Hey Look, A Photo Booth! This is Private... Right?

Me and the Mrs. having fun in the photo booth. Good clean fun.
So I was at this fundraiserlast night, which was a huge affair and likely a roaring success. I’m very proud of our community for coming out to have a fun time while supporting a good cause and enjoying the downtownnightlife. There happened to be this photo booth setup with props and instant prints — you get behind a curtain, take 4 digital photos in 10 seconds, and get a printout instantly. It was even free! (Or, included in the price of the event ticket). Totally fun.
And hey, you can even go online to view them the next day. The guy handing my prints told me so, and there’s a website on the back. Easy-breezy! Cool!
I hope he told everyone else this, because everyone else’s photos are there as well. What looks to be every… single… photo. My guess is that these have been screened for gang signs, product placement and, um… body parts, but I wonder if everyone realized their snapshots would be available for the world to see the next day?

Congratulations, You’re Famous!

If there was a sign stating these would be online, complete with social sharing buttons on every pic’s page, I didn’t see one. Not that I’d ever do anything at a public event that I wouldn’t want, you know… public, but being behind a curtain in a booth implies an idea of privacy, especially when you walk away with the prints in your hand. That is no longer so in our technoconnected world, and to assume otherwise is naive.

Say, there's no way someone's gonna post this on a blog, right?
I’m even writing this post from the photo’s page, since it offered the option to share via WordPress (along withTwitter, Facebook, Tumblr and Posterous). I later came to WordPress.com to add photos and links. Man, WordPressrocks.
Don’t get me wrong — I think the modern photo booth is a fantastic idea and I hope the venture and this local franchisee makes a million bucks. What with the rise ofvintage effects and retro cameras now supercharged with the speed, portability and low cost of digital photography, I think it’s wonderful to bring back an “old-timey” experience, and especially to make sharing easy. But I gotta wonder if — and do hope — everyone else pictured is cool with that.

What do you think? Have you ever been in a “for-real” photo booth that uses film? Or have you ever done one like this with digital prints and social media capability? Does this raise privacy issues, or should we all assume we’re free game? Tell us in the comments!

Related articles & links

• Photo Booth Rental Gets A Makeover! (Capture POD Photography)
• How Does a Vintage Photo Booth Work? (lofiphotog.wordpress.com)
• Capture POD Miami Gallery (Capture, Inc.)
• Shooting Stars Photo Booth Hire (Blog of Shooting Stars Photo Booth, U.K.)
• Top Hat Photo Booths (tophatphotobooths.com)

Black & White iPhoneography - Photography Editing Tutorial Video

Here’s another fantastic tutorial video from Guy Yang of The Beginner’s Lens on a subject I’m obviously interested in: black & white iPhoneography, that is, photos taken with the iPhone in grayscale, then intensified into expressive art with selective adjustments (brightness, contrast, sharpening, etc.). Guy takes you through a very thorough step-by-step overview using Filterstorm in this 15-minute professional-level clip, showing how to transform a regular snapshot into a striking composition with selective edits. Note: viewable free for a limited time only.

"This video is all about editing – in particular transforming some of your less than fabulous color photos into stunning black & white photos, all from your iPhone." via iPhone Camera Essentials
 As a graphic designer for many years, I’ll say it’s still amazing to me how we can achieve these results so easily now with just a few minutes, and app, and a thumb — whereas 5 years ago, this required either a PC running full-on Photoshop… or a dark room and major skills. I elaborate more on this in a discussion about Instagram, and am still very much into that experience, more all the time. See also: Become Popular on Instagram.
What did you think of the video? Have you explored iPhoneography? Do you think black & white is more enjoyable than color, or vice versa? What tips and apps do you prefer for editing? Who inspires you? Let us hear from you in the comments!

Related articles & links

• Instagram Makes iPhoneography Exciting (helloely.wordpress.com)
• Sion Fullana (master iPhoneographer; my inspiration and a friendly dude)
• A Moment Captured (manifesty.wordpress.com)
• Train Driver – Fokko Muller Street Photography(fokk0muller.wordpress.com)
• Street Photography in Tempe – Everyday Photography(everydayphotography.wordpress.com)

Basic Princples of Hand-to-Hand Combat

1. Be aggressive.
2. Keep eyes on the opponent.
3. Distract the opponent.
4. Disable or be disabled.
5. Vary the attack to fit the situation.
6. Turn the defense into an unrelenting attack.
7. Feel superior to your opponent regardless of the latter’s size or evidence of strength.

Inspired by Tomahawk's Aktion F1413
You know you will have little time to stop and think when engaging in hand-to-hand combat. Therefore, your actions must be automatic. Remember, attack aggressively, with one purpose in mind: to kill.
For a detailed overview, see Combatives, FM 3-25.150, (via U.S. Army).
For a musical memory device to help remember these principles, see the following (via Tazwegian).Note: contains  simulated mildly violent imagery.
All of this inspired by the mighty Tomahawk.
What’s your opinion of these principles? Think they would serve you well in a hand-to-hand combat situation? What other suggestions would you advise? Are you also a Patton fan? Tell us in the comments!

Related articles

• New Tomahawk Album Allegedy In The Works (ThePRP)
• Mike Patton And Duane Denison Talk Tomahawk ‘Downtime’ (The Bad Penny Blog)
• Album Review: Mike Patton – The Solitude of Prime Numbers (Music Lama)

Hipstamatic Or Haunted?

I think I’ve figured out why I’m so fascinated with the Hipstamatic Rock BW-11 film and John S. Lens. Remember those “ghost hunter” television shows where they would use some sort of special film or photography to document a spirit? I’ve always been fascinated by such, and that’s what it feels like I’m doing with this equipment, because there’s such a mysterious element to the results you get with Hipstamatic. It’s not just a filter — each snapshot is a unique reaction to the amount of light, movement, or other elements in the frame. Either that, or my cat Lily just might be on to something when she follows light on the ceiling… what we refer to as “Hunting Ceiling Ghosts.”
Have you ever photographed a ghost? What’s your preferred way to add textures to photos? Do you love/hate Hipstamatic? Tell us in the comments!

Related articles

• Photography Job Interview (DamnUglyPhotography)
• A blog for Hipstamatics (Hipstamatics.com)
• Holy Cow! Hipstamatic is a Memory Hog! (TragicallyHipstamatic Blog)
• The Science of Ghosts (scienceofghosts.wordpress.com)
• The backstory of Hipstamatic (mariepeters.com)
• The Real Hipstamatic Backstory (lifeinlofi.com)

How to Become Popular on Instagram: 10 Tips

So you want to be on the Instagram Popular Page? Here are 10 tips and a look at the top 15 Instagramers. A few months ago, these powerusers were featured in a post by Jennifer Van Grove, rich with detail and tips. Problem is, the good stuff’s buried in a well-intentioned slideshow with a blinking ad (nothing against capitalism, but hey).

Fear not — I’ve done the work so we can all learn from the experts, who are legitimately WAY more popular than you or I will ever dream of being. So don’t just take it from me; observe the efforts of these 15 other Instagram legends who’ve done it many times over. Behold, the following master work distilled for your photo-sharing advancement:

Tip #1: Observe the experts (links = sites & feeds)

1. @mikekus
2. @fashion
3. @looking_glass: “I have over 5,000 photos on my iPhone. When I get a break from my hectic schedule, I reflect on the recent events in my life, and browse for that photo / moment that best portrays my feelings and thoughts which I wish to share. It is a way for me to better understand myself and life, to convey a mood and distill what I have captured.”
4. @inkedfingers “In less than a minute I created an image that from a layman’s point of view, is almost indistinguishable on that tiny screen from what our $3,000 camera took.”
5. @poeticaesthetic “Instagram has enabled me to capture and share images that might not be shared otherwise, at least not with such a broad audience.”
6. @babysmurf
7. @colerise
8. @danrubin “Instagram has made photography part of my daily routine. Looking at the world through a lens changes the way you see things, and having that lens with you at all times means you are always looking, and never have to miss a shot. I don’t always carry my dSLR, Polaroids, or my other myriad film cameras with me, but my iPhone — and Instagram — is always at the ready. I shoot every day because of Instagram.”
9. @laurenlemon
10. @chrysti
11. Josh Johnson
    @joshjohnson ‘It’s exciting that so many are now walking around with the tools to create and publish art. That’s what our cellphones have become. Amazing.”
12. @nirl
13. @jenniferjeffrey
14. @skwii
15. @bbyrd ‘It gets me away from my computer, makes me see things differently.”

Instagram Popular Page Tips from the masters:
(see these folks on Statigr.am):

1. Share something you have a connection with — @looking_glass
2. Shoot through a knit sweater for some awesome light-play — @colerise
3. Don’t shoot from eye-level — @danrubin

More tips to improve your Instagram experience that I personally recommend:

My own pics @rsmithing

1. Use a 3rd party site like statigr.am. Great for comment effectiveness.
2. Don’t be afraid to get the shot; do it! The opportunity will not come back.
3. Enter challenges. They’re an easy and fun way to see what others are doing and grow your skills.
4. Get one or two apps you’re intuitive with and master them for edits. It may take some experimenting, so plan to spend at least $20 in the app store.
5. Pick a filter and stick with it for a strong impression. I don’t do this, but the effect is undeniable and eliminates complexity.
6. Thank people religiously, leave comments, and be funny. Or, at least try
7. Rock and roll all night and party every day. That’s more a just general life lesson, but it should at the very least provide some good raw material. OK, real tip: consider an accessory lens by PhotoJojo. I did this and am seeing the world in a new way, especially bugs.
8. Hashtag the crap out of your photos. Look up keywords in other languages and make friends from around the world.
9. Keep a bunch of hashtags handy in a note so you can copy and paste as appropriate. You might also use groups of tags for common subjects (cat, dog, grayscale, etc.). Tap around on some hashtags and find the popular ones that appeal to you most.
10. Process pics later. You might have a great photo op in line at the TSA security check, but sometimes it’s best just to get the pic and move on as fast as possible, then dive deeply into the editing afterward (like once you’re on the plane).

BONUS TIP: take really, really excellent photos. Observe the work of the top 15, get creative, encourage others, and have fun on the site.

Have you taken any of these steps? What has your Instagram experience been like? Or are you already popular by means not otherwise noted here (besides booty and/or dog/cat shots)? Tell us in the comments!

Related articles

• How to become “most popular” in Instagram (instagramers.com)
• Instagram’s Official Blog (blog.instagram.com)
• Statigr.am Measures Useful and Fun Instagram Metrics (lockergnome.com)