Instagram for Android is out, and I've got it.
I didn't think I would, but I like the square cropping. I've always found square cropping to be hard, its not easy to strike a balance between compositional solidity and fluidity. There is no horizontal space to traverse so its hard to set up tension. Mindlessly putting everything in the rule of thirds spot creates an effect that is simultaneously cramped and boring.
But, for whatever reason, I find cropping in instagram fun. I think what I am learning to do is discard all of the 35mm intellectualizing that has set itself up in my brain and concentrate on the photograph. My compositional brain is getting lazy with 35mm and this square cropping is a good workout for it.
The camera in the Motorola Atrix is a pile of poop. I mean, it's a pretty good camera for a cell phone, it could be a lot worse. But whatever Instagram is doing to the image really brings out the noise and blurriness.
Also, the filters. It is tedious wading through all of the very similar filters to find one that works well with an image. It's actually a bit infuriating, because most of the filters make the photos look worse, at least with my phone. At the very least I wish I had the ability to change the color cast which these Instagram filters apply to the image. Just a little slider to go from cyan to yellow, or green to magenta.