The original capture shot with 645 Pro, I experimented with a few variations in Dramatic B&W and eliminated some of the noise with Filterstorm. And to finish, accented the lights with Photo fx.

I didn’t expect my new horn rimmed specs would inspire a black and white photo series. The style made famous by actor and producer Harold Lloyd in the 20s became an iconic pair. My frames a little less serve than Lloyd’s still captures a vintage note, and provided a much needed facelift from my 70s clear aviators.

These recent images shot with the iPhone 4s and posted on Instagram is more personal than my previous day tripping. Inserting myself into the frames created a series of implied and actual self portraits for the new year. And the black and white conversion evokes a suggestion of some nostalgia.

Using my favorite essential mobile apps to complete the processing, I begin with 645 Pro for the original capture. Dramatic Black and White is used for the color conversion and Big Lens to add a classic DSLR focus while blurring the ground. And to discover a few additional touch-ups I composite multiple exposures in Filterstorm and mask the variations together.

Just being back in New York City from a 5 week mid-west hiatus and making my way to the Lower East Side, I stumbled upon my purple Tuesday in the West Village. The bonus of the accidental scene was the complimentary taxi cab yellow pole with the perfectly styled hipster checking his iPhone! The mobile capture was photographed with the 645 Pro, one of the best camera replacement apps exporting a hi-res tiff for more detailed processing.

Clearly, I was across the river, but the app managed to capture the posted high resolution pastel wash of color. And in the moment, I happily shared the shot with my Instagram friends.

The lossless feature of 645 PRO is also a wonderful capabilty to further edit the file or create a larger size. Transferring the image through iTunes onto my desktop, I made additional minor adjustments through Camera Raw. I hope I have more detours like this one!

As the birth of photography centered around permanently adhering the image from the camera obscura to a surface, present day mobile photogs focus on digitally sharing their captures. Ultimately, Henry Talbot understood the value of the master negative reproducing images on paper leading the way to George Eastman popularizing roll film creating Kodak.

The instant camera, Polaroid, developed images immediately that became a cult following for enthusiasts and artists. While digital cameras, point and shoot or DSLR (digital single-lens reflex), trumped film based cameras, the mobile photography movement or iphoneography is dominating the conversation.

But viewing photography as an artistic process, not are all convinced of mobile styles or its dependency on apps. In the article The woes of the DSLR snob: here comes the iPhone camera by Joy Shan discusses the overused digital tricks used in mobile captures compared to DSLR counterparts. But one can contrast that the entire digital realm gives license to become overly consumed in the post production tweaks than the actual capture of the photograph.

Jack Hollingsworth a 30-year world lifestyle photographer has become iPhone obsessed and champions the mobile movement. I was first introduced to Hollingsworth from his terrific online iPhoneography workshop with creativeLive. His passion and support for the mobile community resonated sharing his approach and techniques. Hollingsworth along with his peers happily leave behind their bulky equipment in favor of the immediacy of mobile captures. Not only the shooting experience has changed, but it’s the ability of mobile cameras to instantly share and create on going narratives establishing circles with a 24/7 global community.

Instagram originally debuted on the iPhone in October 2010 has become the fastest growing platform for mobile image sharing. Reaching 5 million users in July 2011, the social sharing app reached 150 million uploaded images last August. Creating an account on Instagram, new users can begin to follow members and be discovered by likes and comments. With the use of hashtags, images are curated into groups or themes and like minded enthusiasts create connections.

But linked at the beginning of the post, Instagram has brought some criticism. At the recent SXSW, Kristen Joy Watts led a panel discussion debating the downside of social photography. Do members place to much emphasis on popularity and does it deter future talent who don’t attract attention? With all social media, the amount of followers doesn’t always equate to quality but time and effort placed on interacting with the community. Especially on Instagram, authenticity of the image is key along with generously contributing to the conversation. Daily, I love to view my global stage from Instagramers that share their stories and local landscapes.

Want to get started? Begin by watching the conversation between Guy Yang and Jack Holligsworth. Yang, of The BeginnersLens blog shares his enthusiasm for digital and mobile photography.