Did you know that every week we co-sponsor the Instagram FX Challenge with FX Photo Studio and Keepsy? No? Well now you do! What's the Instagram FX Challenge you ask? It's a weekly competition of the best photos uploaded to Instagram using the <a href="http://thebeginnerslens.com/iphone-photography/app-reviews/fx-photo-studio-review-1.html" title="Instagram FX Challenge">FX Photo Studio app</a>. 

How do you get involved? It's simple...
[list style="orb" color="grey"]
<ul>
<li>Take or create a photo with FX Photo Studio /li>
<li>Tag your photo with #insta_fx_challenge</li>
<li>List the effects you use in your photo description</li>
<li>Sign up to thebeginnerslens.com weekly snapshot</li>
</ul>
[/list] 

What do you get if you win? Awesome prizes.
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<ul>
<li>a little feature on this 'ere website</li>
<li>a free photo album from KEEPSY</li>
<li>iPhone & Mac apps from Macphun (creators of FX Photo Studio)</li>
<li>iTunes Gift Card to buy more apps!</li>
</ul>
[/list]

The competition runs from Friday to Friday on Instagram. Submit as many photos as you like. Good luck!! 

For more info go to instagram and follow: 
@challenge_fx
@thebeginnerslens

For now, we'll introduce the very first winner...Lybron Sobers. We'll be the first to say - we are really impressed with his photos! 

[imageeffect type="frame" align="aligncenter" width="500" height="281"  alt="Instagram FX Challenge Winner Week 1" url="http://thebeginnerslens.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/lybron1.jpg"  ]<p>&nbsp;</p>

<h4>1. Tell us a little bit about yourself. What do you love about iPhoneography?</h4>

My name is Lybron Sobers, and I am a 22 year old student living on the tiny island of Barbados in the Caribbean. I am also a private pilot and aspiring airline pilot. I usually shoot photographs with my girlfriend, and she has been the one to push me to try new things and to really put lots of effort into what I am doing.

I first got into photography about 4 years ago - mainly taking aerial shots during my flight training. Over time, I developed a passion for photographing the special moments of everyday life and a great appreciation for what's happening around me. I used a digital point-and-shoot camera up until I bought my first iPhone in June 2011, so I do not have much of a history as an iPhoneographer. What I love most about my iPhone is the mobility and the ability to capture moments as they happen.

[imageeffect type="frame" align="aligncenter" width="500" height="373"  alt="Instagram FX Challenge Winner Week 1" url="http://thebeginnerslens.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/lybron2.jpg"  ]<p>&nbsp;</p>

<h4>2. What's your top tip for other iPhoneographers?</h4>

Experiment. I am by no means an expert photographer but my number one tip to any iPhoneographer is simply to experiment - take multiple shots of the subject from different angles, take photos of things other than your primary interests, and observe other photographers' style and see how it can be incorporated into your own.

<h4>3. Share with us the "recipe" you used for the winning photograph.</h4>

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It's hard to say actually, it all just came naturally! For the winning photo, my main goal was to create a sense of speed. Beyond the horizontal motion blur, I applied the rainbow palette because nothing travels faster than the speed of light and I felt traveling across the color spectrum would evoke that feeling of speeding. Finally, I used the masking tool to invert the image colors of the subject because I needed it to stand out from the rest of the photo.

You can check out more of Lybron's Instagram photos @lybron

[imageeffect type="frame" align="aligncenter" width="299" height="400"  alt="Instagram FX Challenge Winner Week 1" url="http://thebeginnerslens.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/lybron3.jpg"  ]