The new iPhone has a nicer camera than the old ones. I have a 3G, and it’s truly an art to get a usable skate photo with it, but the prize is all that much sweeter if you manage to get one. I had an idea a few years ago to make a print edition of a skate zine made entirely with cell phone pictures. It was several years ago actually, because I was still gainfully employed. MC bought a cheap stick on wide angle adapter for his phone. I think Mark said someone ought to make a camera with a phone, instead of making a phone with a camera. Still, there’s something to be said for the aesthetic. You make the most with what you have, flaws and all. Crappy plastic film cameras are all the rage. The image above is from an iPhone camera review of sorts on Boing Boing. The new iPhone camera has a bump in the megapixels and possibly even a faster shutter mechanism with reduced lag. Pretty soon people are going to start hording vintage iPhones for the camera effects like Holgas. Maybe there will be a Hipstamatic flim/lens combo in the future that emulates old iPhones. Bryce Kanights has some nice iPhone photography up at the Above Coping show. After the jump I’ve posted a few of my own.
You know this guy. Weird distortion courtesy of a camera lens made out of liquid. Actually, I don’t know for sure that iPhones use that technology. I’ve noticed strange distortions when the phone is moving.
You know this kid too. Part time Skate Zombie, full time Jack Grover.
I borrowed Mark’s jelly wide angle stick on for this shot. The camera case keeps it from fitting as good as it could.
Forget about low light photography unless you’re willing to enjoy some unpredictable motion blur.
Carefully composed. I got lucky.
13 comments
Ash
“I had an idea a few years ago to make a print edition of a skate zine made entirely with cell phone pictures.”
Had the same thought and was thinking of making the format kinda smaller and do a cell phone drawing on the front to make it look like you were going through pics on your phone. Wow, that sounds extra nerdy when I type it out.
kilwag
You meanextra cool!
Chris Strople
Nice shot, the skater is James Johnson a Duarte local known as “Killer” a ripper from the SGV…CS
Tony D.
Isn’t the reason the iphone camera distorts motion is because the shutter works more like a scanner than a regular camera shutter? So instead of the sensor getting the image all at once it gets it in a line moving across the sensor. I’d link to where I read about it being more of a scanner camera but I’m being lazy.
kilwag
You may be right. Must happen when the subject motion speed approaches the same speed as the shutter mechanism, otherwise it would be blurry.
Snot D
I took this picture with my iphone while bombing the hill next to PGE park…the distortion was pretty cool.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dallasdavidsons/4609917993/
conahan
That shot is cool. Supports the comment that the iPhone camera works like a scanner.
kilwag
Reminds me of the copying machine distortion trick. Cool shot.
talentlessquitter
…”skate-app”?
…”skapp”?
…”appzine”?
travis
you are on to something there.
JakeAndAnnoy
Love Duarte, great flow from street to bowl sections.
SVG pride I guess.
JakeAndAnnoy
“SGV”, rather. San Gabriel Valley for those who don’t know.
travis
nice shots! I really like the 4th one. There’s something about shooting into the light and the headless ghost motion. dig it.