Just when you thought all of the hemming and hawing over Instagram was over, the New York Times decided to add a big shovelful of fuel to the fire. The newspaper issued a big Instagram portrait of New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez on the front page of this past Sunday's edition. It's been causing no shortage of verbal sparring and conflicting opinions among the professional photography community, with many decrying the photo and many celebrating it.
Who cares?
I'm just as much a proponent of dedicated cameras as the next guy, but if a photograph stands on its own merit -- which in this case, it does -- it shouldn't matter if a DSLR took it, a smartphone took it, or a pair of freaking glasses took it. Five years ago, it feels like we finally settled the argument that you can take good photos with any camera if you know what you're doing. Why should this argument be any different? If a photo you took with Instagram, and it looks good with one of the built-in filters, fine. Use it. If the photograph is composed and exposed properly, and it conveys a message and has purpose, it doesn't matter what you use to take it with.
Tim Kauger is a blogger and photographer based in Short Hills, NJ. You can visit his website here.