Do you need a fancy camera?

As the proud owner of a Nikon D60 camera and a Samsung Galaxy S4 droid phone I take a lot of photos.  You might say that I am a hobbyist of sorts.  I have also been known to hold up a hiking trip or two to stop and take photos of the beautiful scenery.

My real enjoyment is applying filters and effects to my photos. With today's technology I find myself turning to my S4 more frequently. The phone is always with me and more convenient than bringing the more bulky Nikon on day trips out or hanging near the pool.

The S4 has a very impressive 13MP autofocus camera that I believe would make anyone feel like a professional photographer. With all of the applications available online such as Instagram and CameraAce the photo potential is unlimited.

With Instagram you can quickly take a photo with the app on your phone and apply different filters and focus points.  You can then add a comment and choose to only post to Instagram or also select to share on Facebook or Twitter.

You can take a picture in the bathtub with bubbles all around apply a black and white filter and get a pretty amazing picture with texture.

You can also apply some antiquing and color filters then focus across one area of the photo to show some amazing bubbles. 

Some of my favorite photos are those in dim light that showcase amazing objects.  Some that might get overlooked in normal circumstances. You end up with a little bit of history shining through.

A picture of a food can actually make people imagine eating it, if it's good enough. But you have to be sure to capture the textures of the food and the true colors.

Here are some other examples of using filters with Instagram:

I have also been experimenting with CameraAce, another great app that allows you to take photos are apply filters on existing photos. Check out my favorite picture taken with this camera app.  It was a dim lite photo with shadows on a sunny day and I applied what I am calling 'twinkles' to my princess.

You can never out perform a real professional grade camera like my Nikon D60. Always taking amazing photos with no filters necessary.

What kind of device do you use to take your photos?
Photos = memories and with today's technology it is easier than ever to capture and share your memories. You can use them to tell stories in a blog such as this or you can share them via social media platforms.  I find that it is easier to keep those we love up to date on what we are doing with our daughter by posting images so they feel like they all shared in her special / fun day.  Before phones with cameras and social media we had to write a letter, print a photo or two and mail it via the post office, taking several days to weeks to share an event.

I definitely appreciate where we are with technology and can't wait to be an early adopter for the next wave to come.