Since the release of Instagram in 2010, it's become a roaring global success with literally millions of users uploading photos every day! Of course from this new breed of social media, comes a new type of iPhoneography, in the form of "Instagramers". Like Flickr, Instagram has a constant feed of new photographs every day and Instagramers have the opportunity to share their images with their many followers. This week we're talking to Instagramer Joe Hermosa, he's part of the Instagram group "gang_family", so be sure to check out all of his photos there!  

[imageeffect type="frame" align="aligncenter" width="400" height="400"  alt="Joe Hermosa Mellow Morning Sun" url="http://thebeginnerslens.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Mellow-Morning-Sun-.jpg"  ]<br class="spacer_" /><center><p><em>Mellow Morning Sun</em>, Joe Hermosa</p></center>
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<h4>Tell us a bit about yourself and how you got into iPhoneography</h4>
I retired at the beginning of 2011 from a South Texas Newspaper after having worked for more than 30 years as a photo editor/photojournalist. After retiring and hanging up my DSLR's for a few months, I thought I would not photograph for a while. I felt like I was burned out. My son, Scott, also known as @scotthermosa_gf on Instagram, came to the rescue when he told me that he had joined a group of people known as "Instagramers", and that it was a lot of fun and good interaction between the members. He showed me his iPhone 4 and all of the amazingly different artistic photos he had taken and uploaded to Instagram. This got me excited as I had originally started photography as an art and not as a photojournalist. Photojournalists are not encouraged to change the "reality of the moment." It is unethical for a photojournalist to change the contents of a photo or to over-process it. I decided I wanted to join Instagram, but my problem was...I had no iPhone and did not want to spend the money just to test the waters. Scott came to my salvation, he had an iPhone 3G which he let me have and I have been using it ever since for Instagram. 

<h4>How is iPhoneography different from "regular" photography for you?</h4>
It's been a steep learning curve since I had to learn about all the different apps that can be used with the iPhone to enhance the photos. I still carry a Canon SX 10is for long shots I cannot reach with the iPhone. Using the iPhone is simple and fun. I photograph people without them knowing I am shooting, shoot in places that frown on big "professional" DSLR's, and I always have the iPhone with me. For me it's fun that there's no focusing, no adjusting aperture or shutter speeds, I don't have to worry about white balance...it's similar to shooting with a plastic Holga or Diana camera...great fun!

<h4>How would you describe your iPhoneography style?</h4>
I do not feel that I have a definite iPhoneography style. As a photojournalist I shot anything and everything under all types of conditions and circumstances. With the iPhone I shoot a diversity of subjects such as sunsets, sunrises, street photography, portraits, landscapes, seascapes, animals, architecture and flowers. I definitely see many Instagramers who have a defined photographic style. A lot of their work is very beautiful and having a definite style works for them, but I think I would get bored shooting just one type of subject and using the same technique or apps on every photo. I really enjoy playing around with different apps to get different results. There are probably millions of combinations available when you take into account all the apps and filters available. 

[imageeffect type="frame" align="aligncenter" width="400" height="400"  alt="Joe Hermosa Calm Resaca" url="http://thebeginnerslens.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Calm-Resaca.jpg"  ]<br class="spacer_" /><center><p><em>Calm Resaca</em>, Joe Hermosa</p></center>
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<h4>What advice do you have for budding iPhoneographers?</h4>
I would recommend that beginner iPhoneographers join Instagram, where they can interact with different photographers and learn by studying other great photography. There are a lot of iPhoneographers out there who will share information and tips to help beginners. But most importantly, get out and shoot all the time! You will get a lot of rejects at the beginning, but with time, you will definitely see an improvement in your work. Spend time learning the apps for your phone, ask people for feedback on your photographs, make friends who can help you by giving an objective opinion. I have recently been invited to become a member of a group of awesome photographers known as gang_family who are a tight knit group that help each other and hold challenges within Instagram. 

<h4>Any practical tips you could share to achieve great iPhotos?</h4>
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<li>It is important to get a good grip on the camera and hold it very still to get the best quality photos. It seems so simple but it really works! You might already know that with the iPhone camera, you can push the shutter button and it will not fire until you release it. I occasionally walk around holding down the shutter button and when I see the photo I gently release it. If you put headphones on your iPhone, people think you are listening to music and you can do a stealth shot.</li>
<li>I like to try different camera apps to see the different results from each. Hipstamatic has some great lenses and films that produce very cool effects. I sometimes hold the camera by my leg and shoot without viewing, you will get a lot of rejects this way, but every once in awhile you get a really great low-angle shot. If you're into street photography, sometimes you just need to put on your friendly face and ask for permission to take someones photo, most of the time they will agree. </li>
<li>I use different apps simply because I enjoy the surprise of seeing different results. Actually all this technology amazes me.  it is a bit like Christmas for me, I never know what I am going to get! There's a lot of good free apps out there, and most are just a couple of bucks. This is nothing compared to the hundreds of dollars paid for photo editing programs for computers. I probably have over 20 apps, but I know other Iphoneographers who have many more. A lot of amazing work can be produced with just a few apps. When somebody asks me what apps I used, I usually answer "Many." Not because I do not want to share information, but because I don't remember all the different combinations! Sometimes I run the photo through the same app at different times in the editing process.</li>
<li>For editing, I almost always begin with Camera+, which I use for cropping and it also has a filter called Clarity that enhances almost any photograph. I also use FX PhotoStudio quite a bit. This app is amazing...it has 194 effects like black and white, color temperature, hue, overlay and tons more. You can spend all day just working with this app. After that I move on to Dynamic Light which gives very soft photos using Orton or very crispy sharp photos using HDR which means High Dynamic Range. Now I am ready to upload the photos through Instagram. The only filter that I may use in Instagram if I am looking for a soft, old school look is Earlybird, but most of the time I don't use any filters.</li>
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[imageeffect type="frame" align="aligncenter" width="400" height="400"  alt="Joe Hermosa Early Morning Birds " url="http://thebeginnerslens.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Early-Morning-Birds.jpg"  ]<br class="spacer_" /><center><p><em>Early Morning Birds</em>, Joe Hermosa</p></center>
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So my best advice is just to get out there, shoot, edit, upload and let the world see your awesome work. Adios, from Pepechulo_gf (on Instagram).  