Breaching the Summit

Hipstamatic is a wonderful tool.  I emphasize tool, a camera is only as good as the person holding it, it requires that ability and training to develop that sense of a good image.  The Hipstamatic can be used as a serious tool to create art. If you are a photographer that is has an obsession with sharpness and clarity even at giant prints well then maybe your should choose an 8x10.  But i think that my tiny cell phone camera produces art from my eyes view.

I use my small pocket camera too capture images when i forgot my DSLR or just did not feel like shooting with it that day, as in the case of this photo.  Cameras are tools, film is a tool, dark rooms, photoshop, lightroom etc. etc... all tools.  Put them to good use and you can create great art.Mophie Juice Pack Air iPhone 4 And 4S Battery Case - 1145JPAIP4BLK

Lens: Libatique; Film PistilSalton

This film combination is great and I have started to truly love it especially for scenes like this.  Overall it seems to deeply saturate the brown mid tones while washing out some of the grays to more of a antique feel.

These are a shots of the Salton Sea in California.  The surreal dreamy quality of this is pretty cool and gives a sense of impending adventure.

Changes to format

So if any one is paying attention i have not posted much lately.  Life is kinda getting in the way so I have decided to change the format just a bit.  I started this blog in the idea of shooting every film with every lens in the Hipstamatic app, while im still keeping this blog predominately orientated to the Hipstamatic images, im not going to go in such a linear fashion.  I apologize for this but i would rather post more often and with better images than force those on a set schedule.

Lens: Kaimal Mark II; Film: BlacKeys Super Grain

Im not a huge Fan of these two working together I think the lens causes the print to be washed out near the center, and the contrast excessively decreased.

Lens: Tejas; Film: AO BW

This i like dirty high contrast.  You know the exact opposite of what every one has told you to do.  Love the vignetting, love the little scratches in the print.  This is every thing you are not supposed to do in a print.

Lens: Lucifer VI; Film: Inas 1969

This is a great combo to me, the random color aberrations, and it is nice and beautifully sharp.  I will be using it at lot me thinks.

Film: Blanko; Lens: Roboto Glitter

This Lens / film combo is fun.  It tends to lead to the burnt out over exposed, with cyan overtones.

Highlights seem to be overly blown out especially toward center of the frame.  If you know this you can use it to an advantage by drawing focus else ware.  Shadows ten to remain very dark as it seems with many of the combos with Blanko film

My personal taste is drawn to this combination.  I used to be all for black and white. ( I still feel that black and white leads to the most artistic)  However when color is so far removed from the reality of a shot it adds a lot to the composition.

Lens: Lucifer VI; Film: Blanko

I love love love this combination of lucifer VI and blanko, saturated and contrasty as hell.  With added lens aberrations its just great.  


This combination is a super saturated super contrasted view of the world.  Personally appeals to my sense.  The high contrast may not be for every scene but it works with these i seriously think it is a great combination and will be in regular use for me as soon as i get over random.

Lens: Helga Viking; Film: Blanko

This film combo nation has an overall blue hue and in some shots seems to lack some contrast. The cons of this dark scenes seem to quickly lose contrast.  This particular combination lacks any vignetting or lens aberrations.


I this combination  find aesthetically appealing.  I like the overall dull blue hue of the prints,  I am particularly fone of this 1st print with the tree.

Theres an overall aged feel to these photos, im not sure they are good for every photo but its great in some aspects.

This combo lacks some contrast. I would appreciate  a little more contrast in the images but for some the drab works well.

Lens: Helga Viking; Film: Blanko

At first did not like the washed out bluish look of this film/lens combo.  But i took these two shots this weekend and actually I like them a lot.  Color composition and everything, it came out great.  I think shooting with this combo works well in the shadows.  Its not a very contrasty combo but it it shows a range of dark to light well.

Well these are my thoughts on this one.  Seriously back for more on this combo in the next post.

Lens: Kamal Mark II Film Blanko

So my assessment of this lens film combo.  Overall very orange to red overtones with faded highlights.  This combo can be quite contrasty in a scene with lots of contrast and deep greens.  (See the radishes)
It dose well it fads somewhat toward the center so the photos definitely have an "aged" look to them.  This at times adds much to the photo in the form of a great vignette at first i believed that is what it was while shooting with this combo, After playing with it for several months though i realize that it was in fact a fade as opposed to a vignette.

I think im a fan of this combination.  I will continue to use it in the process however its not my favorite so far.

Lens: Jimmy, Film: Blanko

So Far with this lens/film combo in the Hipstamatic I am not overly excited about.  Overall the combo seems to not have a great gradient between light and dark, the overall tonality leans toward to me an unpleasent green yellow. 

Low lights and shadows are very dark. Highlights are very light and yellow with little variant in between.  The highlights also move towards a yellowish apprentice that myself am not fond of.

This particular combo is not pleasant or useful to my own ascetics.  I believe that in some ways it way be useful and I plan to shoot other subject matter to try and get a better idea of what this combo comes up with.