Spent the weekend just gone in Sydney with my wife Melissa. We headed up to see the Top Gear Live show at Acer Arena, which was tremendous fun of course. Since it was just an overnight stay we decided to travel light, which even meant no cameras *cry* so we made do with our iPhones and the great new camera app called Hipstamatic, which does its best to simulate various old lenses and films, along with flash gels.

Taken in the Sydney Domestic Airport Train Station

One of the cool things is that the effect is applied when you take the photo (you select a film, lens and flash gel type before you shoot) and therefore the photo is what it is, the effects are not an afterthought or tweaked to look “right”, you have to actually think about what look you want before you take the picture, and know what combination of lens, film and flash to put on the camera to get the look.

Just like in the olden days.

It is (almost) all the fun and unpredictability of shooting with a Holga, without the high cost of medium format film. Yeah yeah I know its not the same, but for messing about its fun. I just wish I had an iPhone 3GS, as my iPhone 3G does not have the ability to focus. Never mind, new one in a few months…

Bird cages suspended over a side street, commenting on endangered bird species in Australia

As Chase Jarvis says, “the best camera is the one you have on you” so I may just blog a few more iPhone photos in the future, since it is after all always in my pocket, a place my 5D MkII just wont fit…