Patrick Baz

Patrick Baz is a photographer for the French Press Agency (Agence France-Presse) and has covered some of the world’s major conflicts: the first Intifada for example, the first Gulf War and also the Somali and Iraq wars, to cite just a few. He has just taken a series of news photos in the streets of Baghdad using Hipstamatic, and prompted by this rather extraordinary series of photos, I wanted to ask Patrick what he thought of the application.

Using an application such as Hipstamatic must radically change the way you take photos. What are the pros and cons of using Hipstamatic in your opinion?
Patrick Baz: It is indeed radically different – because I am limited to a certain frame and to specific light conditions. Also, I rarely have time to change films and lenses. The advantage is that in more high-risk countries, I can pass for a tourist and merge into the crowd and no one watches me. One of the major disadvantages is that the approach is photographic rather than journalistic.

Why did you choose Hipstamatic over some alternative application?
Patrick Baz: It was a natural choice - I didn’t give it a lot of thought: I was given an iPhone one Christmas, I downloaded the application and played around with it. I did not have any intention of ever publishing my photos.

Do you have a favourite lens/film combination? As far as I am aware, you have tended to mainly use Kodot XGrizzled and John S.
Patrick Baz: Yes I have. But I do experiment – this is a new medium for me. Using different combinations depends on the available light, the mood and what you are trying to achieve with the shot.

What was your reaction when you saw your first photos taken using Hipstamatic?
Patrick Baz: I thought they were great! I have always been against using these applications professionally as they alter the actual light conditions and make photos more dramatic. That is why I stress that it is primarily a photographic approach. In Iraq, however, there was no other option: I had to take photos with my Iphone (see the AFP interview) and with the agreement of the AFP Editing Team and the Head of Photography, we decided to publish them. It was an added bonus for our readership. However I still take "normal" photos with DSLR (Digital single-lens reflex) cameras with no filters or artifice. Hipstamatic is the subject of lively debate in the world of photojournalism. Standard practices are changing and being updated. Will there ever be a World Press Photo Award for an image or report taken with Hipstamatic? I couldn’t say at this point.

Do you reach for your iPhone spontaneously, in the heat of the action?
Patrick Baz: Never. DSLR is my first choice. I only use my iPhone when I really don’t have any other choice (initially without any application), then with applications to create images for illustration purposes or images that would not have the same impact without using the range of filters available.

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This post is also available in: French

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