Life through Hipstamatic with Michel Veld

My name is Michel de Veld
I’m a nurse, working on a team for home care, helping people with dementia and psychiatric disorders.
I live and work in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Combos Lens/ Film used on the pictures above are:

Aatto / Blackeys44 Hornbecker / Rijks Eric / ArjanBW

Jane / W40 Eric / Love81 Salvador84 / Otto

My first attempt in taking photographs started in 2011 with my iPhone 3GS and buying the Hipstamatic app. It was love at first sight! 😉 On Twitter I followed @hipstachallenge and I took part in their daily themes; it was fun to see other people’s interpretations. When they moved to Instagram, I followed. On IG I found out that there were a lot of enthusiastic Hipstamatic lovers and many challenges. I’m still participating in some of those challenges.

I find my inspiration in everything I see around me, such as people, animals, nature, city life, and looking at pictures by other photographers. Sometimes I go out and take a walk, or a ride on my bike, just to take pictures. Other times I’m on my way, minding my own business or running errands and I’ll stop to take a shot. I like those spontaneous action shots. I bought a very useful tool, a shoulderpod S1 to have a better grip on my iPhone. I try to learn and get inspired by other (Hipstamatic) photographers and exhibitions in museums of photography and art. But mostly, I learn by just taking a whole bunch of pictures with Hipstamatic on my iPhone 6s.

When I take pictures with Hipstamatic, what I always do is, I set a combo with a particular lens, film and/or flash and take some pictures with it. Sometimes it’s the combo for a challenge on Facebook for Hipstamatic Sardinia, Hipstamatic People or Hipstamatic Holland. And on IG for Hipstaconnect, Hipstahub or Salvadorsunday and many more…

Then Hipstamatic has the possibility to shake to randomize, STR. I have it almost always activated because you can shake your iPhone and let the app decide which combo you choose. This can end up in unexpected results, sometimes horrible, but other times, wonderful photos.

I find the framing of the subject important, and I focus on their shadows and reflections. But you have to get close to your subject when you take a picture with an iPhone; especially with street photography. It is challenging.

The Hipstamatic app, ever since Version 300, has evolved into an editing app, which you can still use as I described above, but if you want to, you can edit your photos afterwards.

This is an example of a photo I edited after I took it with the combo Muir lens and Blanko일 film

I used these settings for other photos too, and found out that it worked for me; see the next pictures.

I also like black and white photography; it takes you more to the essence of shapes and/or accentuates characters of people.

Combo: Anne-Marie / US1776

This is shot with a combo registered on the Hipstography website as combo
#395; Tinto1884 lens and QueenWest film

The hipstography.com site is an informative and inspiring website. (If you want to learn more about Hipstamatic, this is the place to start!) Hipstamatic has evolved through the years into an editing app, with great possibilities, with which I’m playing now and then. But what I love the most is just to capture the moment and make it into a piece of art.