What is this?

Sometimes you run across something that you aren't sure of. Today I ran across one of these "I'm not sure ofs". I poked and I prodded and I still walked away unsure.

Lens: Melodie  Film: Pistil

Just in time for Chirstmas.

Your friends and family will moonwalk in delight after receiving one of these as a gift from you.

Lens: James M    Film: Pistil

Hot or Cold (maybe mild)

I've learned when writing a blog you either run hot or you run cold. Last month was filled with a lot of changes so the blog was cold.

I saw this hot sauce a few days ago and wondered if drinking Satan's Blood was actually a very good idea.
Like we are supoosed to know how hot 800,000 s.u. Chile Extract really is. For the sake of my bowel, I think I will stick with the mild.

Lens: JohnS  Film: Ina's 1969

Hello James M. Nice to meet you.

So there is a new Hipstamatic lens in town. It's called the James M and it has teamed up with its partner Rock BW-11 a black and white film. Hearing about the new combo and being stuck at work I wanted to take it for a test run. So I ran to the food truck and took this shot. It was a tester and hopefully a sign of good things to come.

Lens: James M  Film: Rock BW-11
(It's part of the new limited edition Nashville pak - only available in Novemeber, 2011 so don't miss out)

Paris without the France

Recently I spent the weekend in Las Vegas. This is a town that has transformed itself over and over again. The Rat Pack, the high rollers, a family destination, sin city, what happens in Vegas.....
Lately it looks like the brakes have been applied. Uncompleted mega structures have been left unfinished. For sale signs seem to pop up on every residential street. Moving vans are leaving at a much higher pace than arriving. Casinos look like ghost towns at 3AM.

But this is Vegas. A place where you can live your dreams, spend your hard earned cash  and pretend you are somebody much more important than you really are.

Who needs a passport when you can travel the world in one city?

Lens: JohnS  Film: Cano Cafenol

Only 363 days until Halloween

It's kind of sad to watch the pumpkins from Halloween slowly beginning the stage of decline. Mold is already forming around the edges. The skin is starting to grow soft and mushy. The grins are starting to take on the form of agony. Each year the birth of a new Halloween pumpkin begins, as we say goodbye to last year's design. Goodbye...you two served me well.

Lens: Watts  Film: Big Up

The Lucas AB2 Lens - Waiting for Perfection

So the new lens is out. I can sense the many positives of this lens but I think I have yet to be in the right situation to fully take advantage of it. I like how the orange coloring seems to pop.

Lens: Lucas AB2  Film: Pistil  Flash: Off

Turn the page or turn back the clock

What happened to summer? The older we get the faster time seems to fly by. Summers become Fall and you begin to notice all the holiday decorations starting to hit the store shelves. I just realized I haven't even exchanged a shirt that is too small which was a gift from last Christmas.

Traveling seems to be the only way I know to slow things down and to give your life back some sort of perspective.

Lens: John S  Film: Pistil  Flash: Off

The black and white abandoned barn

Lens: Libatique 73  Film: BlacKeys B&W  Flash: Off

Nature called. I answered.

The much needed road trip. Only if it was for a few hours.

Lens: Libatique 73 Film: Ina's 1935  Flash: Off

Drinking and shooting....

Lens: Watts  Film: Ina's 1969  Flash: Off

The perfect shot plus one.

Sometimes you think you have the perfect shot. The young couple in love, being silhouetted by the sunset. The setting couldn't be better. But then you snap the picture and a mysterious image appears. For some reason though I think the intruder adds a weird positive vibe to the photo. Definitely worth sharing.

Lens: John S  Film: Pistil  Flash: Off

The Cemetery revisited

Today somebody asked on the Hipstamatic World Facebook page to see the other shots from the Pioneer Cemetery. So here they are.

Subliminal Beer Messages (note advertsing logo on left)

Lens: John S  Film: BlacKeys B&W  Flash: Off

Humans 1 - Seals 0

A few months ago I posted on the blog a few photos of the seals enjoying the La Jolla Children's Pool. Sadly the courts have ruled against the majority who wanted to keep it this way and decided that the rope barriers must come down giving access back to the humans. So now the seals have no resting beach. Last week I was shocked to watch the humans trying every possible way to annoy the seals. San Diego county has many beaches and it's hard for me to understand why one small area can't be left for the seals.

Lens: Libatique 73  Film: Kodot XGrizzled

Bars and Cars....

..are not a good mix when you're trying for a nice photo. So not wanting to stand around all afternoon waiting for the driver to stumble out, giving me the opportunity for the shot I wanted, I decided just to take it the way it is. There's something so cool about this place that almost drew me inside. But realizing they had installed a security door screen which gives a new patron absolutely no chance of first observing the clientle before entering, and also coming to the realization the establishment had little chance of providing a big game African experience I decided to pass.

Lens: Hornbecker  Film: Pistil  Flash: Off

Some things are better left unsaid.

Lens: Libatique 73  Film: Ina's 1969 Flash: Off

Waiting...it's the hardest part.

I have really been enjoying the BlacKeys B&W lately.
Lens: Melodie  Film: BlackKeys B&W  Flash: Off

Rubber balls and danger.

Sometimes there is an air of danger beset upon the Hipstamatic photographer. One of the more dangerous situations occured while taking this photograph. I was accosted by the store clerk who tried to grab my iPhone while informing me that photographs were not allowed in his business. Being that it was a nearly empty run down comic book/video store, I would think he would just be happy having a potential customer.
I dropped the phone into my pocket and laughed it off. Like this vending machine photo was going to be part of a top secret conspiracy to try and steal business secrets from his slowly dying establishment.

This is now the fourth time in the last few months that people have told me "no photographs". For some reason it only makes me want to go back at a later date and start shooting while their backs are turned.

I like to fight dirty.

Lens: Melodie  Film: Pistil  Flash: Off

Lifeguards but bad drivers.

There's nothing like getting the SUV stuck on one of the busiest days of the year. 

Lens: Melodie  Film: Pistil  Flash: Off

Siamese Triplets

                                                

Lens: Melodie  Film: AO DLX  Flash: Off

Color Combo

This is a really great combo if you are looking for bright rich colors in your photo. It works best in a well lit area looking away from the sun. If you point it towards the sun, your subject will turn out black.

Lens: Watts  Film:  Pistil Flash: Off

Even more from the laundromat

Lens: Kaimal Mark II   Film: Claunch 72 Monochrome  Flash: Off

More from the laundromat

Lens: Helga Viking  Film: Claunch 72 Monochrome  Flash: Off

The Gallery Exhibition

So last weeked I was able to make it to Atlanta for the opening night festivities for the Hipstographs: Experiments in Hi-Fi Lo-Fi Photography at Gallery M in Atlanta. This gallery showing was probably the largest mobile phone photography exhibition in the U.S. to date. I was really excited about attending this event for a few reasons.
Reason 1: 20 of my Hipstamatic prints were part of the exhibition.
Reason 2: I was excited to see the works of others, and to meet other camera phone addicts.
Reason 3: A road trip is always a postive experience.
Reason 4. I had never spent time in Atlanta

The gallery event was a huge success. So much time and effort was put into it by my friend Christopher, and everyone that attended seemed pleased with the outcome. The only drawback to the night was from Mother Nature. The heat and humidity were pretty extreme.
I left Atlanta a few days later even more inspired.

The photobook has finally arrived.

After spending the last 6 months shooting thousands of Hipstamatic photographs, I finally decided it was time to print some of my favorites. Currently being printed and offering over 150 pages of photos, I'm hoping it will be an enjoyable view for everyone. Click the link for a preview. The Hipstamatic World - The Photobook

The Buckhorst H1 Lens

When working with Hipstamatic photography I find it's easy to get a bit too comfortable with one particular lens. John S is that go to lens for me. There are times the results from the John S are amazing, and there are times when it just doesn't deliver. That's when you know it's time to change it up a bit and that it's time to explore some of the other lesser used lens/film combos.

The Buckhorst is slowly becoming a nice addition to the aresenal when the conditions are right. At first I thought this lens would be rarely used. But then I read that it works well with the woods and wood related items. Recently I ran across this house that offered a nice combination of woods accented by some bamboo fencing. I knew this would be a nice test subject for the Buckhorst.
Lens: Buckhorst H1  Film: Pistil

Another look

Last week I posted a photo of the Capitol Records building in Hollywood onto the Facebook page. I took so many photos of the building that I figured another look at in black and white might be a good idea. I love interesting architecture, and it doesn't get much better than this.

Lens: Helga Viking Film: BlacKeys

I decided to turn around.

Lens: Tejas Film: Pistil
(No Rattlesnakes were harmed in the filming of this)

Into the Fire...

Or at least the smoke.

This roadside fire most likely caused by a discarded cigarette made for a great hipstamatic opportunity.

Lens: Tejas Film: Pistil

Sometimes

Sometimes you have to wait for the perfect shot. Sometimes you just miss it by a nose.

Lens: Tejas Film: Ina's 1969

Growing older

This week I learned the sad news that the mother of one of my best friends had passed away from a stroke. Death seems to always get the brain working on one's own mortality. It just seems like yesterday I was hanging out in my friend's bedroom listening to music and having his mom knocking on the door every 15 minutes just to make sure we knew she was only going to tolorate so much shit from us. There was a time his mom caught us smoking clove cigarettes in his bedroom. She knew full well what we were doing, but she acted naive and just told us to quit playing with candles. She was a part of my childhood and well into my adulthood.

She was the one that told my mom that I had been driving my dad's Corvette over 100mph with her son fearfully trapped in the passenger seat. She was also the one who let me work helping deliver flowers for her floral shop on Valentines Day. A missed day of school for me and some pretty nice tips. She was there during the bad and the good. She will be missed.
Today was another day I realized that life is flying by and it only seems to move faster each year.
Lens: John S Film: BlacKeys SuperGrain Flash: Off

New lenses and a new film.

I was on my way to see the band TV on the Radio when I did a refresh on my phone and realized Hipstamatic had just released the Bondi pak. A Ben Watts lens and the Big Up film. Now I had a major decision to make. Go see the band or go try out the new combo. TV on the Radio won out, but after the show I was walking back to my car when I passed what would be the fourth shot taken with the new combo.

This is the downtown Holiday Inn in San Diego. This hotel actually has a special meaning to me. I used to stay here with my parents when I was a little kid and were visiting San Diego for my dad's work. Something about this hotel being round in design and offering views to the Pacific Ocean made it one of my favorite places to stay as a child.

Many years later and now living in San Diego and enjoying the Hipstamatic experience, I realize I haven't changed a whole lot. I still like tall buildings and I still like good views. Even if they are in the dark.

Lens: Watts  Film: Big Up  FLash: Off

New day...new combo

Today I was looking at a website which compared the different lens and film combos for the Hipstamatic. After looking through a bunch of photos of the same shot being taken over and over again, I started realizing I was most visually connected to the John S/Alfred Infrared combo. This is a combo I don't think I have ever paid any attention to. So today I went out and shot with that combo. The results were just what I was hoping for. This is a shot of the new San Diego Courthouse currently under construction.

Lens: John S Film: Alfred Infrared

The Seagull

I really doubt they have any idea how well they look in photographs. Yesterday I posted a photo on the Facebook page of a seagull flying into a sunburst. Since I had a few other really nice seagull photos I decided I should post another one here. I have no idea if this is the same seagull. If so, it is now somewhat famous. It will probably never know though, unless of course the nest has access to the Net.

Lens: Tejas  Film: Blanko Noir  Flash: Off

The musical bucket list....

I'm a music junkie. I have been for years. I used to be a pirate DJ and then a Net DJ. I have a huge music collection that fills a whole entire room. Music seems to keep me feeling young.

So last night I had a chance to see one of my favorite bands that I have been enjoying for almost 30 years although never having the chance to see them live. They are the Psychedelic Furs and they delivered.

Since they were on their 30th anniversary tour, they performed 2 sets last night. Set 1 to highlight their album Talk Tak Talk from 1981 and then onto Set 2 which was a mix of all their past hits.

Awesome show and I woke up today feeling young again. Mission accomplished.
Lens: Kaimal Mark II  Film: Blanko

Signs + Structures = Stuff I Like

Today I was thinking about the things I most enjoy taking pictures of. Babies and flowers don't really do much for me. Not much of a NASCAR or basketball fan so sporting events are out of the question. People who look like they are having too much fun have limited to zero interest to me.

I think I am more interested in the voyeuristic and weird stuff, or maybe I'm just bored with the usual. I am starting to realize I like angles and structures. I like signs and the type of graffiti which actually brings a positive outcome to a blighted area. I like palms and intense sunsets mostly because these are daily  occurrences where I reside. Animals or things that are animalistic appeal to me. Dark coudy skies are a bonus.

Taking Hipstamatic photos seems to have challenged me to dig a little deeper and venture a bit father into areas I would normally have no reason to be. Today I ran across a combination of sign and structure which both appealed to me. Two of my favorites combined into one photo.
Lens: Jimmy  Film: Pistil  Flash: Off

Los Angeles at Night

Shot in downtown Los Angeles. Lens: Kaimal Mark II  Film: Alfred Infrared  Flash: Off

Road trip payoff

From Union Station to Olvera Street and then downtown after dark. Los Angeles never lacks photo appeal.
This photo was taken in the tunnel of Union Station.
Lens: Tejas  Film: Blanko Noir  Flash: Off

Road trip Saturday

Heading to Los Angeles the city of angels. Not looking for angels, hopefully just some really nice photo opportunities.

Hipstamatcrack

TV on the Radio

I was shocked and saddened to learn today that Gerard Smith who was the bassist for one of my favorite bands had passed away from lung cancer at the way too young age of 36. I have plans to see the band perform live here in San Diego next week. It will be only their second performance since his passing.
I'm expecting an emotional performance.

RIP Gerard Smith

TV on the Radio - Wolf Like Me (Davd letterman performance)

San Diego Spring Break tourism reaches new levels.

The City of San Diego is happy to report a surge in Spring Break tourism this year which is possibly due to the drop off of college crazed kids venturing south of the border into Mexico for a week of sun, fun and tequilla. Escalating drug wars south of the border have left many partiers staying put on U.S. soil and sand.

Local hotel occupancy is nearly 100% leaving many to seek an alternative to room rate price gouging for the few rooms still unfilled. Jeremy Bartz vacationing from Reno, Nevada and seen in this photo, was quoted as saying  "I aint spending no hundred dollars when I can just as well enjoy this soft comfy planter to rest my head and this nice firm piece of concrete for additional back support".

Other budget minded vacationers have been seen sleeping in trash bins, unlocked cars and even gas station bathrooms. Spring Break continues for another week and it will be interesting to see if this trend continues to grow.

Chicano Park, San Diego

A Tale of two cities.

San Diego is a gold mine for the Hipstamatic fan. I used to live in a much smaller city which consisted of smoggy skies, a pattern of strip malls and a river which rarely held any water. Visual appeal rated a near zero. San Diego is quite the opposite. Just when you start thinking you have seen everything interesting, something else seems to pop up that you just know is going to look really good with the Hipstamatic.

Chicano Park was the "pop up" last week.

iPhone 4 adventures

Yesterday was spent with a trip around town which started in Mission Beach and then downtown and finally up to University Heights where this photo was taken. I love the new phone.

iPhone 4 - Day 2

This is the first pic posted on the blog with the new camera. After looking at the downloads this evening I don't know why I didn't upgrade months ago. The quality difference between the 3G and iPhone 4 is like night and day. Or maybe just like "kinda of blurry and really clear". This was the Star of India located on the San Diego watefront.

Trump Powers

I'm neither a Republican or a Democrat, but the idea of Donald Trump running for President intriques me.    Afghanistan..."You're Fired".

New phone. Last photo from the 3G.

I finally took the plunge and now I am the owner of an iPhone 4.  I was tired of low resolution photos from the 2MP camera on the 3G. Taking closeups of flowers and such was nearly impossible due to the poor quality. Hopefully tomorrow I will be able to head out for awhile and give the new phone a try out. The 3G is gone now, but I did manage to take one final photo.

Bikers and Trolleys

San Diego Trolley Tour revenue is down 21% this year which appears to be a result of the decision by the local biker gangs throughout the county to form a cooperative offering guided tours and public transportation to the visitors of San Diego. Tourists from Arizona and Nevada seem to be the biggest fans of the new service and love the idea of sharing a Harley with a real life biker, while enjoying the city sights. The bikers are also pleased with the added revenue stream saying it will now allow them the opportunity to purchase more guns, drugs, alcohol and stuffed animals for the yearly Teddy Bear Run.

San Diego's social and economic order.

Living in San Diego isn't easy. Being one of the most expensive cities in the United States it's not uncommon for somebody to have to work two or even three jobs just to make ends meet. Somehow though everything starts to blend. The homeless with their meager belongings blending with the working class who get up every morning at 6 to do the grind all over again, who blend with the rich golf cart society who seem to never be working. I can't think of any other city in the US that I would rather be living my life. Obviously I'm not alone in liking this place.

Today I snapped this picture which seemed to combine all three elements of the San Diego ladder into one photo. You've got the homeless guy, working man's van and the golf cart elite all in one photograph. Lately some of the golf cart elite have been disguising themselves as security guards when they venture out into public with their golf carts. This way they feel they won't be harassed from the people who are less than fortunate roaming the streets. So far the tactic seems to be working.