Mr Matt Littler

This here is disposable, it’s an iPhone app from the people that made Hipstamatic, I like it. It’s flawed but I like it, here’s why -

I like old cameras, and old film. I suck at photoshop and digital prints always leave me a bit cold, with film there are mistakes, happy accidents and occasionally those magic photo’s that you completely forgot you’d taken. I can remember going on holidays with my mum and dad, and then later with my Fiancé and coming back with a sack full of films ready to be developed. I loved those moments when you would get the prints back, still warm from the machine in the little paper envelopes and sit flicking through them slowly, reliving the moments of your time away.

Now we take a shot, check it, retake it a couple of times because someone doesn’t like their face - by now the moment’s gone - and thats if your camera/phone didn’t take it’s sweet, sweet time ‘getting ready’ or the person taking could figure out the myriad of buttons. I bet you never really look back at your photo’s now, because you’ve already seen them. And thats the rub, there’s no mystery in taking photo’s with a digital camera, with film you had to wait until you’d finished the roll, until you got all the way home, until the man in the shop handed you the little envelope, thats what Disposable does. The app ‘holds’ your photo’s back from you until you’ve finished it’s virtual roll, then when it’s done it drops the lot into your camera roll. I’ve used it a couple of times now and while it’s not quite the same as squeezing off a roll of 1600 black and white with a Leica M6, it does reclaim that little bit of magic that came from that golden era where we had to wait…

Here’s why its flawed -

While the original idea behind Disposable was noble, I feel like an accountant stamped on it at some point. While the nostalgia of the app shines through in its delivery, they want you to pay for each roll of virtual film (There are two free films to use, but if you want sexy washes and black and white then your paying per shot!) Now as much as digital has taken some of the ‘art’ out of taking photos it has made it easier and cheaper, and for a company that prides itself on the love of taking pictures I can’t see the logic in making it harder for people to use the app…? Also they shoehorned some social media into the UI as well, I like social networking as much as the next man, but taking photo’s is about moments, some you’ll want to share with the world, some you’ll want just for you, If I’m reaching for my camera to grab a shot of something, I don’t want to have to consider who’s linked to which roll of film… 

I’ve stuck some of my old film shots at the top…

Matt

bowtiecat:

Here are some classic games given the Olly Moss treatment. What’s your favorite?