Lately I’ve been reminiscing about the glory days of photo apps. I became obsessed with photography around 2009/10, but didn’t get my first smart phone until 2012. I immediately downloaded every photo app available: the good, the bad, and the truly terrible. I had a few favorites — Snapseed, PicTapGo, VSCO, Hipstamatic. But my favorite, and one I still use regularly, is the Hipstamatic offshoot TinType. It was developed 10 years ago but to me it hasn’t lost its appeal.

I have a small collection of antique tintypes, and I love the look of the medium. Tintypes were most popular in the 1860s and 70s, and were used primarily for portraits. They could be made in a formal portrait studio, but the photographer could also take the equipment on the road and create portraits at fairs, carnivals, or even on the sidewalk, where they could attract passersby with the promise of a quick and inexpensive portrait.

The TinType app replicates the look of those early tintypes. It is very easy to use, and there are only a few in-app editing tools once the picture is taken. I find that I do very little editing of the photos I take with the app.

I don’t take many of portraits of people, so I’m not really using the app as it was intended, but I like the results even photographing everyday objects. Here are some of the images I’ve shot with the app in the last month or so.

(My husband graciously posed for me so I could say I took at least one portrait.)

If you downloaded TinType years ago and haven’t used it for awhile, why not dust it off and give it another try?

See you soon. —lucy

PS: There’s a very talented real tintype photographer named Megan Karson whose work I admire, particularly her landscapes. Check out her work!