Black & White Photography - September 2015 UK

72

B+W

O

k, so this month I’m going

to talk about the app that

is rapidly becoming the

elephant in the room.

An app that seems to

improve almost weekly,

that has some of the best filters/presets

that I’ve seen, that is so easy and intuitive

to use that it needs almost no explanation

and that has one of the fastest growing and

most interesting ‘communities’ out there.

Couple this with their brilliant desktop

software and you are looking at a very

serious package indeed.

Yes, I’m talking about VSCOcam. (I spent

ages calling it V.S.C.O. cam, but I was

reliably informed recently by somebody

with the hugest hipster beard I have ever

seen that it’s pronounced VISCO, like

DISCO, and I gladly bow to his superior,

and much trendier knowledge than mine!)

Readers of this column will know that

I am a huge fan of Snapseed. I still am,

and coupled with VSCOcam there really is

little need for much else. The interface is

simplicity itself. When you open the app,

simply swipe to the left to see your library.

To start work on a new picture from your

camera roll, press the + symbol at the

top of the screen, tap on the tick on the

bottom right and off you go.

Tap the ‘tools’ button (bottom left, with a

spanner and paintbrush) and the different

filters appear along the bottom. Swipe

upwards and the toolbar appears. The

‘spanner’ icon reveals the tools, and they are

mightily impressive. Shadows, Highlights,

Temperature – everything you’d expect

from top-end software, especially a feature

I love for monochrome work, Shadows and

Highlights tint. This can introduce selected

colours or tints into your B&W image –

totally controllable and easy to use.

As with all good apps, a long involved

breakdown of how it actually works would

be pointless. The best way to get your head

round it is to download it and have a play.

VSCOcam is highly intuitive and logical, so

I suggest that’s what you do.

The basic version is free, and they make

their money from the presets (filters) which

you have to buy. At present they are priced

TECHNIQUE

timclinchphotography.com

Photographic apps are becoming more and more sophisticated all the

time – and easier to use. Such is the case with Tim Clinch’s latest find

in the app store – VSCOcam. He loves it and thinks you will too...

THE SMART GUIDE

TO PHOTOGRAPHY

1 2

3

‘I’ve said it many times before,

and probably should get it

tattooed somewhere, but post

production can never make a

bad picture good, or a mediocre

picture special, but it can make

a good picture better.’

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