Everything old is new again it seems.
Remember the Polaroid camera? Remember how exciting it was to stand there and watch that little print slide out? It came out dark and you shook it until the image slowly appeared, like a ghost taking form. While the age of film cameras has passed, the thrill of the instant print has never really gone out of style. And now it’s back – in the form of instant cameras like the Polaroid Z2300 shown here, or one of Fujifilm Instax Mini 90 Neo.
As someone who makes a living on event photography, I need to keep on top of the latest trends and this one is on the rise. A few years ago I set up a photobooth business (www.lepartybooth.com) seeing the rise in popularity of having a playful place for (mostly drunk) adults to wear silly hats, fake moustaches and pirate eye patches at parties. Regardless of age, there was (and still is) an excitement that comes from making outrageous poses in ridiculous costumes then eagerly picking up your print.
I’m now seeing the same rise in interest in having instant film cameras at events. Think of it as the photobooth gone mobile. And it fits the bill for what I call “fast food photography” which a lot of event photography is. It also offers a new area for forward thinking clients to extend the reach of their branding and sponsorship opportunities.
Few people meet as many event-goers as the hired event photographer. It is just part of the job to roam, interact and engage with as many guests as possible in order to really capture the vibe and emotion of the evening. Doing so with a standard digital camera set-up ensures the client gets a great range of images covering their whole event, but the guests are left hanging having to wait until the images get posted somewhere which may not always happen right away. Putting an instant print into their hands is one way of satisfying the instant gratification itch that our modern digital culture has fomented, and if you tack on a bit of branding to the print you’ve quite literally, left an impression with the attendee.
