Photo Credit: Pixabay
There once was a time — say, a little over a decade ago — when the creation of an epic photograph was solely in the highly trained hands of professional photographers and their arsenal of high-tech film or DSLR cameras, ultra-expensive lenses, fancy filters, advanced lighting techniques, and a skilled eye for composition developed through years of shooting experience.
Then, in 2010, the photo editing and sharing app Instagram leveled the playing field for amateur photographers everywhere. By passing unedited camera photos through its filter tools, Instagram allowed practically any beginner with a smartphone camera to mimic the ethereal and dramatic photo effects previously achieved only by the pros. Now, Instagram users (to the tune of 400 million monthly active subscribers worldwide) can tell the story of their everyday lives through quick and colorful Insta-uploads.
Whether you use the app as a personal photographic diary of your day-to-day life, as a dump for your selfies, or as a travel log for your exotic, globetrotting adventures, immortalizing your favorite Instagram moments into something more tangible that you can hang on the walls of your home or decorate your office cubicle with would probably appeal to you. So why not consider turning your Instagram photos into printed works of art? Here are seven ideas to help get you started:
Instagram Photo Book
Photo Credit: Leetal Elmaleh / AdoramaPix
If you are a fan of coffee table books that are spare on text, but positively brimming with gorgeous, professionally shot photographs, then you will love publishing your very own photo book made up of your favorite Instagram pictures. You may get some inspiration from photographer Leetal Elmaleh, who created an Instagram photo book of her daily adventures in New York.
Ready to create the Instagram photo book of your dreams? Choose from the various online photo book publishing sites that offer easy-to-use platforms and professional, high-quality results to help you turn your Instagram feed into a stunning, ultra-glossy photo book.
Ceramic Tile Prints
Going way beyond flooring, ceramic tile photos feature Instagram images printed on plain white ceramic tiles. Yes, the exact same ones you can find at your local home improvement store, which uses a special process called dye sublimation where ink vapor dyes melting polymer coating on a tile to create a photo-realistic image. Looking just as great as traditional prints, ceramic tile photos are lovely to use as mosaics, tabletop counters, standalone art, or standard floor tiles (naturally).
Canvas Prints
Photo Credit: Flickr (Photo by Jorge Quinteros / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 )
Make your Instagram photos look like they belong in an upscale art gallery (or even a museum) by having them printed on canvas. You can do this yourself (as long as you have time, patience, and a few key art supplies) at home, or you can take advantage of online canvas printing services offered by sites such as AdoramaPix, CanvasPop, and PhotoBox.
Metal Prints
Photo Credit: AdoramaPix
One of the newest and more innovative printing techniques in the industry — metal printing –infuses your photo directly into a sheet of coated aluminum. They make great complements to contemporary or industrial-themed interiors, are lightweight and easy to clean, and come in either glossy or satin/matte finishes that lend a unique depth to photos;something that is impossible to recreate with traditional printing techniques.
Instagram Fridge Magnets
Photo Credit: Flickr (Photo by Remy Sharp / CC BY-SA 2.0)
Fun, colorful, and pretty cheap to reproduce in multiple quantities, Instagram photo magnets are the best way to turn your refrigerator into a work of modern art. Consider turning them into a photo mosaic piece or a playful jigsaw puzzle on your fridge to bring some Instagram happiness to your kitchen. But do not stop at sticking them on refrigerators; any metal surface can be a unique canvas to work with.
Get your Instagram photos turned into decorative and functional magnets from services like Social Print Studio, Get Pick Pack, and Sticky9 (formerly known as Stickygram).
Handpainted Artwork
Photo Credit: Pixelist
A few services online, like Pixelist, offer handmade oil painting reproductions of Instagram photos for those who want their favorite picture transformed into traditional canvas art. Simply upload your photo and commission one of the site’s professional painters to recreate it for you according to your design specifications and preferred materials. Commissions usually take 4-6 weeks from order to delivery.
This Instagram photo memento may be one of the most expensive to create, but arguably, has the most lasting impact.
Personalized Phone Cases
Photo Credit: Casetify
Imagine a photo snapped on your smartphone, then uploaded on Instagram, finally transferred onto a case that is snapped onto your smartphone. It does not get any more meta than that! Personalize your phone with your particular brand of style (or irony) by having your favorite Instagram image or images printed on a phone case.
So, who says your Instagram memories should stay on Instagram? Have you ever gone out of the Instagram box and commemorated your favorite images by turning them into permanent keepsakes? Share them with us in the comments below!
