Instax Lovin’

Instax instant cameras have become very popular in the last couple of years and owning one is pretty much every little girl’s dream (and mine!) I bought a pink Instax Mini 8 one late Saturday in November last year and I have been in love with it ever since!

Why I Bought the Camera

As with most of my purchases, I thought to myself, “do I really need this?” and justified it by classing myself as a casual photographer. I had been considering investing in a fancy DSLR but while photography is something I enjoy, I don’t do it often and I’m no expert. I didn’t want to invest a chunk of money in a gadget I might not use regularly. I like the instant element and slightly retro feel. You only get one chance to take each picture which makes you think about lighting, composition and how the picture is going to turn out. You can’t go back and edit, you can only take more pictures which uses up more film. You begin to get selective because you don’t want to use film unnecessarily. I use this camera to create memories and capture important moments. I don’t use it every day, I tend to use it to take photos on special occasions and things I want to be reminded of.

Using the Instax Mini 8

On the whole, the camera is simple to use. The camera takes two AA batteries and comes with these and a wrist strap in the box. There is a manual but in all honesty, it’s not the most useful.

• Lens: Where you look to take pictures.
• Flash: The flash always goes off; something to be mindful of when thinking of lighting.
• Picture Button: This button is molded to fit the shape of a finger.
• Brightness Dial: The cameras feature five positions:

1. Indoors, night
2. Cloudy, shade
3. Sunny, slightly cloudy
4. Sunny and bright
5. Hi-key

• Power Button: Located at the bottom of the brightness dial. When the camera is powered on the shutter pops out. To turn off the camera, gently push the shutter back in.

Tips & Tricks

1. Once a 10 pack of film has been inserted, don’t open the back of the camera as you will expose the unused film and you will be unable to use it.
2. To diffuse the flash and give pictures a softer effect try placing some yellow masking tape over the flash.
3. When taking a photo tilt the camera to the right slightly and up. The centre of the lens is not the centre of the image.
4. The brightness dial recommends which setting to use. The majority of the time it is correct. However if you want a brighter photo, use a darker setting and if you want a darker photo use a brighter setting.
5. Store any spare film out of sunlight to avoid overexposure.
6. Contrary to popular belief, don’t shake pictures to develop them faster.
7. Have fun!

Experience and My Photos

I am still learning how best to use the brightness dial myself but most of my photos have turned out okay. The photos aren’t blurry or pixelated. I have a few favourite pictures of the 10 I’ve taken so far:

My first picture, December 2016 – the Christmas tree.

Balloons for my 22nd birthday!

Valentine’s gifts for my boyfriend ft. my cat.

Stickers and Accessories

Since purchasing my camera I have also become the owner of some cute bits and bobs to store my photos and make them look pretty.

• I received a pink backpack from my boyfriend for Christmas. The backpack also contains a neck strap.
• I redeemed a free gift pack from Instax when I purchased the camera. The gift pack features a scrapbook, a sticker sheet, photo corners, washi tape, a photo board and a mount board.
• My work was selling accessories for 50% off so I picked up some stickers, 3D embellishment stickers and frame/border stickers.

I keep these in the backpack along with my spare film so I know where everything is and it’s all together.

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I hope you enjoyed this post and seeing how I use my Instax camera. Do you have any tips and tricks to share? Which colour camera is your favourite?