Capturing the moment has been given a whole new meaning for Instagram users today. Special photography and editing skills have now been put into the hands of everyday people, no longer belonging solely to the professionals. What may first be captured as a dull or lifeless picture can quickly be transformed into an image with beauty and vitality through the use of various filters Instagram offers.

According to Followgram.com, Instagram has 7 million users worldwide who are uploading 1.3 million photos everyday. As many as 15 photos per second are being posted, and 8 out of 10 of those photos have been used with a filter.

People use Instagram to share memories and moments that strike them as unique or exciting. Instagram users are seeing their world through new eyes as it brings out the photographer within us, exposing the creativity we may have never known we had. It allows us to capture God’s creation in a new way. Now we see the little flower growing through a crack in the middle of the street, we show off the new crazy socks with the vintage shoes, or we capture a shot of the most delicious cheesecake we’ve ever eaten (after the first bite, of course).

Perhaps Instagram is helping us rediscover how to stop and smell the roses in life and share it with the world.

Here are a few of my tips for being a better instagramer:

While Instagram has become somewhat of a social networking site, it is not Facebook. So try to mix things up a bit with the pictures you take. Rather than simply posting pictures of yourself and your friends, try posting something that seems unique or creative to you. Don’t be afraid to release your inner artist and capture the out of the ordinary. In fact, the out of the ordinary might just be found in the ordinary things around you.

Follow users who inspire you. If your creativity meter is low one day, the people you follow may just be what you need to give you inspiration.

Capture what you love. Allow Instagram to be an expression of who you are as you allow the people in your life to see the world through your eyes.

I give Instagram 5 out of 5 for its user friendliness and ability to help people take the simple things in life and effortlessly turn them into works of art.

If you love using Instagram, you can also look up Followgram, a web site for linking your Instagram account for your computer.

Here are a few photos I created with Instagram….