I’m happy for photography apps and camera phones. Some people might say, “oh, there is no skill in that, no art, its just point and shoot”. Who cares? What is art? I’m just having fun.
I took these photos with my Iphone and the Hipstamatic app. (this is not a sponsored post). I love Hipstamatic because it reminds me of film. I do know real film. I learned to edit movie film, with a splicer. I touched it. My best time was helping a friend organize the edit of his 16mm feature film. We worked in his studio in a loft in Tribeca back when artists could afford lofts in Tribeca. We worked till late in the night, listening to good music. There were many canvas bins on wheels with metal frames. On the frames were hooks where we hung the ribbons of film. Each ribbon was a numbered scene. Some were short strips, others so long they became coiled bundles in the canvas bins. We spliced the scene ribbons together by hand. You had to clean the film first and when you pulled the splicing tape over the film, you had to make sure the two cut pieces were straight and as close together as possible to avoid a cut that the viewer would notice. Once you’d laid the splicing tape down on the film, you rubbed your finger over it to smooth all the air bubbles out. It was like working with clay.
Hipstamatic lets you switch up their digital lenses and films. You choose the lens and you choose the film, and you take the shot. You wait “for the print to develop”. Then you get what you get, except faster than if you had film developed. I like the sometimes unexpected results when you see the “print”. The Hipstamatic Field Guide illustrates the different film and lenses available.
I took most of these photographs on East 7th Street between Ave C. (Loisaida Avenue) and Ave D. It is a block of stately homes from the 1800’s that is lined with very old street trees. I used the Hipstamatic Tinto 1884 Lens (befitting of my neighborhood) and both the C-Type Plate film, which has a color wash to it and the D-Type Plate film that is black & white. This lens and film combination was tricky with light. Too much sunlight and the contrast was extreme. Too little light and you got a blotchy photo. The best result was on a bright but overcast day.
Tompkins Square Park
Tompkins Square Park
Loisaida Nest 
They’re beautiful and fit in with the period when the buildings were built.
Thanks for the Hipstamatic field guide link. When I have a moment I’ll return and read it through — I’ve mucked about with Hipstamatic a bit but limited myself to the free stuff! I think your phone pics are really wonderful (the pool series still live on in my memory). And on a complete aside, have you come across the work of Vivian Maier? You probably have, but if not I think you’d really like it. An extraordinary woman and an extraordinary story.
Thanks Charlotte. I will surely check out Vivian Maier, I’m not familiar with her work. I really love Hipstamatic. I like the unpredictability of it and how you have to wait for it to “develop”. You should do a garden series in Hipstamatic or maybe a Sybill series.