Use what you got and do it with love: a philosophy.

As a lover of street photography, I have been researching one of the genre's most beloved tools: Leica M series rangefinder cameras. They are beautiful and unique instruments. As I read articles, and reviews and see the photos they take, I have become interested and enamored with the culture behind the cameras and the practice of using them, they force you to grow as a photographer in that everything is old school and manual. I have not seen anything quite like them. I went to a store in the city today to try one out, and looking through a rangefinder system is very different than SLR's, it took some getting used to, but I was into the challenge of it and found the experience inspiring. Unfortunately, they are extremely expensive, and it doesn't feel right laying down 5 G's right now. I left the store feeling a little down about it all. Right then my phone rang and I got to thinking...there is a camera in my phone...wild. If I could show someone from 100 years ago that I have a phone with no chord and that it has a camera in it, they would loose their mind right there.

Also, There are people now that would be amazed by my magical phone, and people who would love to have any camera. So, the thought is simple: what if I didn't take for granted that there is a camera in my phone; What if I recognized it as tool, like any tool, that has strengths and limitations. After all, many of us have witnessed amazing art that has come from very limited resources; Like hip hop, graffiti, Lomography, and the list goes on.

Therefore, I have decided to start a camera-phone project, and to take it somewhat seriously (and somewhat not at all, that is the point) and treating it like it is equal in terms of one concept: That if you use what you have to create something, and you do it with love, it almost always shines through to people and they can feel it; they can resonate with the idea you are putting out there. This is not to say that we should not take our selves seriously and not buy nice photography tools, but lets not miss the point. The goal is to have an experience, and we all need to work with what we got.

so here is the first installment of 'CameraPhone Love.'

(photos developed in Light Room)