In defense of Instagram

About six months ago, I finally got a smartphone and immediately signed up for an Instagram account. I had seen friends' photos for months and was thrilled to start taking my own.

If you're new to Instagram or not exactly sure how it works, I'll fill you in. It's an app for your smartphone that allows you to add filters and blurs to photos and then share them with your friends. Like Twitter, you can also use hashtags to organize photos so that other people can see them and "like" them. It's wildly addicting and fun.

Unfortunately, I've heard a lot of photographers dissing Instagram on Facebook, and it's starting to really bug me. I thought I'd write a few thoughts defending Instagram — and telling you why it has changed my life.

Instagram will never replace professional photographers. While Instagram is a great way to share those cute pictures of your kids or your favorite mug of hot chocolate, it is limited to a small, square-sized glimpse. You'd never have someone take a family picture using their phone, because you wouldn't be able to enlarge it and frame it in your home. Nor would you limit pictures of your brand-new baby to those taken with a smartphone. Those who feel threatened by Instagram should stop worrying; there will always be a need for people who can take beautiful shots with a nice camera.

Instagram cannot make a poorly composed photo better. No matter which blur you apply or which filter you use on that shot you took in a dark theater at 10 at night, you can't make a grainy, poorly lit photo look good. I've found that Instagram has actually made me a better photographer, because I pay more attention to lighting, composition and background.

Instagram's filters are meant for fun. Some of Instagram's critics complain that by adding filters to every photo you take, you are distorting reality. I will admit that some people go overboard, and there are filters that make your original photo look dramatically different. But how is this any different from people who Photoshop images, making colors more vibrant and smoothing wrinkles and flaws? I try to use filters that only enhance my photos, not change them, and I frequently post pictures I haven't added any filters to. I think photography is an art, like painting or sculpting, and you can develop your own style.

Instagram is an easy way to capture everyday moments and share them with other people. I said that Instagram has changed my life — and it has. I took pictures of our Pacific Northwest trip almost entirely with Instagram because I love being able to instantly add filters and even change photos to black and white or sepia (something that would take much longer in Photoshop). But it's not just that. Instagram makes me want to take pictures of the little things that make me smile, like getting new shoes or receiving flowers from Andrew.

What do you think? Are you a fan of Instagram?

Falling for you

I love fall SO much, and it lasts for such a short time in both Idaho and Utah! We woke up to rain this morning and discovered that some of the mountains had received snow overnight. Good thing we took a drive through the Alpine Loop on Sunday to capture photos of the fall colors!

Below are just a few of my favorites from this weekend -- and check out even more pictures (and directions to the Alpine Loop if you want to go) on Wanderlust and Weekends!

Montana preview

Andrew and I, along with our friends Anthony and Brittany, took the most wonderful road trip to Montana and Glacier National Park last week. I have been anticipating this for MONTHS, and Montana did not disappoint -- apart from being cold and rainy.

We also made this trip a photography troubleshooting session of sorts -- which is why this post is a preview; I'm still downloading almost 1,300 pictures to my computer, and then I need to go through them and pick out just a few to share. We are still getting the hang of manual, but I think we did a pretty good job!

So, until I have the energy to pick out photos and organize them (I also took A LOT of video that I plan to compile in iMovie soon), here are several favorites. Most of them are from ghost towns (Virginia City, Nevada City and Bannack), but more of Glacier National Park will be coming.

Missing

Every year, Andrew and his extended family get together to visit the Wasatch Lawn cemetery, which is now just minutes from our new home, on Memorial Day and pay tribute to their loved ones. He snapped this photo of 97-year-old Grandpa Wertz (soon to be 98!) in front of his beloved Jean's grave, and I decided to polish up my rusty Photoshop skills and apply a Gaussian blur for a cool effect.

It's not perfect (I haven't really used Photoshop effects since an ill-fated graphic design class in college with a really mean teacher), but I like the expression Andrew captured on his face. Grandpa misses his wife so much. It was pretty heartbreaking to watch him there, especially since the roses he'd brought her on Mother's Day were still next to the grave, dry and wilted now.

Being there reminded me of my own grandpa, who's been gone three years now. At times, I think about him and want to cry as I realize that he'll never be around to hold my babies, teach them about branding calves and inadvertently show my little boys (and girls) how to cuss (my grandpa had quite a farmer's mouth -- and I loved him for it). But at the same time, I know he'll be there when they leave heaven, and he'll be here in spirit when Andrew blesses them and when we tell them about the great grandpa they missed out on.

I hope you had a wonderful Memorial Day and that the memories of your family members are close to you like mine are tonight. I sure love you, Grandpa, and I miss you.

Memory Grove pictures

I realized a few weeks ago, on the second anniversary of our engagement, that we haven't taken nice pictures of ourselves since then! I know that engagements are typically the time when you take tons of great photos in hopes of finding the perfect one to put with your wedding invitations, but I figured we could take a few pictures together now so we have them later.

Rather than hire somebody to take a few pictures of us (which we should probably should do at some point, too), we decided to just take the tripod and do it ourselves. Yesterday was an absolutely gorgeous day, and the perfect time to head back up to Memory Grove. It's aptly named; every time I go there, I feel like I've stepped back in time. Here are my favorites:

I know that the exposure is really blown out on the first two pictures, but I actually like them the best. The glow in the trees looks really cool -- and our skin looks amazing! :)

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. We are enjoying Andrew's short break from school and I'm preparing for CHG's busy Employee Appreciation Week that starts tomorrow. I have to take video and photos of many events -- along with putting together news stories and daily event emails -- and it's one crazy week! But it's fun, too. I love my job so much.

On gravy

It was a rather interesting weekend. I got braces on my bottom teeth on Thursday and since then have been able to eat hardly anything but soup and Andrew's chocolate peanut butter protein shakes. Braces suck. That's all there is to it.

Yes, everyone reminds me that it could be worse (i.e. I could have headgear), but sometimes, when you have sores all over the inside of your mouth and can't even drink orange juice without wincing, you can't really think about how things could get worse. It has to get better over the next few days, though, and then I can eat normal, solid food. If you're looking for a ridiculously expensive weight loss plan, get braces. You'll lose your appetite and when you do want to eat again, it's almost not worth it to pick all the pieces out of the brackets. GAH.

But we did try to squeeze some fun in, too. Andrew and I went to Ruth's Diner Friday morning (we took the day off to celebrate my birthday/take a much-needed break) for breakfast. We've been there once before and didn't have a great experience, but now I can tell you that their breakfast is AMAZING. Seriously. Even though I could only choke down half of my breakfast, which was the famous mile-high biscuits and gravy, it was delicious. The thing I liked about it was that the biscuits were flaky and soft and perfect, but the gravy wasn't thick and gloppy and overpowering. Sometimes country gravy is so oily and heavy; the gravy at Ruth's Diner was divine.

We actually found out about Ruth's Diner because it was featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives and we like to try out restaurants around here that were featured on the Food Network. Below is a picture of my breakfast (Andrew got the French toast, which was also delicious). Doesn't it look incredible? IT WAS. Darn you, braces, for not allowing me to savor it fully -- or to even eat the adorable little fruit cup!

When it was started in 1930 by a feisty woman named Ruth (of course), it was housed in a tiny boxcar, and you can still eat in that original part today. This makes it very small and cramped, and there are ridiculous wait times when it's really busy (as in every other time we've tried to go there) -- and it's in the heart of Emigration Canyon, so there's no cell phone service (which means you can't just wait in the warm car and have someone call/text you when there's a free table). So my advice is to take a day off if you work weekdays and go in the morning like we did. There was absolutely no wait, it was quiet and the waiters weren't stressed and were super nice. And the food was so yummy. It was a great start to our Friday.

We also went to the Tulip Festival at Thanksgiving Point and took tons of pictures of the beautiful flowers. Someday I'd like to take family pictures there. It's always lovely, and the weather was perfect, too. It has finally stopped raining!

Andrew and I also took a photography class Saturday morning that was pretty helpful, so hopefully my photos continue to improve soon! :)

I hope you all had a great weekend. I'm planning on eating a bunch of crusty bread and other hard things to chew once the pain goes away -- and right now I am LOVING Frozen Planet and wanting to snuggle some polar bear cubs. Anyone else watching that show? It's fantastic.

Oh, snap!

After months of drooling over this camera and plotting ways to save for it, we suddenly found a deal on it we couldn't pass up last week and bought it. As I sit here looking at the camera, I still can't believe it's ours. We have been talking about it forever, and it is so PERFECT for taking pictures!

It finally came yesterday, so of course we had to run down to Temple Square to take some photos after work before it got too dark:

We are SO EXCITED to take pictures this summer with the camera! Maybe now we'll start that photography blog I promised a long time ago. :)

It's what fun is!

Andrew and I spent half of Friday riding, swinging, swaying, walking, spinning and dropping.

That's right. We went to Lagoon for Overstock.com's annual party! It was fun to be there with my fiance this time, walking from roller coaster to swings to haunted house with virtually no lines at all. We had a barbecue and took some time out on the Sky Ride when we got a little dizzy from riding the Samurai, Rocket and Paratrooper within minutes of each other.

I also had a lovely Saturday cleaning out Ruby and then going to the new Percy Jackson and the Olympians movie at the dollar theater with Andrew, despite the giggling 12-year-old audience we just didn't fit into.

And Sunday, we took some engagement pictures ourselves at this beautiful old church. Hopefully we'll have our invitations done in a few weeks! We just need to get the PERFECT shot to use.

My favorite part of the weekend, though, was our rides on the Ferris wheel. I've always loved Ferris wheels. There's something about being suspended high in the air and looking at the world from a new perspective that's inspiring. And, of course, it's amazing to be sitting alone with the man you love who will be your husband in two months!!

Ain't love grand?

My favorite things

I know I just posted about these sweet crafting sites that I absolutely love, but I've found some more stuff that I'm just dying to share. Enjoy!

1. For the love of craft: This blog has the cutest ideas for things to make on it! Larissa, the creator, has such a fun style. I want to make the rosettes, the necklaces, all of it. She has a darling little boy that she's made stuff for, too. And the best part is, if you don't have the time to make her fun crafts yourself, she offers giveaways! I'm absolutely in love with this necklace.

2. Electricity in the woods? Norway!: Pardon my pun, but I ran across this photographer while reading an Etsy blog, and I instantly became obsessed. His name is Rune Guneriussen, and he's Norwegian, which makes him even cooler, since I visited that country five years ago and am mesmerized by it. His photos combine generic, ordinary objects like lamps and chairs with breathtaking scenery, most likely shot in his home country. I particularly like this one, which tells me he really does have the whole world in his hands.

Yeah, that's pretty much it for now. I just need a house of my own to put all the stuff that I want to make and decorate with! :)