#Hashtag

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I’ve recently taken to browsing hashtags on Instagram. As much as Instagram can be full of selfies and re-posted memes, there are also some amazing artists and photographers who have created an art form through the lens of their smart phones. With the simplest of words, a quick hashtag search gives you a ready made collected of themed images. I thought I would share some of my favourites I have found. While it can be argued that taking a photo in black and white makes everything look better, the hashtag #blackandwhite really does have some striking images. What do you think? Do you ever go hashtag browsing?

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Instagram Calendar DIY

DIY Instagram Calendar from www.highwallsblog,comWe all have that friend who loves Instagram just that little bit too much. You know the one. She takes a photo of her feet in the sand in front of the ocean and its all #dayatthebeach #beachdayez #beach #vacation #holiday #sand #sun #surf #clouds #hermitcrab #seagull #fun #omg #tan …oh my god - hashtag STOP!

I understand if you are promoting your brand, art etc on Instagram, you would include relevant tags to encourage a wider audience see’s your pictures. But I really don’t understand why my 18 year old cousin needs everyone to see a Valencia filtered picture of her hot chocolate (#winter #treats #yum #naughty #chocolate #coffee) If you love your Instagram shots that much and want the world too see them, why not do it the old fashioned way? Put them up around your house!

I still haven’t gotten around to putting up a calendar at home, so I mocked up this little monthly calendar using some of my favourite instagram photos from the last 12 months. There are many online services that will do this for you, but why not do it yourself? It takes about 15 minutes (once you’ve selected your photos) and all it costs is the price of a clipboard and 6 colour prints!

DIY Instagram Calendar from www.highwallsblog,com

What You Need:

a clipboard
6 A4 sheets of paper
a craft knife or scissors
access to a colour printer
12 Instagram photos

What You Do:

1. Choose your photos - You can download your photos in one of the following ways:

On a Mac you can get them through Preview

  • Plug your iPhone into your Mac
  • Launch Preview
  • From the File menu navigate down and select “Import from iPhone…”
  • Select “Import All” to get all the pictures, otherwise individually select pictures and click ‘Import’
  • Look in your ~/Pictures/ folder for the photos from your iPhone

On a Windows PC you can open the device as a folder when you plug it in:

  • Plug in your iPhone to the computer without iTunes running
  • Wait for a popup asking you what you want to do with the device
  • Select “View Content”
  • Find your photos through the folders that are displayed
  • Copy from the folder to your preferred location.

2. I made up some quick calendar templates which you can use for yourself, just click HERE (EDIT: 2015 Calendar!) to download the images. Open up with Photoshop and all you need to do is open each image and paste your Instagram photo into the blank space above the month layout. (If you aren’t familiar with Photoshop you can use any photo editing program or even insert the images on top of each other in Word.

3.  Print em out! 2 to a page so that you can cut in half - and do so with your knife or scissors.

4. Now all that’s left to do is put them in order and secure with the clipboard. You can hang on the wall or prop up on a shelf to display.

How easy is that! Aren’t you glad you didn’t shell out $40 to get someone else to do it for you! Obviously, the nicer the paper and printer you use the better quality your calendar will be. Try to choose photos that fit the months, for example - in December I used a picture of a deer head wearing a Christmas hat and for September I used balloons because that when my birthday is! You can tailor them to your own personal taste because they are your photos! Maybe you can even make one for that special Instagram-loving friend. If you can’t access their phone, you can always try using their Instagram photos from their profiles (http://instagram.com/’profilename’) Maybe your lovely gift will help to stop the hashtag abuse… ;)

#calendars #DIY #instgram #mylifeinpictures #easyaspie #months #photos #organise #dates (#justkidding)

DIY Instagram Calendar from www.highwallsblog,com

Blogshop Sydney

So things have been a little quiet around here the last few days (okay, more like the last week), but I have the best of  reasons for my absence: Imagine a beautiful studio, two of the most knowledgeable ladies in their field and 28 creatives in a together for a weekend of photography, design and Photoshop (not to mention, an awful lot of Instagram). No, I didn’t die and go to blogger heaven, I actually had the privilege of attending first Blogshop held in Australia!

Blogshop, if you’re not familiar, are Photoshop workshops run by the crazy talented (and super lovely) Bri Emery and Angela Kohler. A ‘bootcamp’ for bloggers of all levels; from beginners to those little more experienced. 2 days of Photoshop tricks and techniques as well as guidance and advice on design and layouts.  I headed down to Sydney for the weekend to learn as much as I could and hopefully make some new friends.

It was amazing how much we learnt in just two days! It was especially wonderful to see those  in our class who had barely used photoshop before the class, able to use masking techniques,  alter pictures and even make animated GIF’s with confidence by the end of the weekend.  There was a great feeling of community in the class, with everyone helping and encouraging each other throughout both days. Bri and Angela are so knowledgeable and explain everything in a clear and concise way so that everyone can keep up, no matter their skill level. As well as learning so much, I came to realize over the days that my Photoshop knowledge was better than I had previously thought. It was a huge confidence boost to find that not only did I have the skills to build upon, but I was able to learn so many new skills in such a short amount of time.

The whole weekend was so inspiring. The combination of being able to meet not only Bri and Angela who I would count as some of my blogging/photography heroes, but also having the opportunity to meet so many talented, like minded individuals at once! And as if this wasn’t enough, the classes were held in Studio Neon, an amazingly eclectic studio nestled in Sydney’s Waterloo. For 25 aspiring bloggers, there was almost too much to photograph (and pose with!) The rooms are jam packed with old cameras, speakers, lights and an amazing collection of vintage and modern chairs.

Check out my Instagram (#blogshopsydney) for all the photos from the weekend.

Thank you to Bri and Angela for travelling all the way over to Australia to teach us! Thank you to  Luisa and Jaclyn and all the helpers who made the weekend run so smoothly! Thank you to  Studio Neon for the amazing space (and food!) Last but not least, thank you to all my fellow Sydney Blogshop-ers. It was fantastic to meet you all, I hope we can keep in touch and collaborate in the future.

Sunday Sessions: 21.10.12

LINE ONE: How great is this Instagram stream of Trotter the adorable French Bulldog who loves a dress u. I wish that my Loki would let me dress him up like that!

LINE TWO: I adoooore the illustrtions by Andreas Pries! There were so many, it was hard to choose which ones to feature in this post! (See more work on his website)

LINE THREE: I mentioned Nicole Porter Design in Wednesday’s Oh Etsy post, but I couldn’t go on without mentioning her amazing table wear!

LINE FOUR: I’m not Jewish but I kind of love these dorky, Geltfiend Chanukah Sweaters from Kickstarter. You know you’d love one or two for cosy winter nights.

Beautiful Instagrams

A couple of weeks ago I became the new owner of a iPhone 4. While I’ve always been an android girl, I was offered a sweet deal on the phone and considering I have an iPad, I wanted to be able to sync the two together. One of my favourite things about my new phone is finally being able to have a go at instagram. My account isn’t too interesting at the moment, but I have found some fantastic instagrammers to follow. This photo stream in particular is my favourite, the photos are so mouthwatering and well shot. I love seeing snapshots into other peoples lives- especially when those snapshots are so delectable.