A few years ago photographer Chase Jarvis answered the question “What is the best camera” with the rhetorical (if not obvious) answer The Best Camera Is The One That’s With You™. He then developed a community of people dedicated to this principal. Out of that grew an iphone app. As a photographer I know that I should always carry a camera because you never know when a shot may present itself. However, I am spoiled; I love my D700 but its not the most convenient piece of equipment to bring with me every time i walk out the door.  To make a long story short, Chase’s concept of using your always available phone as a camera is solid, but the app blows. I’ve tried Adobe’s photoshop app which was just plain unimpressive. Tiffen’s Photo fx 3.0 app is great but slow and kludgy. Then I found Hipstamatic.

self portrait

Hipstamatic – whats old is new again.

One of my best friends, an amazing photographer named Matt “ArtBiker” Linton renewed my passion for using non-contemporary photographic techniques.  He is a master of the now dead but possibly being revived by Lady Gaga Polaroid SX-70.  We are all familiar with the photos from those square format, muted color, shallow depth of field 1970′s style instant film cameras. Shooting side by side with Matt at a variety of events though the years has made me realize that some of these older techniques lend more mystery and romance to an image than is possible with the latest and greatest technology. So I dusted off my own SX-70, Holga, Lomo, and even made a pinhole for my DSLR. All of those are fun, but again, not convenient to bring with you. That’s why now I just reach for my IPhone and Hipstamatic.

Chrysler Building NYC

The Hipstamatic app allows you to use a variety of “lenses” and “film” which replicate the look and feel of some old favorite films and cameras. The basic app costs $3 with additional films and lenses costing $1 each. That’s a small price to pay for the in-your-pocket availability of these “cameras”.

Rosebud

I don’t tend to print out many of my photos unless I am doing a gallery show or it’s going into a publication so it didn’t occur to me right off the bat that I might want to print these out.  Of course I found an image I just had to print and only then did I realize that the iPhone preset for Hipstamatic is a tiny 525px image.  So here’s a Pro Tip: go into settings, and turn on “High QualityPrints”.  I also adjusted the viewfinder mode to “Precision Framing” so you know what your getting; it takes a bit of the fun out but for me the trade off is worth it.

Flowie

Faneuil Hall Boston MA

Haymarket Boston

It’s like Mardi Gras but above the Mason-Dixon line, Halloween in Salem.

If I had to categorize myself I’d say I was a studio photographer. I love being in control of my light. I’ve photographed for catalogs, men’s magazines, books, and thousands of products and light is what makes every photo.

That being said I don’t feel that the photo-journalistic style is where I’m at but sometimes you need to be the “man on the street”. One thing I’ve learned from Jay Maisel) and that you should know is that to take good photos in a crowd is not about your equipment but about you stealth.

PRO TIP: Know your lighting and use a camera and lens that doesn’t intimidate your potential subjects.

'Spinal Tap' in Salem

Okay so here is the deal. In Salem MA on Halloween hundreds of thousands of people show up to get their freak on. The photo possibilities are infinite. I hung out with a few friends and took some pics. Mostly I moved along with the ebb and flow of the crowd but occasionally I found some good light and waited for a photo to come along.

The above photo was taken with a D700 and an SB600 flash set to -1 stop. the back light, which really makes the photo, was courtesy of Salem MA DPW, as they had set up light banks on mobile generators around the city.

Thanks Salem MA, and happy Halloween.