Toy cameras, who needs 'em?

New tree on Piedmont -- 1/4/2009

So, as far back as when I was in Art School, learning the Zone System, checking out the Hasselblad (for studio use only!) and blowing hundreds of dollars on paper learning to print perfect color prints I've been a bit of a perfectionist with the technical end of my photography.

This has served me well over the years, giving me the chops to know good lighting and quickly correct for bad; to know how why to put a green gel over my fill flash when under fluorescent lights; and to make the best negative possible to take to a scanner or print. This perfectionism has also tied me up in knots when I'm unable to take the time to make that perfect negative, and generally killed my ability to take pictures when I'm constrained by time, lack of good equipment and/or uncooperative subjects/companions ("Oh God, do you have to get that thing out again? We're late." "Dad! Joey's head is stuck in the railing!").

The natural reaction to the relentless teaching of technical skill at Photo School is the Toy Camera movement. Using plastic-lensed, light-leaking, Communist-made medium format cameras like the Holga and Lomo, the Toy Camera kids made deliberate technical mistakes, and paid ungodly prices for their plastic cameras while occasionally making some interesting images.

Convergence: As it turns out, the Toy Camera kids had a weird prescience. We all became Lomographers. Cell phone cameras are among the worst cameras ever made, but since they are in the hands of so many millions of people, who are motivated by the same immediacy that made Polaroid a household name, we've experienced huge surge of technically crappy photography.

Which brings us to the image above. The iPhone camera is nothing really to write home about, and is fraught with know issues like an exposed lens element which loses it's coating almost immediately unless protected. What is really fun about the iPhone camera, is that you can carry multiple Toy Cameras with you, along with a Polaroid to boot. The brilliant application Camera Bag allows you to choose which Toy Camera style you want to use to take your picture on the fly. The above image is done with the Not-a-Polaroid-because-it's-trademarked Instant filter. If I wanted, I could have added the light leaks or vignetting of the Helga (Holga) or Lolo (Lomo) filters. Two entries below, I used the 1974 entry to use a faux-Kodacolor palette  for a simple camera phone picture.

So, as part of kick-starting my creative energies, I am leaning heavily on the Photoshop-in-my-hand capability of my iPhone. It isn't going to keep me from buying a D700, if I can at all help it, but it will keep me from talking myself out of creating.

Tomorrow, I'll tell you why you've got to Jailbreak your iPhone to make this all work right.

Comments

[Dave]

Nice post Bob. I'm a simple point 'n shoot guy because I can't tolerate a large camera and, more importantly, I'll undoubtedly lose it. I never understood the Holga thing, this is informative.

My father was a pro. He shot with Ansel Adams and was Dr. Land's right hand man most of his career. He did some beautiful work. I was actually a good photographer when I was in high school, darkroom, b&w and all. I peaked early.

Again, thanks, very educational post. We should do O'Reilly's sometime.