Via.me “Review”

After Instagram changed its terms of service, I, like many others, started searching for an alternative. For me, it’s not about being paid for my photos. It was about how my photos could be used in a way that might misrepresent me. I'm also using Starmatic and Eye’Em, but I have not decided which app and social network works for me. One app that has potential is Via. The app is available for both iOS and Android OS.

Like Instagram, the app is free. Creating an account is easy using your Twitter or Facebook account. Once linked to these two social media accounts, you can find which of my friends have accounts on Via or directly invite your friends to join the service.

Via upload
Via upload

The app's layout isn't unlike Instagram’s; however, Via isn't only a photo service. The camera button allows you to take a new photo or video, or sound capture. When I pondered that, I realised that Via is like Tumblr. You can even do text-only posts.

Via feed
Via feed

The feed tab shows you content that has been uploaded by people you are following. You can show your appreciation for a photo with the like button or leave a comment. The report button is similar to Tumblr's reblog feature.

Via Explore
Via Explore

The Explore button lets you see the entire unfiltered Via media stream or enter a keyword to filter. Again, this reminds me of Tumblr.

Via activity
Via activity

The activity button shows you the activity related to your profile -- comments or likes on your photos, new followers etc.

Via profile
Via profile
Via profile
Via profile

The profile tab lets you view the content you've posted to your profile and connect to any existing Facebook and Twitter contacts.

One thing that was not clear until I visited the Via website is that a public profile page had been created for me. This is a public sharing service. There is no way to post private photos. That makes sense to me. If you want to keep your images confidential, why upload them first? Sharing with a limited group of people can be accomplished via email or a password-protected blog.

One limitation of Via is that sharing options are limited to your public profile, Facebook and Twitter. This is more limiting than most photo-sharing apps which also allow sharing to Tumblr and Flickr. This one limitation keeps me from making Via my default Instagram replacement. This might not matter to you are willing to have Via replace your Tumblr. There is also no easy way to embed Via into a WordPress blog. Several apps allowed me to do this with my Instagram images.

#Conclusion#

Via isn’t what I want in a photo-sharing app. I'm still on the lookout for the "perfect" app. Via is easy to use, has an active (but not large) community, and has a few external social sharing options. However, the lack of integration with my WordPress blog is holding me back.

Review: Camera+

I recently started a new photography project to challenge myself and improve my photography. I'll be taking photos all year round using nothing but my iPhone 4 and a few iOS photography apps (Camera+, AutoStitch, PixelPipe). I'll be uploading the best photograph of the day to a new blog.

The Camera+ app from model and photographer Lisa Bettany is the app I prefer to the built-in camera app. It has a crosshair and handshake feature that helps me with composing and the built-in image filters allow me to add an artistic touch to my photos.

When I first launched the app, I was presented with a virtual DSLR viewfinder and two menu options and two controls. There is a shutter release in the upper right-hand corner and a menu button in the lower left-hand corner. The menu button allowed me to turn on (or off) certain functions such as composition grid, shutter sound, digital zoom, etc. I also setup Camera+ to share images via my social networks on facebook, twitter, and Flickr. I could also adjust the image capture quality.

Camera+ Virual DSLR

The photographer can snap an image using the shutter release on the virtual DSLR. This gave me just a small virtual viewfinder which I found quite limiting. I prefer to choose, "Take photos", from the main menu. That also activated the grid overlay to help me with composition. From here I can also turn on the stabiliser to help with my caffeine-induced handshake.

Camera+ Lightbox

Camera+ stores captured images in an internal library - the Lightbox. This is where I did post-processing with the images - cropping, applying artistic filters, and exposure correction.

Camera+ FX

The HDR and overlay filters are my favourites but there are 16 FX effects to choose from. I also like the fact that I can crop my photo and add my own border.

I discovered one downside to the Camera+ app though. It keeps its photo in a local library - the Lightbox. When photos are exported to the Photo app all EXIF data is lost. Images were taken on different days and lighting conditions all get the same timestamp when exported. However, I found a tip left by a commenter on the Camera+ blog. Camera+ can export photos to Flickr with full EXIF data. I then use the Bulkr app to download the photos to my iMac and import into Lightroom. It's a bit more work but well worth it to have the EXIF data I need.

Camera+ Borders