Writer's Notes: Learning Instant Photography

I must confess that in the past, I avoided instant photography like the plague. I remember the instant craze of the mid-2010s, where I also witnessed countless wasted film sheets, either completely over- or under-exposed. As a practical state university student back then I couldn’t see beyond the marketed aesthetic of this format.

Fast forward to now, and I think next to the 120 format, instant just might be a new favorite! In this edition of Writer's Notes, I'm sharing with you results from my first few instant film packs as I tried to answer the question: what makes instant photography special?

I spent my first two or so packs of instant film taking portraits of people at the Lomography Manila Office, and I immediately appreciated the sharpness of the Lomo’Instant Wide Glass and the Lomo’Instant Square Glass.

Looking at scanned instant photos doesn’t do justice to actual instant prints, so shooting these photos and seeing my results ignited my curiosity about the instant format. Could it really be? It seemed like there was so much more to it than I previously gave it credit for.

Taking Note of Interesting Things

I recalled an article we published last year, fellow writer Therese Macasaet’s interview of Filipina journalist Kimberly dela Cruz, who, alongside digital media, uses instant photography as a powerful tool to document culture and politics in the Philippines.

Shooting instant for a few weeks, I started to think that instant photography belongs to the outdoors. Instant bridges the tangibility of analogue and the urgency associated with digital media, still tamed by the fact that you only have 10 shots per pack of instant film.

Instant photos thrive in a sunny setup, with pops of color as a perfect match for the film’s glossiness. I realized what makes it special is that it can be shared and passed to other people as mementos, making this format a little more selfless than other analogue formats.

Shooting instant film challenged my previous purposes for shooting analogue. As an introvert who preferred to take photos of nature or inanimate objects on film, instant photography made me rethink what I choose to capture.

One of my favorite moments shooting on instant was being approached by a group of teens who got curious about the Lomo’Instant Wide Glass. I took a few shots of them and let them keep the instants–it was nice to tell people about instant photography, and who knows, that kind of experience might also get them interested in photography as a hobby.

I think this is the format I would bring to a hangout with friends, or even a trip outdoors. I would definitely bring my journal with it, to take note of interesting things and experiences when I feel like it.

A Lomo'Instant Wide Glass Side Quest

One other major test was to try out the 0.3 m focusing of the Lomo’Instant Wide Glass. I recently shared my experience with this handy camera in another article, but in the future, I would also be interested in using this camera in a photoshoot. I've never organized a set-up like that for film photography so it would be an interesting first time.

What would I shoot and what themes would I follow? I remember a Renaissance fair in one of the provinces here and I think it would be nice to capture people in fascinating costumes. I enjoyed taking photos of stray cats and my cats, too, so that could be another project!

This format made me realize that there's an endless amount of subjects to capture if I get out of my comfort zone more. I used to think that I lived, thought, and felt outside of the box by default, but now I guess even that is a box I should get out of.

Ultimately, instant feels like the format that suits my preferences and tendencies the best. It's cool how one thing can be so confusing to me at a different time in my life, and then make complete sense in another! I wonder where our curiosity will take us next.

How about you? Do you have any other tips for beginners like me in shooting instant photography? Share them below!

written by sylvann on 2025-03-24 #gear #people #instant #beginner #lomo-instant-square #apac #writer-s-notes #lomo-instant-wide-glass Share Article