Hipstamatic, still filling a gap.

Hipstamatic is nothing new. It has been around for years and people seem to have fun with it. What surprises me is that from time to time it makes me leave my pricey camera at home to just take shots with my IPhone. It is amazing because if you look at any specs the software really sucks. The resolution is low, the processing speed is really slow, sometimes it shifts the lenses without any obvious reason, the viewfinder is ridiculously tiny, and if you don’t wait long enough after taking the shot it may get lost completely. Still there is something that makes this software a joy to use. Some may argue that it is the square format that reminds photographers of medium format shots. Others may like the filters being used that give everything a nice, artsy feel. They make you feel like a true artist, who can turn any crappy moment into something magical. There is better software out there that provides larger previews, faster processing times, immediate sharing on social platforms, etc. But what makes Hipstamatic so interesting to me is the slow speed, the unexpected results, the lost images. 😉 With Hipstamatic you have to wait for the right moment, because you have to wait 10 seconds before you can take another shot. It reminds me of the time I used film. I had to wait for the results, I didn’t often know how they would come out, and some images got lost because of user errors, etc. But those that came out well provided immense joy. This quirky, little software brings back photographic memories, a feel of randomness, and unexpected outcomes that you don’t get from hyper expensive, modern tools. Most photographers think about how a better camera with more technical superiority would enhance their style. At the same time they use this few dollar software and they get excited about it. That it is still around shows me that it is hitting an emotional spot that we started to miss these days. I wonder what camera companies could learn from that.