The Hongdae HipstaPak, Initial reactions

The Hongdae HipstaPak just came out and like every month, I asked the opinion of some hipstographers. Here are the first reactions to Yoona and Blanko 1...

 

Alexandra McCormick

"On Friday, I had the idea that I would go out and just take random photos. I had no real plan in mind, except to see what was going on in Sydney on a wet and miserable day. As luck would have it, Hipstamatic released the Hongdae HipstaPak early. Good timing!
At first I wasn't too sure that I liked the pak. It has quite a washed out dull colour, and I thought "oh no, not another flat colour effect." I also didn't know what to make of the texture. Does it add to or detract from an image? Looking at my images more, I have grown to love the new pak. It reminds me of really old photos that have been projected onto or embedded into the surface of a old, chalky wall. The images show all the imperfections of the wall, given an aged, distressed look.
I have found Yoona and Blanko 1 play very nicely with other lenses/films. It's going to be fun to experiment and see what I get with future photos. For me, the Hongdae HipstaPak is a very nice addition to the Hipstamatic lens and film family."

Lens:  Yoona  • Film:  Blanko 1  • Using:  Oggl 

 

Matthew Wylie

"Along with films / lenses like Robusta, Uchitel, Helga Viking, and Diego, the combo in this new pak will make for some lovely still-life shoots (watch what Florian Bilges {@picflo on Oggl} or David Loftus {@loftus} will do with it, I am sure), along with, of course, natural landscapes.
In a way, the effect reminds me of some of the French Impressionists' work, e.g. the palette, the accentuation of asymmetrical lines juxtaposed with the soft pastels, the way light can be painted.
Strangely enough, I have found that the lens can, somehow, when lucky, brilliantly focus on your subject in the foreground while retaining an impressionistic effect elsewhere, which for street photography might be fun. Definitely a palette of a combo, and an interesting contrast to the Photojournalism Pak just released."

Lens:  Yoona  • Film:  Blanko 1  • Flash: Off

 

Christiane Bäcker

"Gorgeous pak! I love the desaturation and the texture. It provides a painterly, vintage look to the pics. For me, one of the best paks so far."

Lens:  Doris  • Film:  Blanko 1  • Using:  Oggl 

 

Elisabetta Caocci

"I'm really fond of the new pack. The Yoona lens is desaturated and a little underexposed, very good to take plain air pictures in very bright situations, looks like a darker version of the Florence lens. In my opinion it matches very well with bright films, especially with W40. But it gives its best with the film Blanko 1, that is a little bit of overexposure. I really love this film, that appears like a scratched wall and adds pastel colours like pink, green and celeste. This film decreases depth of field and gives the pictures a flat look."

Lens:  Yoona  • Film:  W40  • Using:  Oggl 

 

Jessy Menchaca

"The new combo is very painterly like. It inspired me to take my portrait while expecting my first child. I feel like the combo really captured how blessed, grateful, and glowing I feel at the moment. It has quickly become one of my Top 3."

Lens:  Yoona  • Film:  Blanko 1  • Flash: off

 

Dror Blumberg

"The new pak reminds me of scroll paintings that my father brought home when he was flown to the Far East - paintings of cranes, cherry trees and majestic mountains. When shooting in bright light conditions you get spectacular results. I especially love the effect created when shooting directly into the sun or near the sun's rays. There is a wrinkled-paper effect and I find it quite gorgeous."

Lens:  Yoona  • Film:  Blanko 1  • Using:  Oggl 

 

Gina Costa

"I like the warm tones, the slightly textured feel and the all-over old look achieved by the lens and film combo on Chicago city streets as shoppers scurried about looking at store windows!"

Lens:  Yoona  • Film:  Blanko 1  • Flash: off

 

Nikolai Bogdanoff

"On my way to Geneva the day the new pack was released, I thought the light conditions were good to give it a proper try. As with every new pack, I was very eager to try it out and was fairly surprised by the result. The pastel tones that show up with this combo give the impression of looking at a water painting, and the texture of the filter makes it look very antique. I haven't tried yet the different possible flash combos that could fit this pack but I'm pretty sure some vignetting with Jolly Rainbo 2X can make the pictures shot with this pack even more mystical and romantic. To conclude I can say I'm quite happy with the possibilities offered by this new pack!"

Lens:  Yoona  • Film:  Blanko 1  • Flash: off

 

Thérèse Cherton

"I love when colors are realistic, especially the red hues, and this is exactly what we seem to get with this new combo. Yoona highlights and keeps the tones warm. Blanko 1 reminds me of old posters plastered on walls. I love this combo which feels like autumn light."

Lens:  Yoona  • Film:  Robusta  • Using:  Oggl 

 

Ger van den Elzen

"Sites such as Hipstography reported that this pak would be best suitable for outdoor use and high brightness situations. Well, I decided to do the opposite and test it indoor with Tungsten light, combined with a bit of daylight. After a few shots it felt like the iPhone5 camera turned into a brush and the screen a canvas. I realized I was creating digital paintings. The texture that comes with the Blanko 1 film is just so artful and beautiful. This new Hongdae HipstaPak woke up the 'painter' in me."

Lens:  Tinto 1884  • Film:  Blanko 1  • Using:  Oggl 

 

This post is also available in: French

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