I have owned a Fujifilm Instax Mini 8 for three years now.
Most likely you will already know what I’m talking about, as over the years it has become a very popular camera!
It is an instant camera for 62 x 46 mm photos.
In fact it is one of those cameras that allows you to take small photos, “wallet” format, Polaroid style.
I leave the link here in case you are interested in buying!
With the digital age it is now difficult for someone to print photos taken with a reflex camera.
Instead this type of camera directly produces a physical copy of the photo, which can be kept in an album or hang on the wall, as is very fashionable.
So far, all very nice, despite the simplicity of the machine, it is not always easy to get beautiful photos.
To this we must add the fact that a single roll of 10 photos costs about 9 euros.
It is therefore not convenient to take numerous photos of the same subject and, as they say, “Good the first!”.
After years of practice I can finally say that I have become an “expert” in this type of photography.
This is why I decided to create this article with 5 tips that I can give you on how to get better photos with your instant camera.
These tips fit both the Instax Mini 8 and the last model, the Instax Mini 9.
Without wasting any more time, let’s go to the tips!
1) Carefully set the brightness of the camera.
This is definitely the most important thing when it comes to shooting with the Instax Mini. Brightness in fact is the most important parameter that allows the good or bad success of a photo.
The image above shows how to set up the machine. Just follow the red light, adjust the dial by matching the reference dot to the light and you are ready to shoot.
Simple right?
The Instax mini have an integrated automatic exposure sensor.
In fact the camera determines the best brightness setting to take the picture in the conditions you are in, and informs you of what setting you should use.
Just follow the red light.
Therefore it is very important that the sensor located on the camera is not covered, for example by the fingers, so that the light shows the correct setting.
Before taking the picture I suggest you always look at this setting to avoid incurring totally unpleasant photos.
NOTE: Unfortunately, I realized that the Instax Mini does not perform well in bright conditions. I therefore advise you to avoid taking pictures in bright sunlight but to look for more shady areas. In fact, the instax mini flash is always working, so in these situations you can try to cover it with a finger to avoid excessive exposure.
In general however it is always better to avoid too much light, for sure you will get better photos.
2) Remember to shoot at a distance.
If you get blurry photos it may not be the fault of the lack of light or the unstable grip.
When using an instax mini, you must always remember the distance to maintain from the subject.
The Instax Mini in fact have a focal length of 60 mm.
So try to shoot at a minimum distance of 0.6 m and a maximum of 2.7 m, to get the subject in focus.
NOTE: If you want to take selfies always keep in mind the minimum 60 cm distance.
3) Avoid taking photos to subjects that are too small.
For the same reason as before it is preferable to take pictures of close subjects to prevent the photo from being blurred.
4) Choose the right subject.
This type of camera is well suited for portraits of people, rather than taking pictures of landscapes.
You should always keep in mind the length range in which you can shoot.
Avoid taking pictures of landscapes or people far away, but focus more on close-ups, or details of places or objects.
5) Make sure the batteries are charged.
It may seem trivial, but unfortunately I happened to waste an entire roll because of dead batteries.
The machine shot but every time the photos were completely black. I thought it was a problem of exposure instead everything was solved by changing the batteries.
I hope you enjoyed this article!
Let me know if you already knew these advices or suggest others in the comments!