Those of you who follow me in Twitter might have noticed me talking about an iPhone app called CameraBag and noticed some unique shots on Twitpic. I had heard of this app for a while and finally decided to drop the $2.99 and buy it. It is now one of the apps I use most.
CameraBag is a simple app that processes photos from the iPhone camera or photo roll with one of 9 different effecst. All of the effects are meant to mimic vintage camera or development process. Such as Helga(a Holga Look), Instant(- Polaroid style), or 1962(a high contrast black and white look). Check out these examples:
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I never really used to take pictures with the iPhone camera because a.) it sucks and b.) I always have my Canon g9 with me. With CameraBag however, I have started to take a lot more pictures with the iPhone. I now find my self thinking things like "this shot would look great in a square crop like a holga" or "this would look great in black and white". Now I can take a shots with a CameraBag setting in mind.
I think the brilliance of CameraBag is that it is not trying to improve the images, but degrade them in a artistic way. CameraBag let's you shoot with your iPhone for the same reason you would shoot with a Holga or Polaroid - for that unique, lo-fi look.
One caveat with this app. In the settings you can choose what resolution the files are processed in. I have noticed that if you use the highest setting, the app can be buggy and crash. I have had no problem with the 800 pixel setting however.
List of CameraBag effects and my opinion of them.
- Helga
Simulates the look of a Holga toy camera. Complete with vignette and square crop. Adds contrast and desaturates a bit. Its a good one. - Instant
This is a polaroid simulation. As you see in the examples about, it even adds the polaroid frame. This adds contrast and a brownish tint. I also like this one a lot. - Mono
A simple black and white conversion. Also adds a white border. This one can be nice when you want a smooth Black and White look. - 1962
Another B&W conversion. This one is much higher contrast. It can be nice in certain situations. The first image example used this effect. - Fisheye
This one is basically worthless to me. It would be better if they added some other kind of processing to it istead of just warping it and making a circle crop. There is not example of this on my post because it's too lame. - Infrared
Simulates shooting on infrared B&W film. Camerabag does a great job at this. Daytime skies go pitch black, greens glow white. High contrast. The second shot in my examples is infrared. - Lolo
I assume this is a play on Lomo. This is a square cropped, punchy saturated effect with a white border. I like this one a lot. - Cinema
A bluish, contrasty, desaturated look in a 16:9 crop. I'm not a fan of this one. - 1974
Slightly sepia and desaturated with a border. Not my favorite.
In conclusion, if you find yourself not using the iPhone camera, give this app a try. It might just be what you are looking for.