A good friend of mine, Yvonne of JustTravelous, hit upon an idea just a few weeks ago that I really loved. She is a big Instagram fan, the iPhone app that allows you to take photos with your iPhone, or iPod Touch, and post them to friends following you on Instagram, as well as posting to Twitter and Facebook.
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Her post, “How to Travel Around the World with Instagram,” struck a cord with me. I have been toying around with Instagram since I recently got an iPod Touch (at the repeated insistence of another great friend, Ayngelina). The whole ability to travel and dream via the powers of the internet and social media is something that quite appeals to me.
I am not completely sold on Instagram. While you can play with the look of the photos via the app (and some others) to modify how the photos look, I tend to think a lot of Instagram photos can be quite overdone, but it also is a fairly addictive way to share images with friends easily.
If you want to follow my Instagram feed there, as I experiment with all the tools available, I am michaelshodson there.
So, take a look at how you can travel via photography. All these photos of Santorini, Greece, were posted in the last few days. Do a little bit of travel dreaming…this isn’t one of the hidden gems in Greece, but you should hit it on your next trip anyway! If you are looking for a quick guide to visit Santorini in the off-season, my good friend Candice did one — and the offseason is by far the best time to go!
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fun effect via sofitsa
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Perhaps if I make it back to Istanbul, one of my favorite cities in the world, I can dart over to Greece. Who knows… it might be worth another ferry ride. I do love my boats…
Hi Michael,
I am a regular reader of your blog and I must admit your latest post stroke a chord with me 😉
As far as Santorini goes, it’s a truly beautiful place (especially if you avoid the busy months of July-August).
I guess the Aegean sea is to a Greek what the desert is to an American.
I hope you’ll find your way back to my side of the pond soon, to live your myth in Greece (before it gets sold to the banks, if i may add…)
Have a good week 😉
d
Some pretty cool photos! I tend to agree that many can be overdone in Instagram. I actually like to edit them in other programs and then import into Instagram and share. However, it seems to take me nearly an hour sometimes, so not always worth it. LOL
Santorini is a beautiful spot — I’d like to go back, preferably not when I’m forced to rush down the thousand steps with 100F temps so the donkey dung has an added layer of stench. 🙂
I like the Instagram look … hopefully it won’t go the way of HDR and start to irk me. For now, it’s fun though!!
I am quite insistent aren’t I?
I am like Erin though, I usually process with another app, Camera+ is great, and then import into instagram.
I should really be more clear when I am bossing you around.
I think the seashell photo is my favourite. Instagram looks like a fun app, but I never use because my ipod touch doesn’t have a camera.
I think the Instagram photos look cool, but I don’t know if I’m going to make the transition myself. I’m just too used to my D-SLR and point-and-shoot.
Oh Instagram.. hurry up and release an Android version… 😉
Ayngelina is a pusher – I just launched my Facebook page in large part because of her insistence! Seriously though, Instagram is the main pull for me to ditch the BlackBerry and get an iPhone right now. Unfortunately that would cost me $500, and I don’t want it quite that badly – yet.
This is really great! It seems you really have the best talent! I love those photos here…
Wow, that first photo looks terrific, almost like a painting than a photo. Please keep it up!
I have pretty much stopped taking my DSLR on minor/short-term trips in favor of my iPhone + Instagram. I love all the apps and options it offers–such a change for me after five years of having a CrapBerry or Droid.
Very unique shots, Michael! I haven’t been converted to an Instagram-only travel photographer, but I do always take many shots on my phone when I travel so I can upload them to Instagram. In my mind, it’s just one more way to reach people who might potentially be interested in my photos and where I’m traveling.
And, with all the iphonography apps out there now, the possibilities really do seem endless!
Those are definitely awesome!
I tend to edit photos in Camera + and then share them on Instagram, but sometimes the Instagram filter just adds the little oomph a photo needs. I did an Istanbul series of just Instagram photos, and it’s definitely a go-to for my restaurant photos to fix bad lighting.
The photos are very adorable and the places too…
Hi Michael, really nice post I enjoed reading about instagram but.. nothing compares to actually breathing in Agean breez trust me 😉 You should come visit!
This is number one on my list of places I want to travel to. I absolutely love all types of photos of Greece. These look really vibrant and unique.
My topics of envy lately are Greece and iPhones… the iPhone mostly because of Instagram… I’ve been a hold out for the but am going to succumb on April 1 when my upgrade is available. Now to figure out Santorini. I don’t love the idea of Instagram as the sole way to document a trip, but it does seem to be a great way of expressing oneself creatively… reflecting well our halcyon memories, I think.
Hi Michael – Nice post…Sometimes the instagram photos are fantastic, other times they are just awful – way overdone. I think it’s best to use it in moderation and with discretion.
I never doubt to say that Greece is one of the progressive country ever, I been travel there last year together with my husband and I witness how beautiful it was…