This underdog of a camera is one of my all-time favorites. It’s a camera we’re all familiar with and have probably used growing up, on a trip, at a wedding ceremony, etc.
The pros:
They are easy to find
They are lightweight + compact
They’re cheap
They’re easy to use
They’re kid-friendly
They can give a gnarly lens flare (when used intentionally)
The lens has a shorter focal length, allowing you to capture more of the view— this makes them great for everyday snaps, group selfies, or landscape photos
The cons:
They are a single-use camera
The lens is plastic, so detail shots aren’t this camera’s forte
It’s too easy for the photographer to unintentionally have a finger in frame without realizing (example later on)
My favorite disposable camera:
We’ve tried a handful of different disposable cameras but my all-time favorite is the FujiFilm QuickSnap. It uses 400-speed film and I’m most impressed with how colors turn out with this camera.
Tips for Photographing with a disposable camera:
Be mindful of your distance. Disposable cameras have a fixed lens so anything from a selfie’s length (i.e. an arms-length, or 3-4 feet) onwards, will generally be in focus.
The flash is your friend. If I’m photographing indoors, or on a cloudy day I’ll typically pop that flash on. I especially love using the flash at the beach around sunset— it lights the subject up so well while keeping the yummy warm sunset in the background.
Watch out for fingers in the frame! This is a crazy easy mistake to make because the cameras are so small, and the viewfinder is offset from the actual lens.
A few more disposable camera photos, just for fun…
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Lovely; the look is unmatched, it feels more like a memory than a real thing. Going to take a few of these to France this summer and let my five year old have at it!
love this post. when I was like 8 years old, I took a fuji quick snap on a cross country road trip. we went from Tucson, Arizona to Washington, DC and in DC, I lost the camera on an elevator and we weren’t able to go back 😭 I think that loss fueled my analog obsession.