Instagram is famous for a few things.  Launched in 2010, the service offers an easy way for users to share simple, small photographs to their friends and any one else who wants to look via the internet.  The service famously doesn’t have a website as such, but shares the content via a smartphone app and also via social media platforms such as Facebook.

Indeed, in April 2012, the platform was bought out by Facebook for $1 Billion in cash and stock and late on in the year, the 30 ‘millionth’ user registered their account.  It may of been a meteoric rise from the humble beginnings in 2010, however 2012 has not ended well.

On Dec 17th, Instagram announced a series of changes to their End User License Agreement (EULA), you know, all the waffle that no-one reads but ‘accepts’ before using something.  Well it turns out that some of the changes are pretty big and also, at face value, seem pretty unfair too.

Selling your stuff

It turns out Instagram now want to sell your photographs without letting you take any of the profit, something which borders on unethical (and if it wasn’t something end users were ‘agreeing’ to, illegal). As from January 16th, the plan is that people who are using the service will, by default, also be making their images available for sale or use without their express permission.

Such a move will undoubtably anger anyone who has a creative understanding and many will stop using the service unless Instagram change their minds but should we be surprised that after paying so much money for it, the Facebook team want to see some kind of return.  Not content with merely providing the app, they want to cash in and can you really blame them?

Instagram… If you’re reading this…

Anyone who buys something wants to get something in return.  Some kind of use or purpose so I don’t think that its necessarily wrong for Instagram to make some money however the way in which they seem to be going about it does seem terribly unfair.  Instead, I would propose a much farer way of making money.  Why can’t Instagram share some of the profit back with the photographers?  Why can’t everyone see a benefit from such proposed changes?  How nice would it be every now and again, for end uses to receive an email stating that one of their photos has sold and as such, they have some money coming their way?

Unfortunately for end-users, such income could be problematic for tax purposes (even though many of the users are too young to pay it!) and lets not forget ‘model release’ as well.  Instagram may come a cropper if they are trying to sell an image of a person without the relevant permissions, in those cases, a simple change of the EULA would not necessarily be enough.

It looks like there  may be troubled times ahead for Instagram if they intend to stick with their plans and for any Instagram users out there, it may be a good idea to follow this story a little closer to see if the service is something which you’d be happy to continue to use.

It wasn’t that long ago that we had to spend lots of money on things that seemed very similar, yet did different things.  I’m talking about photos and videos and the respective cameras which shoot them.

You probably went out and bought one of each but gradually over the last few years, the still camera development teams have been teaching the ‘old dogs’ of digital photography some new tricks.  It wasn’t much to write home about at first.  Limited video resolutions and frame rates just about scraped up to mobile phone handset quality but then, as often is the case, technology made a giant leap for the good of all camera toting humankind.

Micro four thirds and video

When Olympus and Panasonic got together to work on the M4/3ds format they had a few things on their minds.  One was easy to use interchangeable lens cameras, another was fast autofocus (while still having to use ‘contrast detection’ technology), another was video.

Cameras used to pipe video from the sensor to a 2-3 inch LCD by way of allowing the user to preview the photos before capture but that was just about all they were useful for.  M4/3 cameras turned all that on its head by introducing technology which could pipe lots of data very quickly from the sensor to a storage card without taking too much power or causing too much heat distress to the sensor, so if you’re in the market for a camera that can do both photo and video, it’s good to know that the M4/3 standard was made with exactly that in mind.

The Olympus OM-D EM5 as a movie camera

Let me state this straight away, just like in Steve Huff’s excellent review of the OM-D EM5, I too have found that the quality of the video footage is very good indeed.  There are cameras that can do better (Canon 5D mk3, Nikon D800), but they are far more expensive and may not give you better results unless you’re using some extra bits and pieces (like a tripod).  Have a look at this video from the EM5:

Admittedly the may be one or two focusing and tracking issues which pro-movie makers may pick up on but this footage was shot on the EM5 without any extra accessories whatsoever.  In my book, that makes this camera a game changer!

Most video cameras (especially the ones you hold in front of your face) are pretty much useless without a tripod.  Without one the footage is shaky and amateurish yet here we have a handheld camera which can produce some wonderfully smooth, shake free footage which makes video so much better to watch.

Steady as she goes….

Most pro video makers who I have met always seem to give the same advice to those who want to learn quickly.  They will talk about white balance, exposure and focus but they will always mention tripods in the list too.  You see, when video is shaky and jittery, its hard to watch and thats why the EM5 is such good news for everyday users when it comes to making movies.

Without some kind of stabilisation, your footage just won’t look good and if you want smooth footage while moving, then your options suddenly become very limited (and very expensive).  Professional anti-shake gizmos cost thousands and would probably raise more than an odd eyebrow or two if you turned up with one to film your family holiday but the EM5 features five axis anti-shake which will make a big difference (within reason) while you are shooting with the EM5.

With the EM5 you will be able to:

• Hold the camera steady for longer
• Pan more smoothly
• Walk slowly on a relatively even surface without affecting your footage
• experiment with new shooting angles by holding the camera at waist height with the flip out screen

• Set your focus to manual, autofocus can be a bit of a pain when the image shifts in and out of focus during recording
• Don’t zoom in and out too much.  It’s known as ‘tromboning’ and always helps contribute to that ‘amateur video feel’
• Plan your shot before you take it.  Not always possible but when it is, then try practicing your camera movements first
• Longer than 3, shorter than 20…  Seconds for each shot
• Tell a story through your camera.  Think ‘how will this shot fit in with the rest?’ how will your footage tell a story?
• Remember to stay quiet if your camera records sounds, this may include fidgeting, clothes rustle or even breathing noises

J-SH04 may not have a ring to it but back in the year 2000 it was the first mobile phone handset to feature an imbedded camera.  It shot photos with 110,000 pixels (0.1 megapixels) and set in motion a trend that this year saw Nokia release its high-end camera phone with a 40 megapixel sensor, 400 times the resolution for the first cameraphone from Sharp Electronics.

Obviously cameraphones have improved exponentially in the last decade,  what started as a gimmick or proof of concept has now become the de facto standard of everyday photography for millions of people. The cameraphone has unwittingly become the modern day family snapper and national network news gatherer, Chase Jarvis’ (@chasejarvis on twitter) famous quote now effectively reads ‘unless you take your camera then your mobile will do’.  He would be right too.  It is amazing what the new breed of cameraphones are capable of.

iHave a camera on me at all times

Personally, I’ve used an iPhone since the ’3′ which shot in a rather poor 2mp.  The cameraphone market back in those days was lead by the likes of Nokia with the N95.  Nokia’s phone shot via a Carl Zeiss developed lens with a more respectable resolution of 5mp.  Apple soon began to realise that their iPhone wasn’t king of the hill when it came to capturing photographs but that all changed with the 4s and now the iPhone 5.

Both the 4s and 5 feature backlit sensors which improve low light capabilities along with much better optics which translates to sharp images with good colour rendition.  In my opinion, although Apple are using Sony sensors, coupled with their own lens design and software algorithms, Apple are leading the way when it comes to cameraphones.

Taken on the iPhone 3, 3gs, 4, 4s and iPhone 5

Anyway, thats enough about the past,  I’d like us to take some time looking at where things are up to now.  It’s taken us a while, but nearly everybody now agrees that the latest smartphone handsets are taking some pretty impressive photographs and although I don’t feel well-placed enough to comment on Samsung or Sony, or any of the Android handsets, I can hopefully help when it comes to the iPhone.  I’d like to share some of my thoughts on how you can get the most out of your equipment documentally, artistically and even possibly financially.

Documentary Devices

Something which we all do, we take photos to remind of us of what has happened.  A party, a night on the tiles, a family event or even a holiday.  Lots of people are now using their mobiles instead of a separate compact camera and although the new breed compacts will always outperform an iPhone, the difference in quality isn’t as obvious in well-lit locations.

When photographing a scene its nice to know that both the 4s and the 5 use a nice wide lens to capture the detail.  Henri Cartier-Bresson would of been right at home with the 34-35mm focal length on the iPhone, this means that you are getting plenty in the frame from a relatively close distance.  Obviously you need to hold the iPhone as still as possible while taking the photos but also don’t forget to hold the phone sideways if you want to take a ‘landscape’ or more ‘scenic’ photograph.

Also at this point, its worth remembering that you can also use the volume buttons to release the virtual shutter however be aware that the lens placement means that its very easy to partially cover the lens with your fingers as you do this, something which I find far less likely when holding the phone with the lens located ‘at the top’

Get a good grip!

Also essential is a good case.  You want to be able to respond nice and quickly and at such speed can sometimes lead to drops or even scrapes if you keep your phone in your pockets with keys or coins.  Once you’ve got used to handling the phone and launching the camera app (now possible by the lock screen too), you’ll find that you can respond quite quickly and efficiently to events that unfold around you.

For those amongst us who enjoy street or reportage photography, the iPhone has another stellar side-effect, namely it enjoys a level of discretion that most cameras cannot match.  Even a cursory visit to justwhatisee.com will leave even the most seasoned street photographers with absolutely no doubts of the capabilities of the iPhone, Greg Schmigel’s wonderful website shows how liberating photography with a smartphone can be.  Unbound from conspicuous cameras,  Greg’s pictures seem to capture natural scenes which have not been influenced by the presence of a photographer, the simple truth is that most people don’t even look twice when someone is snapping away on a mobile phone.

Don’t be fooled, the iPhone does a great job when it comes to capturing a scene without the hassles that even some compact cameras can throw up.

I couldn’t complete this section without mentioning ‘A Grunt’s Life’ by Damon Winter (link here).  As more and more photojournalists turn to iPhones as a realistic option, Winter combined the hardware from Apple with a photography app called ‘Hipstamatic’.  There’s more on this app next but his work for the New York Times shows how, combined with a simple to use app, the iPhone can create photos with extra mood and poignancy. (n.b as a journalist myself, I appreciate that doing-so can ‘colour’ the content in such a way that some photojournalists may deem ‘unhelpful’, those interested in wider photojournalistic debate may click here, here or here, (links courtesy of ‘cropped‘)

Art Attack

It’s one thing to take a photograph, most of us would know how to do that but what happens afterward can be just as important (and satisfying) towards the finished work of a photographer.  When I started,  quite rightly my emphasis was on what I ‘saw’.  I simply wanted to create a pleasing record of a scene which could be appreciated by anyone who saw it.  I was focused on ‘composition’, I would (and still do) spend ages moving around, trying to get the scene just the way I wanted it, excluding some things, including others.  We often know what makes a good photograph but sometimes we may not know why.

Hipstamatic – flawed genious

Sometimes a photographs strongest feature isn’t necessarily what’s in the frame, it is ‘how’ it’s in the frame.  Colour effects, lighting and even flaws such as lens flares or vignetting add to the mood and make a photograph take on a whole new character.

Photographers have been re-introducing such flaws in post processing for years but now, thanks to some nice mobile apps like Hipstamatic and Instagram, the process is much quicker and can be done without any editing know-how.

For me, Hipstamatic is cream of the crop.  This paid app mimics a style of square format photography that was born out of Eastern Europe with low budget equipment which was made to compete with the more instant style compact cameras from the likes of Kodak (brownie).

Hipstamatic brings a distinctly analogue feel to your iPhone.  The premise is simple,  choose a lens (often modelled around cheap plastic novelty lenses from the 1960′s), then some ‘film’ and a flash, then you can shoot away.

The results are as varied as the combinations and the genuinely-passionate-about-photography team at Hipstamatic are always bringing out new lenses and packs, some for purchase, some for free.

It may be just a graphical gimmick as to how effects are rendered on your final photographs but it certainly doesn’t feel that way.  Even as you swipe the lenses and film around the screen, you get a warm glow that something special could be just around the corner, and as we saw previously, the results can be seen worldwide if it’s a photojournalist behind the screen.

One thing that I absolutely LOVE about Hipstamatic is that it opens up mobile photography to a 24 hours a day, antwhere in the world kind of persuit.  There’s always something to capture and create with the various lens and film combinations and unlike conventional photography where weather and location can encourage or discourage, there’s always something to be had with Hipstamatic.

Double exposure mode from Hipstamatic ’260′

Another nice feature is how the software patches and updates are reflected by the number on the front of the camera, it’s this quirky attention to detail which really helps to highlight how much thought is going into this platform from the Hipsta Team.

I cannot praise this app highly enough.  Get it installed and get shooting!

Aside from all those great features, Hipstamatic is fully compatible with the Instagram platform offering an easy to use sharing mechanism and also the team have recently launched one of the most wonderfully inspirational digital magazines I have come across.  ’Snap’ offers readers both insight and inspiration when it comes to the Hipstamatic platform.  The magazine is completely free and being digital, even offers its readers a degree of interactivity.  Want to find out what combination a photograph was taken with?  Most offer the information via a handy link button.

You can read ‘Snap’ via the appstore or online.  I’ve included the link ‘here‘

Instagram

Many people may be aware that Instagram is now owned by Facebook and it will come as no surprise that some of the ‘follow’ and ‘like’ mechanics seem right at home for social media sharers but Instagram also offers an engrossing way for people to flick though some great photographs.

From Hipstamatic, shared via Instagram

The service is totally free and unlike Hipstamatic, the interface has no ‘retro’ feel.  There’s no gimmicks on offer, just a simple UI that allows you to snap first, then apply a filter later.

You can easily follow or favourite other photographers and photos via the app and any twitter users will be familiar with the ‘@’ prefix for users or #hashtag mechanics too.

Instagram is a great way for people to share simple snapshots from everyday life.  Like Hipstamatic, it gives us all a reason to take photos and share without having to plan a photography outing or make a big deal about it.  It’s as simple as that!

The only downside for Instagram could be that until recently, You had to use the app to browse the photos.  Thankfully that is now changing as the API has been released which allows some really noce web front ends to be developed which harness the core instagram experience.  There’s plenty to choose from, I am enjoying using the service from ’5thvillage’, You can take a look for yourself by clicking ‘here‘.

There’s Gold in them there Hills!

What a way to end my write-up of mobile photography.  How would you like to earn money from your mobile snaps?

It’s possible thanks to services like ‘foap‘ which offer an easy upload service (including Instagram) which then puts your photos up for sale (either editorially or commercially).  I will be posting on selling your photos separately soon but thought it worth giving the service a quick mention as it does offer a way by which we could claw a bit of money back and what would be better than knowing that someone, somewhere appreciated your mobile photography so much, they decided to buy it.

A long time ago, a company called Olympus made one of the the most iconic 35mm film cameras that money could buy.  The OM series sold in their millions and many photographers (me included) had the pleasure of pulling one of these out of their kit bags to capture the scene.

The OM series of cameras were built to a standard which exuded confidence, they were heavy, robust and reassuring in the hand and these qualities have all ported over to some degree to the digital model.  The camera oozes quality regardless as to whether you plump for the all black or part silver model and there’s plenty of extra lenses and accessories to lust after as soon as you’ve realised whats possible with your new purchase (the fisheye lens looks very tempting…).

Olympus certainly have a very good pedigree when it comes to photography and this isn’t the first time they’ve flexed the retro muscle either, previously releasing the popular ‘PEN’ digital cameras, but is harkening back to the past really the way to move forward?

OM-D EM5, 1/500sec, f/10, ISO 200, 12-50mm Kit Lens

Fast forward to 2012 and the OM series is back with the ‘not so snappily named’ OM-D EM5.  Olympus have included a few cosmetic ‘nods’ to the old OM series, but underneath the hood, this is a completely different piece of kit altogether.

Micro Four Thirds

In 2008, Olympus and Panasonic announced a new type of digital camera,  it was called the ‘Micro Four Thirds‘ and it brought a few new tricks to the table, especially when it comes to making smaller cameras.  The sensor in a M4/3 camera is smaller than high quality 35mm, however it’s much bigger than the sensors that lie at the heart of most ‘compact’ cameras.  Bigger sensors mean more detail and dynamic range in the photographs.

M4/3 cameras also have another benefit.  The technology allows data to be read from the sensor to the processor at a much higher rate which means that the cameras benefit from much faster ‘auto focus’ systems than compact cameras and the high data throughput also means that they are pretty adept at recording movies as well as stills.  The EM5 (as the flagship model of one of the technology developers), delivers all of these benefits as you might expect but there are some others besides which I will move on to later on.

SLR?

Most of us are familiar with SLR cameras.  They allow users to change the lens on the front and the other benefit is that the viewfinder shows what the lens itself if ‘seeing’.  The EM5 looks to be no different. But it is…  You see all is not what it seams with the EM5.  The warm fuzzy feeling for any of the Older OM users soon wears off when they realise that this camera isn’t an SLR at all.  It looks like one but it’s completely different.

SLR users usually rave about a few things, one of which is the nice bright viewfinder which is linked to the lens via a single reflexing mirror (hence: Single Lens Reflex).  The mirror on the camera bounces light into the viewfinder until the moment the shutter is released when it flips upward to allow the light to fall onto the film (or the digital sensor).  The camera gives a reassuring noise as this takes place and, for as long as the shutter is open, the view in the viewfinder goes black.  The mirror in the EM5 is different.

Thats because it doesn’t have one.  As I mentioned earlier, this may look like an SLR but it isn’t.  There’s no prism viewfinder and no mirror, instead the EM5 features an electronic viewfinder which is really good, but isn’t optical.  This will undoubtably put off some of the purists.  They may feel conned or cheated.  They won’t feel that way for long, especially when they see what the camera is capable of.

1/800 sec ISO 200 12-50mm Kit Lens

The EM5 may smack of smoke and mirrors when it comes to design but no-one can deny the quality of the build (weight is just right, along with the ‘density’).  The camera features weather sealing on the body and the kit lens which means that you shouldn’t be too worried about using it in humid or rainy environments (although you may want to avoid changing the lens). No the camera excels in every way when it comes to use and output.  Fire it up and shoot away, safe in the knowledge that you are using one of the best looking and performing micro four third cameras that money can buy.

The menus on the camera can be a little complex to the newcomer but with a little experimentation and internet research, you’ll find that the options allow the camera to do some wonderful things, even including double exposures, an ability which puts this camera in the digital minority.  There are many other features which I’ve linked to here which will keep you messing for months should you so wish but the impressie thing here is that the features are very good indeed.

Other reviewers out there (like Steve Huff) will go into much more detail about some of these features and essential specs but I want to use the rest of my review to talk about what it feels like to shoot with this camera.

Cameras I wish I’d never sold…

Photography is an expensive hobby.  The kit and the lenses are not cheap but money doesn’t necessarily guarantee you photographic happiness.  My equipment repertoire isn’t small.  I started photography as a single man, living at home with parents so lots of money was ploughed into purchases which game me a pretty good idea of how digital camera technology was advancing but I also stumbled across something else.

I stumbled across soul…  The unquantifiable, ‘unreviewable’ quality that some cameras possess while others lack.  I owned a Canon 500D.  Loved it!  It worked like a dream and the files that came out of it were (and still are) very pleasing on the eye.  The Canon 20D was much the same but although some enhancements had been made, it didn’t feel ‘as good’ when I was using it…  On paper it was a better camera yet I’m not sure I got the best out of it, unlike my 500D

Another camera which was one of my favourites was the Leica M7.  It was back to film and negative scanning, something which could never last in the long run but now, I really wish I still had it.  It was a fantastic camera and much better than My M8 (digital) which replaced it.

My last camera of mention here is the Leica X1.  I was disappointed with the lack of weight and ‘heft’, also with a slow auto focus which seemed to have a mind of its own but the quality of the files was outstanding.  I learned how to make it work for me and soon regretted selling it to get the Fuji X100 which was (on paper) a much better camera.

It’s funny to mention these things in an equipment review but I am for one very good reason.  past experience has taught me what I find important in camera tech and the EM5 has it in spades.  Are there better cameras out there?  of course, but would I get the best out of them?  Would I connect with the Tech like I do with my EM5?  would it be worth selling my EM5 to try something new?  I can answer that last question, probably not.

OM-D EM5 1/200sec, f/0.95, ISO 1600

My work here is done.  I hope I’ve explained a little bit behind what makes this camera ‘work’.  The purists may have a twinge of disappointment as they power up the EM5 for the first time but anyone who loves M4/3ds photography will find much more than they bargained for with the EM5.  They may, like me, find a camera that becomes a treasured possession rather than just a hobbyists gadget.

I Love…

Build Quality, especially with the additional Battery Pack and Grip.

Lens Quality,  The 12-50mm Kit lens is very good indeed!

In-Camrea 5 axis stabilisation, any lens you put on benefits from the best anti-shake system I have EVER seen on a camera!

Video Mode, 1080 HD coupled with the Kit lens and the 5 axis anti-shake… It’s like steadicam!

I Like…

Flip out screen, especially handy for video mode.

Art filters,  I will do a separate post on these,  some are very useful indeed (art filter jpgs were blended with RAW files for all the pics in this review).

Manual/Powered zoom on kit lens, again great for video.

I’m not too sure about…

Memory card placement,  Sometimes I forget its not in the camera.

Buttons on back are a little too small

lots of functions to learn, could put some people off

(You can see a full gallery of my shots from the EM5 via my flickr page: here)

1.  Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can only do today!  -  Those wonderful colours don’t last forever and it’s surprisingly easy to miss the best of them altogether.  The colours which make the photos look great are actually the early signs of decay as once the leaver begin to die, their colour alters.  It can be worth checking the web for some help when it comes to colour.

UK residents may find this website useful (UK Forestry Commission)

US residents may find this website useful (about.com US parks)

You will find most countries with vibrant autumn environments will provide similar information.

2.  Wrap up warm and weatherproofed! – The season can be pretty unkind to those who get caught unawares,  make sure that you check the weather reports and always take any equipment in weatherproof cases etc.

3.  Remember the ‘Golden Hours’ – The Golden Hours take place 1 hour after sunrise and before sunset.  You will find that the light and position of the Sun at these times can make all the difference.  Don’t underestimate the benefit thats to be had for your photos by making good use of this time,  you will find that the colours will feel ‘warmer’ and 3D effects and angles in your photos will also be enhanced.  Some digital cameras also benefit from the light position which offers a boost to ‘dynamic range’ which means your photos will have a better contrast between highlight and shadow:  Just don’t forget not to shoot into the sun.

You can find a handy ‘Golden Hour’ Calculator here.  It’s only useful when the Sun is not obscured by cloud.

4.  Experiment with exposure –  If your camera has manual exposure modes or controls, don’t be afraid to use them.  Sometimes subtile colours can be easily lost if images are over or under exposed. You can also try auto bracketing shots for a HDR (high dynamic range) effect by combining all of them into a single picture.

5.  Experiment with filters – If you have them, use them.  Start by trying a ‘warming filter’ these will accentuate the lovely browns and yellows in your photos.  If you don’t have them, check your software as some allow you to ‘simulate’ the effect, even though the pictures already been taken.

6.  Have fun! – There’s loads to do outdoors in the autumn so don’t forget to go out with friends and family and make the most of this wonderfully vibrant time of year!