[caption id="attachment_49965" align="alignright" width="225"][media-credit id=6898 align="alignright" width="225"][/media-credit] Street tests out the filters and effects of VSCO Cam on some old covers.[/caption]
Welcome to the undergrounds of Instagram, the virtual equivalent of developed film. To make last Friday seem like a night fresh out of “The Factory,” a true testament to Andy Warhol’s lifestyle, here are a few tips for the app that screams, “You want this life.” Fire up your filters, sharpen (dull?) your blur tool, and get hash–tagging. This is Instagram 2.0.
Our inner art creature was thrilled when the app was updated last year but these filters are old school now, so 2k13. Don’t settle for them anymore. It’s time to stop being cheap and grow up your filter game. VSCO Cam comes in first with its easy interface and T1/X1 filters for a bit of exposure—not to mention its $0.00 price tag. It takes less than 30 seconds to dive through it. That selfie you took the other day will resemble those grungy Ginsberg bathroom pics—and who knows, maybe it'll go viral after you attain fame (respectably, or after a sex scandal). At least you can show the world that you were artsy in your alternative younger years.
Whitagram takes second place for its ability to make your pictures look less plain and more researched, giving them a chic white frame missing from everyone’s social platform. Don’t follow the crowd, be a #onemanwolfpack. Having tried out many of the other available apps—and wasted ample money, because what is there to do when the basement of VP makes you more miserable than the essay you’re trying to finish (or start)—we can comfotably say this one's worth the download.
Once you’ve dealt with all this filter–absurdity, the hashtags come in. Forget single words tags, forget #nofilter—we know all of that. Be sarcastic, show your most dramatic drama queen self. Be arsty—it’s your show. Whether you do it for the fame or out of boredom, hashtags complement your pictures, just like those fancy little plaques under paintings at the Met. Some good ones worth checking out: #wickedflip, #iseefaces and of course #selenagomez, among others.
Now, you’re most definitely ready to transform randoms into art pieces. If laziness prevents you from embarking on your insta–journey, you can always take a selfie in a gallery or restaurant and call it art for attention. It worked for James Franco, why not for you?
