It’s A Wonkyful World

South Melbourne, 15 April 2011 :: Bettie XL // Blanko Noir // RedEye GelShortly after I got my first iPhone, my friend Sapphire introduced me to the wonders of Hipstamatic. At the time, I was working on a freelance assignment in a quiet neighbourhood. There was little to do at lunchtime bar wandering around the residential back streets, surreptitiously taking photos of anything that caught my eye.

Once or twice suspicious residents accosted me, but I managed to pacify them with my sheepish explanation that I was merely playing around with a new camera app. But it meant I modified my photographic technique with quick, furtive movements – and serendipitously I discovered another wonderful effect of the slow camera shutter: distortion.

Rambling Roses, 2 June 2010 :: Helga Viking // Float // No flashAs I walked along, I would pause mid-stride, snap a photo with a quick flick of the wrist, and continue on my way. Back then, Hipstamatic made you wait while each single photograph developed, so often I didn’t see the distortion until I was well away from the subject. This was annoying at first, since this had not been my goal at all, but before long I grew to love the result. It was random and organic, and somehow I could rarely create the effect deliberately. Genuine furtiveness seemed to be the key.

Sadly, the new iPhone 4s is just too quick for these photographic shenanigans, and I can no longer successfully capture a wonkyful picture. Check out the set in the It’s A Wonkyful World Hipstagallery. I have a lot more photos, but shooting with the random function on left me with too many dud combinations. These are the best of them. Enjoy.

Melbourne City, 17 April 2011 :: Kaimal Mark II // Claunch 72 Monochrome // No flash