The online portfolio of Pacifico "PJ" Ortiz Luis, a storyteller utilizing different mediums of art including film photography, dance, and performance poetry.
I was hanging out with a group of strangers the other day, when the topic of instagram came up. I hid the fact that I'm "instafamous"[not my description of myself], because I was curious about what they thought of the platform. It turns out, to them...using non-phone cameras is a form of cheating, because the point is to post as life happens. I can definitely see their point. I personally try to post as close as I can with my film photos, and generally post right away when it comes to phone photos. [I don't believe in over-editing...which is another topic]
But that brings me to the point of the post....I don't think its cheating. I know tons of extremely talented phone photographers, and even more people that own DSLRs that seem to mainly use it to photograph their food. Below I have posted examples of bad and good photos I've taken throughout the years. Not all my film photos are magnificient...the moral being anybody can use a camera....but it really takes somebody with a good eye to take a good photo, regardless of what they are using to take it with. Mannn....I've even seen good photographers take good photos with reeally reeeally bad cameras...
top row: "eh" film photos middle row: unedited iPhone 4S photos [yes, even the blue horse] bottom row: Hipstamatic photos on a 3GS or iPod Touch 4G [with less than 1mpx resolution!]
i’ve had a Polaroid Land Camera 320 [circa 1969] since forever, and haven’t been able to find the film for it. so i decided to take it apart. i threw away all the meat. i’m going to re-use the lenses for a future project. and the original housing is now for my ipod touch 4th generation.
i’m sorry for taking so long to make this video…but here is my fisheye lens:
just do a search for “mobile fisheye lens” if you’d want something similar. i hear you can also use a door viewer [the little peekhole to see whos on the other side] as a fisheye too. if you want that fish eye effect, its best to use an actual lens. i’ve seen some really bad digital fisheye effects…having an actual lens also adds to the charm of hipstamatic.
we should note, that my fisheye is not a true fisheye. its more of a wide-angle lense with a soft-surround vignette. it still does the job….especially when you want to sneak a shot of the person sitting 2 feet away from you on the trolley…
here are some photos i’ve taken with the fisheye and hipstamatic:
stay tuned next week! because i will be posting a video about using hipstamatic with a fisheye lens!
well anyway, i happened to be one of the lucky ones that was able to pick up the new hipstamatic goodpak while it was still available for download. [don't worry, it comes out this friday]. i took it out for a test spin today, taking shots of my daily life. it appears the melodie lens intensifies brightness. dark colors are darker, bright colors are more vibrant. green seems to pop out much more. i would recommend it for when you are taking photos outdoors in the sunlight. [taking shots in the shade results in silohuette images] indoor shots tend to come out dull and grainy. when the new hipstamatic pack comes out, comment on this entry with a link to your shots! i'm interested to see what other people will do with it.
sorry i haven't been able to post about my art because i haven't time to do anything new due to finals. i will get back on the grind come this saturday.
also....hipstamatic fans....i am planning to go out to the wilderness next week armed with items that can showcase what the app can do when armed with case mods, extra lenses, and accessories....so this is what i'm planning to bring...
- mobile fisheye lens - holga fisheye lens [its huge] - holga/diana soft surround filters [if i can find them] - exterior light source - flip camera to show how it works - DIY macro lens
i mainly have been accessorizing for this app because natural lighting, while its the best kind, isn't really well captured on any mobile phone. and the default lens leaves more to be desired when you want shots of big things that are really close to you.
