| Cult of Mac

10 years later, Hipstamatic is still around and deep in its retro roots

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new logo for Hipstamatic X
Hipstamatic X hits the App Store Tuesday.
Photo: Hipstamatic

The smartphone photography tidal wave started with ripples from Hipstamatic. It was the first app with filters for snap-happy iPhone users to change the look of their photos.

A tap of the finger and that ho-hum photo of your dog became a work of art, quirky and painterly with the look of a photo spit out by an old Polaroid camera. Quickly, it became a tool for serious artists and photographers.

Hipstamatic celebrates 10 years this Tuesday with a free download for iPhone called Hipstamatic X. The anniversary app will bring some of the simple, original analog charm of the first app as well as a stable of old-school cameras, from Pinhole to Tintype.

Improved TinType app gives selfies old-timey feel

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TinType app
The TinType app makes use of the TrueDepth technology for a more authentic shallow depth of field.
Photo: Hipstamatic

Instant gratification, the kind you get from a selfie, used to come on a thin sheet of iron.

A tintype photo was novel and relatively immediate in the late 19th century. Have your picture made then wait while the photographer developed the image. After a few minutes, you had a photo to share.

Users of the TinType app by Hipstamatic have been bringing that distinctive and, at times, haunting aesthetic to portraits and selfies since 2012.

Shooting From the Hip showcases beautiful iPhone photos [Book review]

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iPhone photo book
Shooting From the Hip, the iPhone street photography of San Francisco's Scott Strazzante, is now for sale.
Photo: David Pierini/Cult of Mac

You may be tempted to marvel at Scott Strazzante’s new book, Shooting From the Hip, simply because he made all those gritty street photographs with an iPhone.

We can’t seem to get over the fact that the little wonder device in our pockets can be used to create great work. Apple touts stunning photos on big billboards, luring us with the promise that good pictures will come pouring out if we upgrade to the latest iPhone.

But photography — good photography, anyway — isn’t that simple. And to fixate on the tool Strazzante uses would be a disservice to him, and to the collection of 150 pictures inside this hardcover coffee table book.

Hipstamatic lets rectangles be hip, too

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An expansive update by Hipstamatic gives iPhone shooters a broader range of controls and takes advantage of the new features on the iPhone 6s.
An expansive update by Hipstamatic gives iPhone shooters a broader range of controls and takes advantage of the new features on the iPhone 6s.
Photo: Hipstamatic

Hipstamatic, the go-to photo app for discerning iPhone photographers, rolled out an expansive update today that lets hipness venture outside the square.

In conjunction with the availability of the new iPhone 6s and its 12-megapixel camera, Hipstamatic 300 is free for a limited time and features a ProMode for greater control, a darkroom suite with a range of editing tools, multiple formats rather than just a square frame and syncing to your iOS Photo Library.

Delayed gratification is key feature of new Hipstamatic photo app

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Hipstamatic rolled out DSPO, a new product that creates a social network. Photo: Hipstamatic/iTunes
Hipstamatic rolled out DSPO, a new product that creates a social network. Photo: Hipstamatic/iTunes

Many smartphone photographers use Hipstamatic as a way to articulate their personal vision. But the quest for beautiful photos need not be so solitary.

The iPhone app that lets you apply a vintage aesthetic from any era of photography now has a social component called DSPO.

How selfie apps help protesters fight the power

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Photo: Edwin Ruis, via Hipstamatic’s Oggl.
Photo: Edwin Ruis, via Hipstamatic’s Oggl.

While you’re snapping a pic of your lunch to share over Instagram, protesters in Ferguson, Missouri, are using the same app to upload videos of journalists getting arrested.

Social media has been credited with lighting a fire under the story of the shooting of unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown in this St. Louis suburb. The news of roiling protests reached the Gaza strip, where people there hit Twitter sharing tips on what to do when you’ve been tear gassed.

Here are two new iPhoneography apps to check out this weekend

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Screen Shot 2014-05-09 at 7.02.18 PM

I’m constantly checking out new photography apps for the iPhone, and like many out there, my favorite remains VSCO Cam. There’s a new contender on the scene that was released this week, and it’s definitely worth trying if you like experimenting beyond VSCO’s filters.

A new video app from the Hipstamatic team also just came out in the App Store, and it has some of the best filters for mobile video I’ve come across.

Hipstamatic’s Director of Fun has coolest job ever, but don’t hate him for it

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"I would get fired if people came to one of our parties and they didn't have fun," says Mario Estrada, Hipstamatic's Director of Fun. Photos: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

SAN FRANCISCO — Even in a town populated by ninjas, gurus and rockstars, Mario Estrada may have the coolest job around.

He’s the Director of Fun for digital photo app Hipstamatic and hopes you won’t hate him for it.

“Most people don’t believe that’s my job, but a lot of thought went into the title,” he says, enjoying the sun from the rooftop lounge of the startup’s SOMA headquarters. “Someone asked once why I wasn’t the VP of fun, but that implies there’s someone more fun than I am. And you can’t be the president of fun, because, actually, being president is never fun.”

Hipstamatic gives news shooter fresh eye for Chicago streets

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After years using pro gear to cover the news, a chance encounter with Hipstamatic opens journalist Scott Strazzante's eyes to the joys of iPhoneography.

When photojournalist Scott Strazzante planned a weekend trip to Washington, D.C., with his daughter Betsy in 2011, he was intent on leaving his cameras at home.

They were visiting colleges and he wanted it to be a “daddy-daughter” weekend. But the prolific, award-winning photographer gets anxious when he is not creating, so there was a point in the trip when he commandeered her iPhone, downloaded Hipstamatic and started making pictures.

As soon as he returned home, he purchased his own iPhone and it wasn’t long before the news photographer began making pictures for the first time that were truly about him.

His Instagram feed, a body of street photography images that grows larger by the day, has more than 19,000 followers. He loves how Instagram allows him to send pictures directly to people waiting and wanting to see them.