I never expected my favorite social media app of 2011 would be based on photography. With all the data aggregating and mining going on in app development, I expected to fall in love with a smarter news aggregator or some other time-saving tool. After using this program for a few days, I’m impressed with its simplicity, and I haven’t stopped using it regularly. It made the first page of my iPhone list of apps. If you’ve thought about downloading it, I can assure you it’s worth it, and here’s why:

Instagram (download) is a free photo sharing app for the iPhone (Android is in development). The app allows you to take a new or existing photo, filter it through one of twelve custom setting/themes, square up the photo and spit out an old-fashioned snapshot as if it was developed back in the days of Polaroid.  The program saves the modified photo in your iPhone’s library and publishes it to a feed that is shared among followers, where they can leave ‘likes’ and comments.  You can also share the photo on Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, and you can check-in at a venue through Foursquare, automatically adding the photo as a check-in and including the photo in the venue’s album.  Unlike most social apps, there is no desktop online experience (except for settings); you have to manage the program through your iPhone.

Here are a couple examples of my first few photos, before and after Instagram:

Housecat sits in front of the shed, enjoying the sunshine.	Filtered (click image to enlarge)
Diet Dr. Pepper on the table.	Filtered (click image to enlarge)
Homeless on a busy street in DC	Filtered (click image to enlarge)

Thanks to this app, I’m exposing a more creative side of me I didn’t know existed, and I’m starting to look at items differently, finding ways to snap different angles and sharing them with my friends as an extension of my own personality. I also like scrolling through those I’m following for fresh ideas to try on my own. Even with only a handful of filters, the options seem endless. I hope Instagram continues to be supported and updated for many months.

If you download or use this program, find me! I am obrienmedia.

Website: http://instagr.am