They say that there’s nothing new under the sun, so while the instant camera was originally released in 1948, they seemed to have made a big comeback in the early 2010’s. I bought a Fujifilm Instax Mini 8 in 2014, and since then, I’ve enjoyed having a physical memento of special moments. There are newer models and more ‘authentic’ film cameras, but I’m most definitely not a photographer, so this one is good enough to make me happy.

• Instant camera (I used a Fujifilm Instax Mini 8)
• Appropriate film (I used Fujifilm Instax mini film)

The entire size of the mini film is 86mm x 54mm, with the photo area being 62mm x 46mm. This makes it more or less credit card sized, so it’s nice for tucking into wallets! I also like scrapbooking with it or tucking it into journals as keepsakes. I used to be obsessed with finding the special backgrounds of film, so whenever I would go to Asia, or when I would have friends go, I would beg them to stock up on different film sheets for me. There were Winnie the Pooh ones, Marvel ones, Hello Kitty and everything in between those days. These days, I normally just gravitate toward the plain white ones, as I find they are nice for writing down things like where and when the photo was taken!

Lately, I’ve taken to sticking my pictures on the wall as a form of decoration so that I can be reminded of all the wonderful people I have in my life and the good memories we’ve made together. At first, I was going to add a picture of that wall to this post, but I’m trying to be more conscious about respecting other people’s privacy, even if it would be a fairly blurry picture of them. In case you were wondering, that’s why I rarely post anything with the faces of my babysitting families, just hands and backs. Instead, I will share a picture of Annie. If I’m being honest, she makes up most of my photos on my phone, so it only makes sense that she should get a Polaroid too.

Like I said earlier, I’m not a photographer. I don’t really understand angles or lighting, but I like candids that make me laugh, and this photo of Annie is a pretty good representation of her napping anywhere and everywhere. I will say that the Instax cameras take some getting used to. For one, it’s really easy to overexpose pictures, and for another, centering pictures can also be a hassle since the viewfinder is not aligned with where the lens is. I found that aiming slightly more right than I thought typically helped to get the actual shot that I wanted. I also picked up a selfie mirror attachment for the lens to help me aim better for those as well.

I’m the first to admit that there are cons to the instant pictures, including the cost of the film, the inability to zoom in or out, and the acceptance that you only get one chance at each picture, but for me, the joy of the memories contained in them make it worth it for me! It’s not even really about getting a perfect shot, it’s just about capturing happiness. What do you think? Are you more of a technical photographer who disagrees the kind of perspective that I’ve just suggested?

Until next time, happy crafting!