Hello! My name is Ritchie Roesch. This is the RitchieCam story.

I almost always have a camera with me, whether it is a Fujifilm model or Ricoh GR; however, occasionally I just have my iPhone. Famed photographer Chase Jarvis coined the phrase, “The best camera is the one that’s with you.” In other words, when you want to capture a picture, the camera that’s available to you in that moment is the best tool for the job, because otherwise you miss the opportunity. Sometimes my “best camera” is the iPhone in my pocket.

I noticed that my process when shooting on my iPhone is much different than with my “real” cameras. You see, I’m a straight-out-of-camera JPEG photographer. I don’t edit my pictures. I’ve created over 250 JPEG camera settings (“recipes”) for Fujifilm X and Ricoh GR cameras to achieve in-camera various looks, many based on classic film stocks—no need for Photoshop (or any other photo editing software). With my iPhone, I would shoot with the standard Camera app, and then edit the pictures with various filter apps. I was using a one-step process with my Fujifilm and Ricoh cameras, and a two-step process with my iPhone.

About a year ago I was scrolling through my social media feed and noticed that many of the pictures that people had posted were unedited cellphone shots. These were vacation pics, family snaps, food photos, and pet pictures. Most of these were important life moments. As I was viewing the images, I thought, “Why didn’t they edit their pictures? These could be so much better with some simple touchups!” Maybe they didn’t because picture editing is intimidating to them. Perhaps they just don’t have the time—they’re too busy. It could be that they don’t realize their pictures could look better with some adjustments. Then I asked myself, “Why should they have to edit their pictures?” Nobody should have to edit their pictures if they don’t want to, yet they should still have access to quality aesthetics. There should be a way to get good-looking pictures straight-out-of-iPhone that are ready to share without needing manipulation. As soon as you take the picture, you immediately have a nice image that appears as though you edited it, except that you didn’t.

I wondered why this wasn’t already a thing, so I started researching camera apps. There are many options in the App Store that will capture nice pictures that don’t need to be edited, so why aren’t these more commonly used? Sure, they might be popular among photography enthusiasts, but not really the general public. Why? My opinion, after trying many of them, is that these apps aren’t designed for the novice—they’re intended for those who have an interest in photography, and not those who just want a picture of their kids or pet or a selfie—and so for many these apps are just not simple or intuitive enough to be appealing. Even though they might be fun for enthusiast photographers, they’re not particularly practical for the average person.

So I called Sahand Nayebaziz, the developer I teamed up with to create two other apps, who is also a talented photographer, and asked, “Want to build a camera app?” I explained what I wanted to make, and we bounced several ideas around—by the time the call was over we had a rough design and a plan to move forward.

What we set out to create with RitchieCam is an app that can be useful to everyone. No matter if you simply want some snaps of your family and friends and otherwise aren’t interested in photography, or you are a seasoned professional photographer who occasionally uses their iPhone for pictures, this app can save you time—no editing—and make iPhone photography more enjoyable—filters are fun!

RitchieCam is an iPhone camera app that captures pictures which don’t need to be edited. They’re ready to be shared as soon as they’re captured. It’s simple and intuitive, and even those without experience capturing pictures will find it easy to use, yet there are enough tools, options, and filters that those who want a little more from their iPhone camera will find it satisfying.

RitchieCam has 18 filters that were inspired by my 20+ years of shooting and studying analog film. They’re not intended to mimic any specific film exactly; instead, they’re made to produce a nostalgic analog-like “memory color”—or perhaps something like if you had edited your pictures. These filters have a retro vibe, yet they’re designed to be appreciated by a variety of people, including those who might not have any interest in analog aesthetics. In other words, there’s something for everyone, and you’re sure to find a filter that you love.

Download RitchieCam in the Apple App Store today!

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