How I Instagram • Hacker News Board

Re: How I Instagram

#11

Post by Evbn » Mon, Dec 10, 2012, 4:46 AM UTC

tvwonline wrote: post #2

I wonder how many people who will look back in twenty years time and regret that all their photos from this time are compressed and altered heavily with filters. Actually, just thinking about it, the future could be worse than that. Either some people will have too many photos it will too overwhelming to look back through, or all the photos will have been stored on some failed photo sharing site and lost forever. (or…

The filters are popular because phone cam pictures are so poorly exposed that artsy filters look better than what the camera sees.

But yeah, we spend more hours per year shooting than we spend looking at photos, so we are lost anyway.

The real value of an amateur camera is that it provides an acceptable crutch to use to avoid uncomfortable or boring social interactions.

/camera addict

Re: How I Instagram

#12

Post by Evbn » Mon, Dec 10, 2012, 4:53 AM UTC

Black and white, sepia, hypercontrasted photos are fascinating because they evoke the feel of mystery and distance from the subjects of decades-old photos whose images have faded or rotted over time.

When today's kids grow up, will that connotation still exist? Or will it be "pictures of Abraham Lincoln look just like pictures from dinner last night"?

Also, the filters remove ugly details, letting the viewers imagination fill in the beauty that isn't in the picture. Like how an average person is presumed to be nice looking when you can only see the back of their head or outer layers of clothing.

Re: How I Instagram

#13

Post by jamesbritt » Mon, Dec 10, 2012, 5:37 AM UTC

mvkel wrote: post #8

tvwonline wrote: post #2

I wonder how many people who will look back in twenty years time and regret that all their photos from this time are compressed and altered heavily with filters. Actually, just thinking about it, the future could be worse than that. Either some people will have too many photos it will too overwhelming to look back through, or all the photos will have been stored on some failed photo sharing site and lost forever. (or…

I think you're placing too much value on photos per se. A whole generation of photos was lost because Polaroids were used to take them. Then disposable cameras, etc. Ultimately, your memories are the lasting medium. A few photos will make it to the end, and that's enough.

I still have some good-quality Polaroid and Instamatic prints. Even some Instamatic negatives. They're pretty durable.

I wish I had more photos from those times because memories are not always as durable as one might hope.

Re: How I Instagram

#14

Post by apathetic » Mon, Dec 10, 2012, 5:55 AM UTC

noinput wrote: post #10

My father got me into photography at a young age (now 31) and in my eyes he was fantastic with his choice of 'filters' in the 80's/90's. that consisted of a 35mm + arsenal of lenses + even more uv/color/et c glass filters he would stack. He unfortunately passed recently and in my last days talking with him about life and what his final thoughts were, one comment stuck in my mind which was 'I wasted all that time taki…

Your dad's message was so touching </3