“The Best Camera Is the One You Have With You” – Barry Staver

As many of you know, I typically reserve my Sunday blog post for snaps taken with my “serious camera,” my Canon 7D. I save my Tumblr site for in-the-moment iPhoneography. Well, today I find myself housebound with the flu and looking to explore an iPhone app that I have used sparingly over the past year. Not because I don’t like it (I love it!), but I needed to carve out some time to explore all the various lenses and films that are baked into the software. Using my favourite Brownie Hawkeye as my muse, I delved deep into the app called Hipstamatic. Unlike many photography apps that are out there, Hipstamatic begs you to think about your subject and discover which lens and film effect best tells that subject’s story. You will see above just five of the many variations possible from “Retro” to “Foodie” to “Dali Museum” to “Tintype,” each giving my gem of a camera a different look and feel.

The sharp folks at Hipstamatic have even gone one step further to help iPhoneographers discover the best lens and film for each subject by producing a beautiful, irreverent iPad magazine called “Snap“ that highlights short photo stories from app users who have combined a variety of lenses and film types to great effect.  I was drawn to this month’s edition as it was titled “One Life: Bring It, 2013.” Writer and editor Molli Sullivan writes that One Life reminds us that we (likely) only get one shot at living this life to it’s fullest: “If something makes you sad, change it. If something makes you mad, leave it.” Wise words! The magazine highlights short, insightful and inspiring stories of folks just like us who have managed to follow their hopes and dreams in positive ways. If you love photography and have an iPad, I would recommend this month’s edition (and it is free…). Just remember, I did say it was irreverent…

If you would like to see what some seriously talented photographers have created with their iPhones and the Hipstamatic app, please check out the work of Travis Jensen here, Ben Lowy here, and  International award-winning photographer Damon Winter’s work here. Or if you are on Twitter, check out the #MakeBeautiful hash tag. I think Travis, Damon and Ben would agree that the best camera is often the one that you have with you. I will certainly use Hipstamatic as my go-to app in the future!