Is there a place for Instagram-esque post processing in UW photography?

I'm curious what people think. My personal view had been that Instagram degrades photos in a way that can admittedly look cool on very small screens (e.g., an iPhone), but in the end, was not something that was viable for "real" photography.

However, I recently purchased the Nik Collection of PS plug-ins. There are many professional photographers that I admire (e.g., Tony Wu) who are big proponents of Nik. Some of the filters in the Nik Collection, especially in Color Efex, reminded me a bit of Instagram. I started playing with them and begrudgingly admit they are kinda fun, and I like some of the results, even if they aren't exactly "realistic." Here's one sample of a photo I ran through the Detail Extractor in Color Efex (to bring out the texture in the water surface), and then a Sepia preset in Silver Efex. It is a bit hyper-stylized, but I think I kinda like it, in a guilty-pleasure kind of way.

So what do people think? Is this type of Instagram-esque post-processing cheesy? Or is it a viable way to add some variety to our UW photos? I have thick skin -- its OK if the consensus hates this picture and everything like it. I'm more just curious what people think on this topic.

Galapagos_2013-234_FINAL_Sepia by mcliffy2, on Flickr

 

It's a nice image. Don't know if I like it sepia toned...

Why shouldn't you be able to process your images as you

see fit. It is your art after all.

I know many who take DSLR shot images and post to Instagram

as a social media marketing tool. I still prefer the mobile image

acquisition behind it though. Up to you I imagine.

I find myself liking it. But I wonder if I saw the original whether I might like that more...?

I find myself liking it. But I wonder if I saw the original whether I might like that more...?

Here is the original (without the sepia filter from Silver Efex).

Personally, I like the sepia one a lot more probably because it looks a lot less like the 10,000 other hammerhead photos out there. Good job I think.

Bill

I like the sepia better, brings out the main shark. You could be onto something. Play with some more. :-)

Eh... not my thing but to each his own. I personally draw a line at "mason jars".

I hav nothing against being creative in this way. There is a place for hyper realism and a place for personal interpretation.

With this particular image, I am not loving the sepia tone. It would be interesting to see it in black and white, perhaps with high contrast and dynamic range like Ansel Adams' style