Jetting into Vancouver this afternoon I met up with my good mate Cass and together we took in a performance by the ridiculously hot Colbie Caillat from Malibu, California. Not surprisingly, the last time I saw Colbie perform was in the very same room almost 2 years ago to the very day.

Best known for tracks like “Bubbly”, “Fallin’ For You” and her duet “Lucky” which she performed with fellow soloist Jason Mraz, Colbie covered pretty much all her big hits this evening, as well as a few new numbers from her 2011 album release “All of You” including her concluding number and current single “Brighter than the Sun”. Usually I like to try and post the set lists of the concerts I attend, but for some reason nobody has managed to post anything online this time around. If you do find one, feel free to post a link in the comments section below.

In the meantime, here’s a few pics from the evening, followed by a video of Colbie performing “Bubbly” this evening.

So how come this particular app, produced by a team of only six designers and developers, has suddenly amassed a user group of almost 10 million? Let’s take a quick look…

What is Instagram?

As mentioned above, the Instagram app allows you to take photos using any iPhone or iPod Touch compatible device and apply a selection of funky-named filters (Hudson, Lomo-fi, Sutro, Inkwell, 1977 etc) that allow you to give your photos a particular look that throws back to the days of Kodak Instamatic and Polaroid cameras.

The result isn’t a perfect, crystal-clear and colour-perfect shot. Far from it in fact, but therein lies one of the hooks. For whatever reason, Instagram, to put it bluntly, allows users to make even the most ordinary, badly composed, horribly lit, lifeless photos look cool. While this gives photography purists the absolute irrits, it does give the average iPhone user a fighting chance when it comes to snapping shots worthy of sharing with their friends and family.

What is responsible for the sudden Instagram craze?

Without question, Instagram’s move to build a community around their app by building in easy-to-use tools for sharing the photos taken with a number of popular social networks like Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare and Tumblr has greatly enhanced their popularity. With just a few easy taps, someone can share a cool shot of whatever it is they are doing or experiencing with their network of friends and family.

For some it eliminates the need to carry around a compact camera altogether, and the results, just like the good ol’ days of the polaroid camera, are instant. You just shoot, filter, caption, geo-tag and share! It’s as easy as that.

5 great online Instagram related services

So without further to do, here’s a list of FIVE great online Instagram related services that will allow you to extend your interaction with the application that’s taking the iPhone community by storm:

1. Followgram

With all of the great things Instagram has going for it, one of the gaping holes in the service is the provision of web-based user profiles. The app is quite rightly built as a mobile experience, but there are times when you might want to check out a user’s details and archive of shots while you’re sitting at a laptop or desktop computer.

This is where followgram.me comes in. By using your already registered Instagram login to gain access, you can have your very own web-based Instagram profile set up within minutes. Perfect!

2. Stickygram

This one is a little gimmicky, but I love the concept and already have friends who swear by it. Stickygram is a simple service that allows you to order your favourite Instagram shots as a set of fridge magnets. Delivered world-wide, the magnets are a perfect gift idea for friends and loved ones allowing them to add a stylish part of you to their lives.

At the time of writing this, you can get your hands on a set of 9 magnets for USD$14.99. Add to that FREE shipping to anywhere in the world and it’s a service worth checking out for sure!

3. Statigram

Like most things in the “Social Media” sphere these days, it’s nice to be able to have at least a bit of an idea as to what content you are “putting out there” is the most viewed, the most popular and/or the most loved.

Statigram allows you to view, or have a number of “snapshots” of your usage of Instagram emailed to you on a regular basis, and in doing so gives you some kind of ongoing insight into what your most popular photos are.

4. Postagram

There’s been a number of times in the past that I’ve thought to myself, gee it would be nice to send a photo of what I’m looking at right now to my Grandparents. I mean, they’re not “online” at all, so sending a simple email with a photo attached isn’t an option, and they live far enough away that I’m not going to be guaranteed of seeing them every other week, so if there was an effortless way of sending them pics with a message attached, I’d be all over it.

What I have just discussed in the latter part of that paragraph above is EXACTLY what the awesome “Postagram” does for you. Install the app, take an Instagram photo, add a message, choose a recipient and mailing address and a cool postcard of your photo (which can be popped out of the card) is sent off by snail mail.

It appears that sadly, Postagram is only available in the USA right now, but I’m hopeful that the service, or some kind of copycat service will be available in Australia and Canada REAL soon!

5. Extragram

Rounding off the list of 5 great ways to extend your Instagram experience is “Extragram” – a beautifully designed “explorer” application that allows you to browse throughout the Instagram user base viewing the most popular photos from users you don’t know, all the shots your friends have taken as well as a full archive of all your own shots.

While Extragram does the same or a similar job to the other services, like Followgram, I have listed above, it does it in the best way I have found from a user experience point of view. Easy to navigate and thoughtfully and beautifully designed, it’s worth checking out if you’re at a desktop or laptop computer.

Once again, you can use your existing Instagram login to gain access, so there’s no extra registrations required – sweet!

UPDATE: But wait, there’s more!

6. Printstagram

With Xmas not that far away, the folk at “Printstagram” offer 5 great printing/gift options that draw on your Instagram creative archive! Posters, miniprints and more can be ordered and delivered worldwide!

I’m just thinking out aloud here, but how cool would one of those posters look on the back of the dunny door?? Get rid of that old calendar from the chemist that features an uninspiring stock photo of an old rusty tractor in a field, and adorn the “throne room” with something eye-catching and creative!

Also, check out the “Minibook” and cute “Tinybook” options for truly unique and cheap gift ideas.

Before grabbing a prime spot on the banks of the Brisbane River, however, I thought I’d scoot around to some of the many free attractions on show as part of the Festival and check them out while I can. First stop, the psychedelic “Liquid Interactive Light Scope”.

Liquid Interactive Light Scope

Positioned on the lawn out front of the Queensland Performing Arts Complex (QPAC), the long white tent housing the Liquid Interactive Light Scope installation is unmistakable. Stepping inside, you become immersed in a 30m long tunnel of pulsating light, colour, movement and reflection.

Thanks to a few strategically placed “XBOX Kinect” motion capture devices, the trippy patterns beamed across over 500 seamless LED screens, attached to 4 digital servers, is altered by the movements of those passing through the tunnel in front of the sensors, creating an always unique experience.

Before you check out the couple of shots I took while inside, here’s a “behind-the-scenes” look at the installation and how it came to be.

Peepdance Brisbane Tel-Aviv

With my eyes adjusting to the brightly lit world outside the confines of the Liquid Interactive Light Scope, I made my way to what I can only describe as, and I think I tweeted this, a “somewhat bizarre but strangely compelling” performance called “Peepdance Brisbane Tel-Aviv”.

The official description goes something like this:

Three artists from Israel’s Tami Dance Company directed by Nimrod Freed, join six Australian dancers to deliver seven unique performances at the same time, to the same music – inside seven peep cells. The audience is invited to ‘peep’ and experience contemporary dance through a new lens.

…and peep we did. This one had people talking – that’s for sure!

Golden Casket Light Sphere

Making my way to the far end of the South Bank precinct I found the large collection of mirrored discs that everyone had been tweeting about all weekend. When positioned together above a pit of white rock, the discs made up a perfect “light sphere” that reflects and spherically distorts the world of curious activity going on around it.

As the sun began to set over the city, the LED lights surrounding the sphere’s base came to life and a beautiful kaleidoscope of colour appeared completely spellbinding the swelling gathering of kids and families who were beginning to arrive on the river ready for the big event that was about to begin…

Santos City of Lights

I first touched on the “City of Lights” music, light and laser show back in June when details of the spectacle began to emerge and create a level of anticipation usually reserved only for the annual Riverfire fireworks which, incidentally, went off with a bang last night, but I’ll get to that shortly.

I really had no idea what to expect both from an entertainment and potential photographic perspective, so I simply set up my camera on a fairly wide angle composition so as to take in most of the river and the buildings that looked to be involved, and took it from there.

The brain child of Aussie lighting designer, John Rayment (Sydney Olympics Opening Ceremony) and producer Tony Assness (Fox Studios Launch, Moulin Rouge), the performance involves a number of light beams and coloured lasers which gyrate and project an array of shapes and other surprises onto surrounding landmarks and two huge screens of water mist, created by jets of water shot from 4 river-based barges.

It’s perhaps a little complex and wordy to explain it’s setup, but when it’s brought all together… Wow!

The playlist of songs

• Nick Wales – Lantern Boy
• Goyte – Heart’s A Mess (Supermayer Remix)
• Phillip Glass – The Light
• Lamb – The Spectacle
• Daft Punk – Outlands
• The Irrepressibles – In This Shirt (Röyksopp Remix)
• Wagner: Götterdämmerung – Act 3: Fliegt Heim Ihr Raben

Cheers to @BrisFestival for supplying that list for me!

To give you a better idea of what to expect, here’s a quick grab of video from talented Brisbane photographer David de Groot.

The “Santos City of Lights” laser light show, the first of its kind in Australia, runs twice a night (7pm & 8pm) for the next 3 weeks so there’s absolutely no excuse not to check out the spectacle for yourself!

I’ll definitely be heading down after work a few more times over the next couple of weeks to try a few different photographic locations and techniques. Exciting!!

Sunsuper Riverfire 2011

While we’re on the subject of stunning night time displays, it would be remiss of me not to mention last night’s Riverfire! Without doubt one of the city’s premier annual events, over half a million people crowded numerous bends of the winding Brisbane River to bear witness to Brisbane’s biggest and best annual fireworks display.

While the trademark after-burning F111s are no longer a feature with the remaining fleet of fighter jets being put to pasture after last year’s event, colourful explosions leaping from no less than 6 barges and, of course, the Story Bridge kept onlookers, including myself, enthralled for almost half an hour.

I was particularly fortunate this year to be invited by my boss at my new work to join him and his family at his Aunt’s perfectly positioned apartment, elevated over a bend in the river that afforded views in two directions – both up to the Story Bridge, and also along the South Bank reach. PERFECT!

Thanks again Scotty!

The only thing left to do is to share with you some of the action from last night’s event, below.

Remember, the 2011 Brisbane Festival runs for another couple of weeks until September 24th and there’s a wealth of great things to see and do in that time which can all be explored on the official Festival website:

http://www.brisbanefestival.com.au/

Check it out, get involved and tell me what you find in the comments section below! I’d love to hear from you!

Affectionately known as the “Ekka” (shortened form of the original name “Brisbane Exhibition”), the agricultural show is Queensland’s largest and most popular event with over 600,000+ people making their way down to the RNA Showgrounds in Bowen Hills over 10 days to get amongst the fun which includes agricultural displays, woodchopping competitions, animal parades, equestrian events and the ever-popular “sideshow alley” bursting at the seams with rides for all ages.

While I don’t think I’ll make the trip inside the gates this year, I did pop down onto Bowen Bridge Road after work this evening, from where you can get a pretty good view of sideshow alley and catch a glimpse of the nightly fireworks display. Here’s just a few of the images I captured:

The 2011 Ekka runs for another 4 days, finishing on Saturday night, and includes the always popular “People’s Day”, a Queensland Public Holiday, this coming Wednesday.

Now in it’s 22nd year, the Abbey Medieval Festival is considered the largest festival of its type in the southern hemisphere, attracting tens of thousands of fans and interested onlookers (like me) each year. The week-long festival kicks off with a huge Medieval Banquet and culminates in a grand, two day “Abbey Medieval Tournament” held over a weekend in Winter each year.

Located at the “Abbey Museum of Art and Archaeology”, this spectacular event is held in a large, gum tree littered field about 4km off the Bruce Highway along the Bribie Island road, 40 minutes or so north of Brisbane.

To be honest, I’d only heard about the event for the first time a few days ago and really had no idea what to expect. I was a tad worried I was going to find a bunch of pimply teens and twenty-something geeks sitting around in a tent playing Dungeons and Dragons (you can play that in a tent, right?), but I was pleasantly surprised with the spectacle that was presented to me and the many thousands that also showed up today.

After being greeted by a fair maiden at the front gate and parting with 25 gold pieces (a reasonable $25 entrance fee for adults, for you non-medieval speaking folk), I stepped into what literally felt like another world filled with castles and encampments buzzing with activity from ye days of old.

There were knights and crusaders, jesters and gypsies, vikings, nomads, nobles and more, together representing medieval times ranging from 600 to 1600 AD. Seemingly accurately attired participants stepped into the roles of those from the Dark Ages, High Middle Ages and Byzantine warriors, German landsknechts (mercenaries), Turkish Janissaries and exquisite Renaissance swordsmen, putting on a succession of shows and mini-performances that thrilled young and old alike under perfect blue skies.

I was able to visit the encampments of various groups who were set up to display the arts, crafts and ways of life of those from their given time period, as well as observe historical combats, jousting, dance, Turkish oil wrestling, archery, full scale battles, street performers and take some time to relax, put my feet up and sip on a mug of suds, while listening to some medieval music on stage at “Friar’s Folly Tavern”.

Seriously though, while I still think some of the people out there today were a tad beyond “total geek” when it came to their obsession with all things medieval, I really enjoyed the day out and would gladly do it again next year with friends.

To prove that all that I have written above isn’t a lie, I shot about 1,500 frames throughout the day, from which I can present the following gallery. I hope you enjoy it!

The World Press Photo 11 exhibition, presented by Canon and TNT, is showing at the Brisbane Powerhouse from now until Sunday the 26th June, 2011. The free exhibition features a selection of winning shots from the prestigious 2010 competition which received a record 108,059 entries from 5,691 professional photographers from 125 countries.

After having done so myself today, I can highly recommend spending an hour or two perusing the selection of inspiring shots from around the world, spread throughout one of Brisbane’s most spectacular multi-arts venues. A word of warning though, it’s probably not quite the family outing to take your young kids to. A good few of the powerful images, especially those on display in the Turbine Hall, are somewhat graphical in nature and are quite confronting for adults, let alone children.

Grab one of the limited free car parking spaces at Brisbane’s Powerhouse and check out the World Press Photo 11 exhibition between 9am-5pm on Mon-Fri, and 10am-4pm on the weekends.

As a taster, here’s some of the winning images you can expect to see in large format at the exhibition.

The following video titled “The City Limits” was shot over the course of 12 months and features stunning time-lapse footage captured in Montreal, Quebec City, Toronto, Manhattan and Chicago, all set to the haunting tune “Time” by the incomparable composer “Hans Zimmer”, from the movie “Inception”.

For the punters out there, here’s the list of the lenses Dominic snapped onto the end of his Canon 5D MkII to put the footage together:

• Canon 14mm 2.8 II
• Canon 24mm 1.4 II
• Canon 135mm 2
• Canon 70-200 2.8 II

Be Inspired.

As someone who has a HUGE passion for travel photography, I would love to spend hours perusing the competition entries. I really hope the exhibition, unlikely a chance as it may be, makes the trip down to Australia sometime in 2011. In the meantime, here’s a taster of some of the amazing entries submitted this year.

Kicking things off (above) is a stunning entry featuring an adolescent brown bear hunting the salmon run in Alaska as captured by Eric Kruszewski (USA). The shot was awarded winner of the “New Talent 2010 – Sell It!” category.

For more images, check out the full gallery of winning entries on the “Travel Photographer of the Year” website.

Held at the Gaythorne Community War Memorial in Sid Loder Park, the march and hour or so long service was participated in by surviving diggers, their families, soldiers, community groups and school children, ensuring that the ANZAC legend rightfully lives on across multiple generations.

Once again, I’m proud to have been able to attend the service and hope that the images I snapped (below) give you a bit of an idea of what the ceremony was like.

Lest we forget.

Coinciding with the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics 1 year anniversary celebrations, the colourful, vibrant event this year consisted of 18 locations featuring an array of light art installations and interactive displays on view for the past two nights.

With $500 worth of prizes up for grabs in an associated Flickr photography contest, I battled the less than desirable weather conditions to come up with the following shots of what I considered to be the best of the displays. I’m undecided at this point as to whether or not I’m going to enter any of them into the contest, but I’ve got until March 6th to decide.

Data Queue

By Nathan Whitford & Konstantinos Mavromichalis – Lines of LEDs that can respond to their environment and the presence of people. This installation translates the movement of people into colourful animated light patterns. Standing in line has never been so much fun.

Light Cosmos

By Victor S. Quezada – This installation creates a fusion of light and materials.

Revolv-a-lution

A group collaboration with general direction by Benjamin Feagin Jr. – Scheduled live artistic performances, interactive components and new media art works will dazzle and amaze.

Twitterfall Wall

By Bradley Shende – Interactive real time tagged discussion – projected as cascading tweets onto a three story brick wall.

Louver Towers

By Philip W. Guhl – Video wall of stunning visual effects using bitmapped artwork and music.

Flexi-Flex

By Philip W. Guhl – A flexible, translucent, modular LED panel providing full motion video and lighting capabilities both indoors and outdoors.

Fiction Facades

By Nathan Whitford & Konstantinos Mavromichalis – Never judge a building by its facade; a building projection that explores the relationship between the facade of a building and its interior. This installation reveals and creates stories.

Kinetic Floating Pixels

By Shaun Mavronicolas & Miles Thorogood – This interactive, kinetic light installation made up of an array of moving helium balloons merge the physical and virtual worlds in a fun and playful installation. Become the avatar and create you own experience.