Instagram launched this week on Android, much to the disappointment of many elitist iPhone users. I have been waiting patiently for this app to come over to Android, but after the long wait I’m actually pretty disappointed with the product. Firstly the app is massive, and you can’t save it to SD card so it hogs up a load of internal memory. Secondly, the app is basically a port without much real thought going into how it would run on Android phones. Thirdly, the selection of filters aren’t that great.

Want some decent alternatives? Peruse the selection on Lifehacker from the link above. Personally I’m a big fan of Pixlr-o-matic as the customisation possibilities are endless, which is how I thought Instagram would be.

I still hold out hope for it, but I guess Instagram is just another one of those iPhone / Apple based products that people only like because of its elitist nature.. Sort of like Things (an incredibly overpriced to do list app that doesn’t even cloud sync)

Enjoy!

These photos by Yan Yongliang absolutely blow me away. I love how he has mixed traditional techniques with modern photography to create these haunting, powerfully, moving series of images.

The image above come from a series based on Shan shui paintings. These type of paintings stem from a history that goes back more than 1,500 years ago and the images often depict scenes of natural landscapes and beautiful scenery. It’s a tradition that demands a rigorous set of requirements in the hopes of creating the perfect combination of balance, composition, and form.

Yang Yongliang’s work takes these requirements and then turns them on their head – tranquil surroundings become chaotic landscapes as old trees become large skyscrapers and gentle mists become billowing smoke. The finished result creates powerful and contemporary images that speak of the modern world and the concerns of our time.

View more examples on The Fox is Black