Hooked on Hipstamatic
First I didn’t know what to use it for, then I got confused about which lenses and films worked best. (Rewind three months and I had only just re-discovered it). Now though, I cant stop using it and am hopelessly addicted to Hipstamatic on the streets!
On a relatively normal photo walk I would just use the iPhone’s native camera and edit all my photos from scratch but for the last month or so, I have been shooting solely on the streets with Hipstamatic. Specifically with the film & lens combo BlackKeys SuperGrain and Jane.
There is something about this dark and gritty combo that seems to have gotten under my skin and I cant stop. No adjustments with sharpness, ambiance, contrast or saturation. In fact, no post editing at all. Just as it is, as it happens and I kinda love it.
Maybe I just have to get this particular combo out of my system. Like any app or filter, use it till I am sick of it and move on? Who knows but I am having fun all the same and that is exactly what photography is about for me.
Do you use Hipstamtic for your street photography? What are your favourite combos? Or maybe you use something completely different to shoot? I’d love to hear what excites you about photography at the moment and what you love to shoot with!
Thanks for reading
19 Comments
[Book Fundraiser] love.
Most Comments
Newsletter
Juxt: 1000 Words
JUXT SOCIAL
JUXT Loves…
I think we’ve discussed my slow re-discovery of the app as well. I really like the new W40 film but the Foxy+Sugar or Foxy+Freedom 13 are my go to combos at the moment. x
Surprisingly, I don’t have W40, Foxy or Sugar! I need to get on that and try those combos out! ( As soon as I am done with this combo!) Thanks Lib x
I’m addicted right now to the Jane lens with nearly any film–Ina’s 1982 especially. But I’ll try Jane with the BlackKeys Supergrain. I tend to like almost all the BW combos.
Hi David, thanks for your comment. I haven’t tried Jane with Ina’s 1982 but now I am curious! I’ll definitely be trying it soon!
It basically all I use. Upon first using it felt like I was using a digital Holga, one of my favorite cameras. My most used combo is the John S lens and the Black Keys film. A surreal combo for me.
Hey Craig! Thanks for your comment. I am glad its not just me that’s hooked on it! I will be trying out John S & Black Keys for sure! cant wait to see what my photos look like with that combo!
Great shots! I’ve been using that combo constantly for the past month or so myself. It looks like a lot of my photos would end up looking after I edited them anyway, so all I gotta do now is crop out the border, I wish hipstamatic had an option to not have borders on the photos. Other combos I use regularly are Watts and BlacKeysSuperGrain, John S and Claunch 72 Monochrome, and my classically favorite John S and Float.
Hi Mike! Thanks a lot. That’s such a good call on an option to remove the borders. Here’s hoping that happens one day! John S & Float? Don’t think I even have Float….*Runs to check*
Such an awesome combo all around and has been my go-to for b&w’s – works perfectly!
Glad you’re liking it for street shots!
It really is a great combo but having read these comments over the last few days, I realise that I am still scratching the surface!
I discovered Hipstamatic in early 2011 and after a period of getting used to it I rarely shot with another camera app. Until recently I felt insecure with every other app. Just in the last few weeks I grew more confident in using the iPhone’s native camera and especially Hueless. So this includes street photography as well. Hipstamatic is the surefire tool to deliver not only pictures, but moods. While there were phases when I edited most of my Hipst shots I nowadays mostly post them unedited except for some situations when either composition or lighting don’t satisfy me. My go-to combos are the bw films with lenses that keep the contrast like John S, Jane, James or Melodie.
Hey thanks so much for your comment. I think its a great idea to use other cameras/apps and step out of your comfort zone for a while. Its a ll a learning curve in the end to taking better photos right?
Hi Joanna, another great article. I really like this combo too, i switched to the Janes lense from the Lucifer as it felt slightly less harsh. I also like to have a film/lens combo (BlackKeys Supergrain and Watts) that produces some pretty interesting shots in low light conditions.
Cheers Lee
Hi Lee! Thanks for stopping by! Glad you liked this. I need to check out the Lucifer lens. I admit, the name just puts me off though
Love me some hipsta. At the moment hooked on the loftus lens with assorted films. Loooove DC to convert to BW.
Oooooooh! DC eh?! I gotta try that too….. Just as soon as Blackkeys Supergrain & Jane let me go
*Kisses*
I do that too, Anna! Convert DC to black an white, used that for a bunch of those dirty hipsta shots. Great minds!
I love it! Great combo. It’s a great mix of tone, detail and mood without being too moody. I’ve really enjoyed Loftus with supergrain too.
Just discovered this app .. Would you believe it? But I’m a new iPhone user. I like using Jane lens with U1776 but at times would switch to John S or use both when I can.