Shake It Like a Polaroid Picture!
- Alena Black
- Jul 29, 2019
- 12 min read
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If you see me going on any trips or somewhere super "Instagrammable", you will probably see me carrying around 2/3 things. My Iphone, my DSLR, and/or my Polaroid camera. To be honest, I don't know anyone who uses their Polaroid camera as much as I do. I'm kinda crazy about it. I just really like having a tangible photo, and I really like the cool effect it has on each picture. I know a lot of people are not crazy about Polaroid cameras because of the lack of quality or because of that filter, but I think it makes the picture special and raw. It's always somewhat of a mystery as to how it will turn out because of the way film works. Plus, you can always take the same picture with a better quality camera after. That's what I do 90% of the time anyways. This post is going to be all about my Polaroid camera, where you can get one, tips and tricks for getting a good picture, how to ask someone to take a picture for you, as well as how to display your prints! Also disclaimer: Though I am calling it a Polaroid camera and Polaroid pictures, it is actually an "Instax" camera with instant film for trademark reasons. Most people just know the term Polaroid so it's easier to describe it like that. Enjoy!
How I Got My Camera
I bought my Polaroid camera back in 2015 while I was in Thailand. My family and I were walking down a road and I saw a shop with a ton of cameras. They were just starting to become popular and so I asked my mom if we could go into the shop. This shop had the cutest Polaroid cameras I had ever seen! Up until that point, I had only seen solid colored cameras. These ones were made up of multiple colors, patterns, and some even looked like Disney characters! Strangely enough, I still have never seen anyone else with a multi-colored camera, so maybe mine is rare or something. I don't really know. It works great still so it wasn't a scam. Bless. (Sometimes you have to be careful in Thailand). Anyways, after explaining to my mom about why this camera was way cooler than ones sold in the U.S., we decided to buy as my birthday present. I loved it then, and I still love it now. I don't think I will ever get rid of it just because it has helped me capture so many amazing memories.
Structure/Features
I have the Fujifilm Instax Mini 8. This was the newest version at the time. I know the newer versions have more features like a selfie mirror and more settings, but most people I know have the mini 8 and it works just as great. When you first get the camera, it requires two AA batteries. I got this camera in 2015, and I didn't have the change the batteries once until January of 2019...four years. Amazing. For the people who do not know how to use this camera, it is pretty simple.
FRONT: First, to turn the camera on, at the bottom right of your camera, right next to the lens, there is a button. When you press it, the lens will pop out. After a couple seconds, above the lens, you should see a light with 5 different symbols where the light adjustments are. These symbols adjust the settings according to your surroundings. The light is a guide based on what the camera thinks is the best, but ultimately you can decide. You can turn the lens frame to adjust the settings. The dot on the lens frame tells you what setting you chose, not the light. ALWAYS ADJUST YOUR SETTINGS OR THE PICTURE PROBABLY WON'T TURN OUT. I'll go into this more later. It's hard to remember, so repetition is key. The house symbol is for indoors and dark, cloud for cloudy, sun for bright, and bigger sun is super bright. And the Hi-key one, I really don't know. I've looked it up and experimented with it and it did nothing so. Do with that one as you will. Next, the button to actually take the picture is on the left right under the viewfinder. Don't press it unless you want a picture so turn the camera off when you're not going to take a picture.
BACK: There is a compartment in the back of the camera to put your film. Simply line up the two yellow lines and close it. DO NOT OPEN THE COMPARTMENT UNTIL ALL THE FILM IS USED UP. Opening it will ruin the film because it will be exposed to light. After putting in a brand new pack, the first picture you take doesn't matter since it is a protective slide. Just take a picture, I just usually click it randomly, and the slide will come out and you are ready to take the real pictures. Once the initial slide is gone, each compartment of film has 10 shots. There is a counter on your camera so you know how many you have left. Just as a warning, no matter what setting you choose, the flash will go off. So don't be surprised. It won't ruin pictures that are already really light, but it will help a little when subjects are dark.
Post Picture: Once the Polaroid picture comes out, it will look white. As most of you probably know, it will need a little time to fully develop. That's where the title of this post comes in. I have heard to shake it, and I've heard to not shake it. I personally haven't found a difference in shaking and not, so I just don't. It's honestly too much work for me to shake it and it for sure doesn't speed up the process, so I tend to just put it away in my wallet once it comes out of the camera. Shake it if you want to, I'm just lazy.
Price of Camera
I don't remember exactly how much the camera cost, but it was still when Polaroid cameras were just coming back into style so it was more expensive. I'm guessing around $60 including the carrying case and a 20 picture pack of film. Now, you can get a set including a camera, film, case, album, and a whole bunch of other fun gadgets from Amazon with a lot more for a much better price. But, I justify the price since my camera is unique.
Where To Buy Film
Regarding the price of film, I buy mine off of Amazon. I just find that it is the easiest and cheapest to buy from. There are so many kinds of film. I personally like the white border the best, but I have also gotten some fun film packs as gifts and when I went to Japan. Japan sells them for pretty cheap so if you go there, stock up. I've had polka dots, pink, black, pastel, and even ones with the Japanese character Gudetama! Most of these special packs are only sold in 1 pack of 10 photos and will look cheaper, but the white border is usually sold in a pack with 2 packs of 10 photos so in reality, it will be cheaper per picture. Also make sure that the film is the right kind for your camera. Since I have the Instax mini 8, I have to buy Instax Mini film. Not the wide one, not the square ones, MINI. Don't make that mistake and spend money on film you can't use!
Polaroid cameras are an investment because of the film. Film, if you don't get it from Amazon or if you buy a special pack, can be about $1 per picture. It adds up. But, don't let that scare you into not using your camera. Just use it and the more you use it the easier it becomes. Amazon has the best prices for film, and once you get the hang of taking pictures, it is totally worth the cost. It's pretty hard to go through film that fast honestly. I take a lot of pictures, but it takes me a while to go through a pack just because I don't take pictures willy nilly. I have a checklist I go through while taking pictures so I am sure not to feel like I wasted film.
How to Get a Good Picture
The portion that many of you are probably waiting for. Here will be my tips and tricks to preventing Polaroid fails.
1. Accepting the Fails
THE MOST IMPORTANT TIP. Where do I even start with this honestly. No matter what, there are going to be pictures that just don't turn out. I have multiple pictures where the background I wanted just turned out black. Sometimes there is nothing you can do. Even if it did happen though, the subject is usually always still visible so I was never mad at it. I could still see me and my friends and it still brings the memory into my mind so I don't really care. This is an instant camera. It is not supposed to have a super high Pixel count like DSLR cameras have. Your picture is not gonna be amazing quality. I know a lot of people get really annoyed by a flawed Polaroid or a bad quality picture, but I don't. My other cameras can capture the "perfect" picture. My Polaroid camera is for raw memories. These include the mistakes and flaws. Embrace the pictures that didn't turn out as you hoped. Perfection is boring.
2. ADJUST YOUR SETTINGS
This is seriously the most important tip if you can't do the first tip and accept the fails. Most of the time, your Polaroids will turn out weird because of the lighting. Sometimes the light will change between two settings and make you stressed out about which one to choose. Just remember, turning the dial towards the house makes it darker and towards the sun makes it lighter. If it is going between the two, just use your best judgement. Usually it is pretty obvious though. There are some backgrounds that just won't work though no matter what settings you do.
3. The Viewfinder is NOT Exactly What the Lens Sees
With most cameras, the viewfinder shows what the lens sees. With this camera, the "viewfinder", if it is even that, is kinda just a hole at the top of the camera. Meaning there is about a 3 inch displacement between that and what will actually be taken. This is only really a problem for selfies and lining things up perfectly. So, this is why they came out with the selfie mirror on the Instax Mini 9. I don't take many selfies with my camera just because I don't like it, so this is not a huge problem for me. It is just a warning for those who want to take closeup photos. With most photos though, it is far enough that it doesn't really matter.
Knowing When to Take a Picture
As I said before, I have a checklist when choosing when to take a picture so I don't waste film. These three tips will help you decide when to take pictures and when to maybe hold back.
1. Memory
The first thing is if the picture will bring a memory. I have pictures with all of my close friends I've had through the years. A couple of them I will admittedly say that I have grown apart from them, but with a Polaroid, I have a tangible memory with them. When I travel, I like to have memories of places I have been to and what cool things I saw along the way. Basically, whenever I have a big life event happen, I take a picture. Travel, graduation, dances, holidays, and even just fun plans with friends. Anything that is out of the ordinary for my life. I'll bring my camera just in case, and I find that I rarely regret bringing it.
2. Lighting
As you probably noticed, you can't really change the light settings on the camera all that much, and you can't edit them in post production. So, lighting in real life is pretty important. Generally speaking, unless it's really bright, your background is gonna be a little dark. The subject is always nice and clear though. So, the best thing to do is to make sure that there is plenty of natural lighting coming from behind the camera so it will light your face and background. Harsh lights like football stadium lights in the background will just make the background black. From what I have noticed, outside during the morning or afternoon is really the best place and time to take pictures. Do not expect anything to show up in the background of a picture you take at night. It just won't happen. Honestly, just play around with lighting both on the camera and outside of it. You will start to get a feel for what works and what doesn't. So, if you come to find that you don't like how certain things look in Polaroid format, don't take the picture. Use your other cameras.
3. Change up your poses
Since the purpose of this camera for me is to capture more "raw" pictures, I experiment with more poses and faces. The lower quality can really cover some awkward faces. It's brings a sense of mystery when you only have one chance for a picture. So, I've learned to have fun with it. I also display these on my wall rather than my Instagram, so I like to show my more crazy personality and the personality of my friends through Polaroids.
Asking Someone to Take Your Picture
Asking a random person to take your picture is scary enough, but with a camera they may have never seen before, it can be kinda scary. My two biggest tips for asking someone to take you picture is to set all your settings first so they only have to push the button, and to find a young adult woman or a teenage girl. The first is pretty self explanatory. You would most likely do that with any camera anyways, but the second is really important as well. We have all had the one person who we asked to take our picture and we look back and it and hate everything about how they took it. If you ask a young female, it is more likely they have seen or even used a Polaroid camera before since they are still fairly popular. There will be a lot less explaining to do, and they will more confident with the device. I have never had a photo come out bad because of something the person taking the photo did, but I will say that it is a lot easier to ask someone who has had experience since a new device can be scary for someone who has never seen it before.
Traveling With Your Camera
The first time traveling my Polaroid camera, I remember looking up on Google how I should bring it with me. The biggest thing is DO NOT PUT IT IN YOUR CHECKED LUGGAGE. Always bring it in your carry-on. This is because the x-rays used for checked luggage are a lot stronger than the security checkpoint. Those stronger x-rays will damage the film in your camera and even in unopened cartridges. The first time I traveled, I read that you should ask for them to hand check your camera, but after traveling many more times with it, it isn't necessary. Just remember to remove the camera from your carry-on like you would with any DSLR or laptop or any other large electronic. I have had no problems with the security x-rays damaging film so you should be okay as well. And I highly recommend traveling with your camera. There will be so many pictures you will wish you had gotten. Some of my best and favorite pictures are from my trips and adventures.
Displaying Your Photos
So you're deciding what you will even do with you printed pictures. Well, Pinterest is your best friend. I've seen people put them in their rooms, have them on their refrigerator, there are mini frames available, people put them in their phone case or wallet, scrapbooks, photo albums, guest books and more. You can also scan the pictures or take digital pictures of the picture for digital/social media use. Since having my camera, I have created two wall spreads with the photos, and plan on doing another in my new apartment this fall. I recommend using washi tape, a wall putty, or paperclips of some sort so you don't have to poke a hole with a thumbtack. With both of the walls, I added to them once I took another picture, so they became more full or pictures and memories as time went on. I really liked doing this and it helped me sort of keep track of what I had been doing and fun memories I had recently. Get creative with your Polaroids! I have seen people write on them with sharpie and at Disneyland I had a couple of the characters do that, but personally I like them blank. Mostly because I hate my handwriting.
Overall, I highly recommend a Polaroid camera to anyone who loves tangible memories. There are so many on the market so don't be afraid to do some research. Every time I go out with this camera, I get compliments on it from young and old alike. It's a fun modern twist on a classic invention. Let me know if you have any more questions about Polaroid cameras or film or need ideas on what to do with pictures! I'd be happy to help!
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XO
Alena
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