Hipstamatic is an iPhone App, which the makers sought to “recreate the magic started in the 80’s with the little plastic camera with the golden shutter”. Basically it’s meant to turn digital images into analogue looking ones, like those produced (now I am showing my age) with Kodak’s Instamatic camera.

With this nifty little app, you can switch lenses, film and flashes in the application settings to create different effects. Their aim was to “bring back the look, feel, unpredictable beauty, and fun of plastic toy cameras of the past”.

Below are some screenshots of Lens, Flash and Film options. After you’ve snapped away, you can tap the image and it will tell you what lens, film and flash you’ve used, should you wish to recreate the same effect at a later date.

Hipstamatic is not the only app out there to re-create traditional film effects. You can also get great results from other apps such as Best Camera or if you love lomography there’s Lo-Mob and Lomo.

Lomography is a trademark of the Austrian company Lomographische. With it’s motto, “Don’t Think, Just Shoot”, typical image characteristics are over-saturated colors, off-kilter exposure, blurring, “happy accidents,” and alternative film processing.

While Hipstamatic is great, you can only add effects to images taken within the Hipstamatic app, where I found with apps such as Lo-Mob, you can apply Lomo effects to images already in your photo library. It also provides you with a preview of the effects such as Classic Vintage, 35mm Film, Through the View Finder, Emulsion, Insta Matic and Contact Mask Photocards, which you then tap to apply the effect.

While these apps try to capture/emulate the Lomo technique, I don’t think you can really capture the same experience as you would, with an original camera.

We are so hell bent on capturing the right image, making sure our hair looks right, are we smiling, who’s shut their eyes, does my arse look like the side of a house, etc. that we can sometimes forget the fun in taking a photo, then eagerly awaiting for the film to be developed, then sitting down with friends and laughing at the end result. Today we take a photo, everyone in it checks to make sure they’re happy with the result, if one person isn’t satisfied, you’ll hear “delete it, delete it, delete it”.

But since we are in the digital age, for as little as $2.49 you can create some great photos, all using your iPhone. So go off and experiment with these fantastic apps.

Hipstamatic – http://www.hipstmaticapp.com
Lo-Mob – http://lo-mob.com/
Lomo – http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/lomo-camera/id318345320?mt=8
Best Camera – http://www.bestcameraapp.com

For more information about Lomo and Lomography please refer to Wikipedia.