Instant Polaroid Style Photography Ideas & Tricks

Are you into instant photography? Yeah, that’s right, I’m talking about old-school Polaroids! Today, there are a bunch of modern cameras on the market for photographers who still love the instant format. And, there are tons of creative things you can do with them. In this video, Cooph teams up with photographer Lisa Kutzelnig, who uses the new Leica Sofort instant camera to show us eight fun and creative things you can do with instant photos:

1. Panorama

Just take individual shots of the scene in front of you as you swing the camera view from one side to the other or up and down. Then piece together the pictures!

instant panorama image

2. Panorama Sequence

Shoot a panorama like above, but this time with a model. Make sure to move your model along with each shot you take.

instant photography panorama sequence

3. Pantone Wall

You just need some gels to cover your lens for this one. Switch out the colors and take some creative photos.

pantone wall photos

4. Double Exposure

Most instant cameras have a double exposure mode. Choose a scene with great texture (like a bed of flowers) and take a picture. Then take a selfie. Your image will show up merged with the flower shot.

instant photography double exposure

5. Double Exposure Ghosting

You can also use the double exposure mode to shoot the same subject twice for some ghostly looking images.

double exposure ghosting effect

6. Kaleidoscope

You need three small mirrors for this one. Tape the mirrors together to form a triangle and hold that in front of the lens as you shoot to add some cool reflections into your image.

mirror kaleidoscope photography trick

7. Old-School Hyperlapse

As you’re walking along, take a photo ever few meters. Keep going, take as many as you want. Then turn all the snaps into an old-school hyperlapse!

instant photo hyperlapse

8. 3D Hero

Take an instant photo and use an X-Acto knife to cut around the subject. Pop it up for a cool 3D image!

instant photo 3d cutout

And a bonus trick…

9. Portrait Collage

Take close-up shots of your model from different angles—left side, front, right side. Then piece them together for a creative portrait collage.

instant photo portrait collage

Instant photography doesn’t have to be just candid snapshots. You can get super creative and add a little artistic flare to each image. These are just a few ideas, what have you got? Tell us how you use your instant camera to get different effects.

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2 responses to “Instant Polaroid Style Photography Ideas & Tricks”

  1. Patricia says:

    Interesting ideas and tricks, I often use some of them. Thank you Jennifer for this guide.

  2. david says:

    Hi just loved the way you spelt out the tricks for instant photography….would be very happy to share these amazing secrets on my website….keep it going!

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