My Instax adventures

[CharlesDAMorgan]

Is she a famous photographer?

 

[lynnb]

Some pictures from my first film pack with the Taylor Swift SQ6, getting familiar with the camera...

Picture #02 with the SQ6
local coffee shop during COVID lockdown, takeaway only through the side window

Picture #3
Manly beach under lockdown. No sitting allowed.

Picture #5
No games allowed either.

Picture #7
exposures seem more accurate, perhaps the lens is a little sharper, and the color is very pleasing..

 

[lynnb]

Is she a famous photographer?

Charles, she's a singer, I don't know if she takes photographs. The camera is a facsimile of her album cover. I think the camera was a marketing exercise to leverage her name. Since the camera was half price I guess that didn't meet expectations!

 

[lynnb]

Second film pack. I'm getting the hang of this. I've always liked square Polaroids so this feels more natural.

Picture #12 with the SQ6

Picture #09 with the SQ6
this is about as difficult a lighting situation as I could find. Not too bad!

 

[robert blu]

Love so much all your photos Lynn. And your Taylor Swift is so fascinating...

rob

 

[lynnb]

Love so much all your photos Lynn. And your Taylor Swift is so fascinating...

rob

Thanks Rob. I like some of her songs... and the camera is little bigger than the Instax Mini 9 when in the closed position. The film price is between 1/3 and 1/4 the price of Polaroid - AUD$1.30 per print compared to AUD$5 for Polaroid prints. I love the Fuji colors and the quality control is excellent. This is my favourite instant-camera-on-a-budget.

 

[froyd]

Just gorgeous stuff...Robert, your scandinavian adventures were equally inspirational... I think I'll need to steal my daughter's Instax for a while, but I always seem to strugle with exposure on the simpler auto everything instant fujis.

 

[hap]

These are very evocative and well done , especially beach scenes. I would get similar (not identical) results with the SX 70 and using a stick, either sharpened or rounded to spread emulsion when not completely developed. the effect can also be obtained by polaroid transfer from image to any art paper. My 7 year old granddaughter loves her MINI!

 

[charjohncarter]

I like your instant film photos. I wish Fuji would re-issue their Colorpack films or even just one.

This is their color Polaroid:

Fuji FP100c by John Carter, on Flickr

Untitled by John Carter, on Flickr

 

[JeffS7444]

lynnb, have you tried using Lightroom's highlight recovery slider on your Instax scans? I've been surprised at how much detail even seemingly blown-out areas can contain.

 

[raid]

These are so beautiful, Lynn. All of them.
Will you create a book from some of them?

 

[Shab]

Thank you Xabier! I must advise you that I also told myself those exact same words 😱

NO! NO!! NO!!! I knew it but... oh my God!! this SQ seems to be so... so... aggghhh!!!

I don't need this camera!

I don't need this camera!!

I don't need this camera!!!!

...

🙂

 

[Pál_K]

I like your instant film photos. I wish Fuji would re-issue their Colorpack films or even just one.

This is their color Polaroid:

Fuji FP100c by John Carter, on Flickr
...

As you probably know, Fuji destroyed the packfilm production equipment and designated the facilities for other operations. So... there's no chance of resurrecting packfilm (at least Polaroid didn't destroy the facility in Europe, thereby allowing Impossible to proceed).

By the way, that's a nice angle shot of someone playing a Selmer alto sax.

Lynn: thank you for creating this thread and continuing it.
We are impressed with your photos.

 

[lynnb]

I like your instant film photos. I wish Fuji would re-issue their Colorpack films or even just one.

Thanks John. I've used FP100c and FP3000b and loved them. Sadly, no more.

Just gorgeous stuff...Robert, your scandinavian adventures were equally inspirational... I think I'll need to steal my daughter's Instax for a while, but I always seem to strugle with exposure on the simpler auto everything instant fujis.

thanks froyd - I agree about Robert's inspirational pictures. I think you should steal your daughter's Instax once in a while. I'm sure she won't mind 😀

These are very evocative and well done , especially beach scenes. I would get similar (not identical) results with the SX 70 and using a stick, either sharpened or rounded to spread emulsion when not completely developed. the effect can also be obtained by polaroid transfer from image to any art paper. My 7 year old granddaughter loves her MINI!

Hi hap, thanks. Interesting that the Instax beach scenes remind you of manipulated Polaroid. I always thought that process distorted the image?

lynnb, have you tried using Lightroom's highlight recovery slider on your Instax scans? I've been surprised at how much detail even seemingly blown-out areas can contain.

I'm on LR6 and I sometimes try the curve controls to recover highlights but usually it changes the tonal mapping I like so much with this film. So I learn to like it/live with it as it is. I try to limit post processing to getting rid of dust spots from the scanner.

These are so beautiful, Lynn. All of them.
Will you create a book from some of them?

Thanks Raid! A book would be nice. One day.

NO! NO!! NO!!! I knew it but... oh my God!! this SQ seems to be so... so... aggghhh!!!

I don't need this camera!

I don't need this camera!!

I don't need this camera!!!!
...

🙂

Xabier, it is like a siren call. All is lost. Resistance is futile 🙂

Lynn: thank you for creating this thread and continuing it.
We are impressed with your photos.

Thanks Pál. You're welcome! I'm glad you like my pictures.

 

[lynnb]

Picture #08 with the SQ6. Manly beach, closed due to COVID-19 lockdown apart from "doing exercise".

 

[lynnb]

Picture #13 with the SQ6. Shelly beach, closed, with Manly beach in the background. Love these Fuji colors.

 

[lynnb]

Picture #25 with the SQ6.

Where I discover what an amazing job this film does with clouds. Straight off the scanner.

 

[lynnb]

Picture #80 with the Instax Mini 9

Back to the Mini 9. I've taken more pictures with this camera because... the film is cheaper. And I can still get nice results. Before I bought the SQ6 I carried the Mini 9 everywhere, now I tend to alternate between the two. This was a rainy day in April at the beach, I took this wondering how it would turn out (shades of Winogrand 🙂). I waited for the woman with the umbrella pushing the pram with the little splash of color to move between the obstacles. The camera's exposure meter exposed for the sky, as I expected, so I used the suggested aperture. With the Mini 9, the camera lights up a small LED next to the suggested aperture, which you select manually. The other Instax cameras I have (Wide 300 and SQ6) have auto exposure with only +/- 2/3 stop exposure compensation.

 

[lynnb]

A triptych of camellias in our garden in April with the Mini 9. The Mini 9's flash always fires. You can turn the SQ6's flash off.

 

[lynnb]

Picture #81 with the Mini 9

A rainy day on the Sydney coast. A good day for the blues...
From memory I think I did some dodging of the white water on the foreground rocks. One of the few manipulated images.