feeling. Instagram images remind us of the deep color and tangibility of film.

Another photo from the Instagram blog

Anyway, who am I fooling. I’m sure to download this app as soon as I get an iPhone. Amplicate.com has a current poll up showing that out of over 36,000 users, 91% LOVE Instagram. One aspect contributing to popularity is the ease of sharing with other friends who have the app. And that is one of the great joys of photography, capturing and sharing our particular vision of the world around us.

Do you use Instagram? Even if you don’t,  please, let us know your thoughts on the app in the comments.