DSLR vs Smartphone: Instagram and the question of what kind of image to capture?

Many of you out there would have heard of this little smartphone app. It has grown in popularity. I love it simply because it allows you to share spur of the moment photos on your online social life. It is a little overdone/overused now, and the settings you are given to choose from don't always match your photo. Having said that, I have seen some fabulous images uploaded on this baby!

So, wanting to record my photographic journey I wanted to share with the blogosphere the little critter that joined us for dinner the other night. Oh, I pulled out my DSLR to capture this little guy  as well, but with my smartphone, I was able to hold it with one hand while crouched down on an odd angle to capture this little guy, so I could put my thumb next to him to show just how darn small and therefore cute he is!

The composition is not great, but in the heat of the moment, I was able to share this little guy with my friends without little cumbersome photo editing required!

Now check out the image I took with my DSLR. It's cropped and lightened in Photoshop. It's an OK-ish photo, but there is no point of reference to show how tiny he is! I tried to chase him so my husband's phone was in the shot to give an idea, but the little guy was too quick for me

The Instagram photo is more organic I feel - it may not be a higher quality but it captures the moment. As someone who really enjoys taking photos, I have to ask myself - what do I want to capture? A stunning, technically correct photo? A piece of art? Or the moment? Smartphones and technology make it so easy for us to capture anything and everything and store it for eternity. In 1000 years (if we last that  long) it is possible that someone will dig up photos being taken today from the ether and examine them like they examine ancient art. What do they want to see? Something technically beautiful, or a moment captured in time? Sometimes though it's worth capturing the moment with our minds and create a memory. The pressure to create lasting art is too much. Plus I felt guilty for momentarily blinding this poor little guy with my flash. And chasing him around.