How Instagram is changing the way we document the world:

Imagine actually trying to get the lighting and composition right before you take a picture. Imagine being forced to admit that a photo just doesn’t work and not posting it: essentially filtering the photos upstream, instead of downstream. (Yes, some people do some of this already, but not because they have to.) Filters are like auto-pilot for thinking critically, and visually, about one’s surroundings. The obstacles that they remove are precisely the obstacles that promote learning and a more discerning appreciation of what makes a good photo.

Regarding the above image, Allen Murabayashi experimented with adding Instagram filters to famous photographs:

Take an iconic moment from the recent past. Apply an antiquing filter to try to make it look historic. Flagellate yourself 12 times. Apologies to [Reuters photographer] Toby Melville.