the best camera and the hipstamatic

With the advent of cell phones, and more specifically the iPhone, an increasing number of people are using these sophisticated devices as their primary cameras. One photographer, Chase Jarvis, popularized the idea on his website, http://www.thebestcamera.com/, named for the concept that the best camera is the one you have with you. Jarvis created an iPhone app that enables photos taken with the iPhone to be manipulated and shared easily with others. Another pair of photographers developed a similar app for the iPhone called Hipstamatic. The Hipstamatic app mimics the appearance of toy cameras on the iPhone and offers (for a cost over and above the initial $1.99 investment) the look of different films, lenses and flash attachments. The Hipstamatic folks have also developed a website where iPhone images (based upon monthly themes) can be uploaded to a gallery, but in this instance, to be judged for prizes by the public.

At the suggestion of one of the artists represented by Phillips Gallery here in Salt Lake City, the gallery is hosting an open invitation for iPhone photographers to submit some of their best images (on a juried basis) to be displayed and sold at the annual holiday show. Although I don't own an iPhone, I was able to borrow one for a day from one of my co-workers to play with the Hipstamatic app for a possible submission to the forthcoming show. The primary problem with the Hipstamatic app is that want you see is not what you get. In other words, the final image is different than the image viewed on the screen as you are composing. Ironically, one encounters this very same problem with a real toy camera. Once you have familiarized yourself with the problem however, it becomes relatively simple to compensate accordingly.

Briefly, I found the Hipstamatic app to be quite fun. I re-discovered the joy of shooting anything and everything just for the fun of it and can see why the sites are becoming increasingly popular. I will not be abandoning my more traditional photography utilizing a full-fledged camera, any time soon, but for a diversion (and perhaps down the road when I finally succumb to an iPhone), I'm happy I tried it. Someday in the not too distant future when the resolution of a cell phone, will be high enough to merit serious consideration (they are currently up to the five to eight megapixel range), I might make the ultimate switch. Until that time, I'm content to borrow my co-worker's cell phone for a few moments here and there to play with on an occasional basis. As for my serious work, I'm sticking with my "old" digital cameras.