For the past couple of years I have wanted to buy a Polaroid camera, but I never really had an occasion to justify buying one, until my holiday in Florida this year. We would be visiting places such as Walt Disney World, Clearwater Beach, Universal Orlando Resort and many other places that are picturesque , so I thought, why not? It is a decision I definitely do not regret, I fell in love with this camera - nicknamed Elphaba (notice the theatre reference there) - and I am very pleased that I made the decision to bring along an instant camera. It has changed the way I will document my travels in the future!
The camera I bought is the Instax mini 9, which takes photos that are about the size of a credit card. These are idea for you to keep tucked in your wallet or back pocket to remind you of the adventures that you have been on. For me personally, I have kept a few photos aside to put on display in my room at University, and the rest I am going to put into a holiday scrap book.
I have made a scrapbook every time I have been on holiday, and I think that the addition of Polaroids to my Florida 2019 scrapbook makes it just that little bit more special.
A little bit about film and Polaroid Cameras
I don't have a massive history with Polaroid Cameras myself, as I have only recently bought my own. However, I developed quite an interest in getting my own camera on a visit to London in 2017, when one of my friends brought her Polaroid camera on the trip. The same friend took Polaroids on her 18th Birthday (see picture above) and when looking through the photos after the event it made me smile to see all of these instant memories captured in this small photo. So I then set out to buy my own camera, but being a college student I did not have the funds to buy the camera back then. Fast Forward to now.
Part of the reason why I didn't want to buy a Polaroid camera was because of how costly the film was. I had saved up a lot of money to spend on holiday essentials before my holiday, so I bought 100 films with that money, as well as having 20 films free with my camera , making my total 120 films to take on my holiday. As a college student there would be no way I could have afforded to fund my photography hobby, however I was very lucky to find a good deal online which meant I could buy 100 films for just £30. Its not the cheapest hobby to have, which is something to keep in mind.
There is a difference between Polaroid and Instax, even though I've been referring to my photos as Polaroids so far in this post. The way the film develops is where the differences lie. For example, hen you snap a photo with an original Polaroid camera, you need to hide the photo from light sources so the film will develop properly. However, with Instax film this is not the case. Instax film develops fine in the sunlight, which is one reason why it is more user friendly than the original Polaroid.
I have not had an original Polaroid camera, so I am able to personally comment on which one I prefer as I can only compare the two between what I have read online. However, I found my Instax mini 9 was lovely to travel with, and it did not take up too much room in my bag as it was relatively small in comparison to other Polaroid cameras out there.
Why you should consider travelling with a Polaroid Camera
Polaroids are just fun, there isn't really much more to it than that. They can change your perspective, give you an opportunity to go back in time and to play! In case you are still trying to make up your mind, here a a few reasons to persuade you:
- There is no better souvenir than a Polaroid - they are the perfect take away from your travels.
- Polaroid photos enable you to bring travels into your home, as you can string them up over your desk or bed to create lovely indoor decor. This could result in striking interesting conversations about your travels with your guests when they visit about your travels too!
- You are able to see a city through creative and new angles.
- They are fun and memorable.
- Polaroid cameras stand to remind you that the greatest takeaway from your travels is the experience.
Travelling with an instant film camera
For anybody who is worried, travelling with a Polaroid camera is relatively easy. The film is fine to go through airport security. My advice would be to keep an undeveloped film and your camera in your hand luggage, as the x-rays your carry on luggage goes through wll damage undeveloped film and make it unusable. Your film will be fine to go through security in the airport, you will just need to take the camera out of your bag and its case to go through and be scanned - this won't do any damage to your film, so there is no need to worry, however if you are concerned, you could always request for them to do a search of your camera and/or film. Further more, be careful not to put pressure on the film or spill liquids on it in your luggage!
Equipment I bought
You are probably reading this section and thinking that there is a lot of things that you will need to buy, but there are actually only three main things I recommend buying for your Polaroid camera (four if you include batteries, which unless you have more than 100 films with you you will not need to change them during your trip):
- Instax Mini 9 Lime Green Camera - Available here
- Instax Mini Camera Case - Available here
- Instax film - available for various prices on ebay and amazon
General Advice
It takes a little bit of skill to get decent Polaroid photos. For instance - I would advise against taking a photo in the dark. I took a photo of the Cinderella Castle at night during the fireworks show, hoping it would turn out just like the photo above. But sadly, this was not the result of that Polaroid.
I took this not so magical photo of Cinderella's Castle with my closeup lense on too (which was included with the camera), so I think that if the subject you are taking a photo of is not well lit, then the Polaroid does not turn out very well.
Furthermore, make sure the subject you are taking a photo of is lit from the front and not the back, otherwise you will just end up with a silhouette of your subject (unless this is what you are going for, in that case snap away!)
The Polaroids from my holiday to Florida are something that I will cherish forever, and are unique to me. I absolutely love them and do not regret buying an instant camera. Even though you may be limited to 100 photos per trip, that makes those 100 photos special (although digital cameras and phones still exist for anybody who wants to take a photo of something that may not be special enough or turn out in a Polaroid!)
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