Crowd funding is becoming increasingly popular among creatives. With more sites springing up and more artists asking for funds, Don’t Take Pictures spotlights projects that benefit the arts community.
This month’s crowd funding roundup presents a re-imagined point-and-shoot camera for the digital age.
Podo – The First Stick-and-Shoot Camera
“Selfie” may be a contemporary term, but people have been making point-and-shoot self-portraits for decades. Restricted to timers, tripods, and wingspan, these photos have a signature look to them, one that is often lacking in environmental context. Recently the selfie stick has gained popularity by allowing more people and background into the frame, but not everyone is a fan. Museums have started banning the sticks and it is only a matter of time before someone “puts an eye out” and the trend fades away. Enter Podo, a Bluetooth connected camera that sticks to any surface and is controlled with a smartphone.
Using a re-washable, re-stickable pad, the small round camera can be affixed to practically any surface. The camera’s specs are roughly on par with smartphone cameras that so many people rely on today. Podo boasts an 8MP sensor, 720p 30fps video, 4GB of memory, a micro USB port, and a rechargeable Li-ion battery.
The real ingenuity is not just in the camera, but the associated (free) app that allows for hands-free, remote controlled photographs. Not limited to selfies, Podo has capabilities for time-lapse video, and a live preview of the image on your phone before presenting option to press the shutter or set a timer. Through the app, photo editing and sharing can take place immediately, simply double tap the camera to turn it on and it automatically sinks to your phone.
Having already exceeding its funding goal of $50,000, Podo will be coming to a wall (or pole or window or overpass) near you. No more reaching for strange angles, configuring precarious tripods setups for overhead shots, or handing your smartphone over to a stranger to snap a photo.
Read more about Podo on their Kickstarter page.
There are 33 days remaining to fund this project.
Do you know of a crowd funding project that benefits the art community? Let us know at info@donttakepictures.com