i heart pictures

Heart, originally uploaded by Jhascrapmom.

all kinds of pictures.
sometimes the more primitive the better.

i spent years taking photos with film, from my 110 camera and my dad’s polaroid when i was a kid, my champlain cegep dark room days as photographer for *the bugle*, to my return to photos with the birth of jake and then holly…and then finally to digital within the last 5 years.

and now? the iphone.

i was taking photos with my beloved blackberry…but it was frustrating.

when i finally made the switch to my iphone last may, it took me minutes to realize that this was more than just a phone. actually…now? it is barely a phone.

it is my point and shoot. easy. small. clever. creative.

that is all i need.

i have been taking photos non stop with it since i got it, no surprise there. what is neat is that i am also displaying these shots more and more often. there is something retro and fun and haphazard about the results that have just won me over.

i mean, i get the same results using my plastic fantastic diana…and she is a much prettier camera, in her sea foam green casing…but let’s be honest…that 120 film is a pain in the ass. at least for me it is.

my results with the iphone are instant. there is a lot to be said about that. and cheap. so cheap. and fast. i am impatient. fast works for me.

i am also showing off my instagram shots more and more. canvaspop, an ottawa based company, can whip up a 12×12 or 24×24 image on canvas in days. it can be on your wall within the week. funky and unique and just…right now ( please note that this is an unsolicited plug;)) – i just really like this company ). i am anxiously awaiting the delivery of a set of 9 images…i will share when they are here and on the wall.

and then, within the last month, a selection of my mobile photos have been picked up by getty images, for their fledgling mobile image collection ( within their regular photos ). the quality of the mobile images is now considered good enough to hold their own in the world of licensed imagery. interesting.

there is the debate as to whether or not photos taken with your phones is considered as *real* photography or not. there are really interesting points to be made on each side.

as a photographer who uses everything but medium format, i have my favourite way of shooting. and it is the one i do the least.

(black and white film if you really want to know)

however…there are photos i have taken with my phone that i could not have gotten any other way. the convenience, the spontaneity i find i can *get* with my little pocket buddy is unique from how i see with my big camera. the imperfections? they add to the photos. the in phone editing? the ease with which i can share the images? all part of the fun.

for me, my iphone is like a polaroid in my pocket ( wait…i even have an app for that…). how cute is that?

in a perfect world, i would life a life where every moment was perfect and rehearsed and ready for the shot. but i don’t. so this works for me.

the irony here? i did not want this phone. fought it for the longest time.

as always, i end up eating my words.

i much prefer taking photos than BBMing. who knew?