This is a highly stylistic aesthetic, and the 'technique' seems gimicky. For better photographs, learn the basics of compositions and how color / size influence weight in a picture.
Two hours with this book and you will be most of the way there! http://www.amazon.com/Design-Basics-Index-Jim-Krause/dp/1581...
Some resources:
- any 'History of Western Art' book
- any 'History of Photography' book
- http://www.contemporaryartdaily.com/category/exhibitions/
- http://we-make-money-not-art.com/archives/photography/
I assume that is just where he posts some fun throw-away pics.
- http://instagram.com/msutherl (me)
- http://instagram.com/wenjunliang
- http://instagram.com/alex_steckly
- http://instagram.com/timothytickle
- http://instagram.com/rdriana
- http://instagram.com/xt_marie
Easy to find more by seeing who likes these images or by seeing who these people follow.
If I wanted to take good photographs, I would practice photography a whole lot. Then read a little bit. Then practice a whole lot. Then read a little bit.
Reading about photography can never match the practice of photography (but it can help... a little bit). I would also shoot film (many in photography school talk about the "film mindset"). You need to believe that your photos are a limited resource and therefore save each shot for the best moments. "Spraying and praying" with digital rarely comes out with anything good.
And now for some shameless self promotion: www.stillthrill.com
I won't argue that there's a lack of subtlety in Instagram, but I wish you wouldn't brush it off so contemptuously. I don't consider myself much of a photographer, mainly due to lack of practice/desire to practice. But I like Instagram because I can take a picture of something my friends will find funny, a car that another friend will find interesting, or something I can tell a story about. I find that my Instagrams end up being higher quality pictures, more consistenly, than pictures I take just for the sake of taking a picture. So for me Instagram isn't just pictures, it's pictures that I can tell a story about, when I whip my phone out at a party. A different art form altogether.
>A different art form altogether.
So I don't think it should be categorized as photography. And you mentioned that looking at it was a good way to learn how to be a photographer. Which I still don't think it is.
The greatest photographers (those who we should be studying) did not use instagram. And for the highly skilled contemporaries that do use instagram, I highly doubt they post their best on the service.
Edit: seems Arena is having this content loading bug again. If you click on the grey blocks, there's an overly and you can step through like a presentation.