The Lomo'Instant Automat at Play With @Navoski

Instant cameras possess unique qualities most analogue cameras cannot compete with: tangibility and speed of development. Snapshots of moments printed out instantly, materialized and ready to be shared for years to come.

The Lomo'Instant Automat is Lomography’s friendliest, fuss-free, and fully automatic instant camera. A camera that will work for you no matter the environment, lifestyle, and/or situation you find yourself in. Its level of versatility and adaptability as an instant camera is one of the main factors that attract people of all ages to go out and get themselves a unit of their own.

We rounded up three things you might want to keep in mind when using the Lomo’Instant Automat based on Lomographer and art director Gabriela's (@navoski) experience with the instant camera.

1. Be at ease, be at play

Thanks to the camera’s fully automatic features and straightforward (but purposeful!) design, everyone who gets their hands on a Lomo’Instant Automat would not want to ever let it go. With this camera, you will no longer have to think about adjusting the shutter speed, aperture, and flash control each time; the unit was built to do all that for you and to adapt to your environment. It was designed to allow the user to simply focus on capturing what is within the frame without taking away time from you living in the present. Meaning, you're free to take it around with you across diverse terrain, giving you the opportunity to let your imagination run wild and creative pursuits take the wheel when composing your shots.

Gabriela has taken her Lomo'Instant Automat to a wide range of places — the camera tagging along as she traverses various spaces in time. From indoor concerts to music festivals (e.g. Primavera Sound in Chile), to arcades and deserts, to intimate friend gatherings and parties, and so much more.

“That’s why I've always loved the Lomography philosophy, doing something without thinking too much and having fun.”

2. Explore the features

In addition to the camera’s automatic features, the Lomo'Instant Automat unit also houses a bulb mode for a motion blur and light painting effect, offers a multiple exposure option for image layering ideas to come to life, and provides you with a self-timer remote control lens cap to capture personal vignettes.

Gabriela personally shares how she favors creating multiple exposure shots when she’s with a larger group:

“The Multiple Exposure has been super fun, especially in small meetings with friends.”

Every unit comes with a set of color gels to experiment with. To add a colored filter, slide it over the flash box and snap away! For a camera like this, it would greatly benefit if you were to explore its features in different scenarios. See what works best with your creative vision and be open to developing your visual style through an unconventional approach.

3. Embrace darkness

Capture instant photographs in a flash…and with a flash! Corny but a staple reminder when shooting at night.

Test the limits of your camera when the sun sets and the lights dim. From experience, it produces great images. Take it from Gabriela who has stretched the instant camera’s capabilities for years now:

“If you are in the second or third row in front of the stage, in a small venue, you can go with high exposure and flash. But if you are at a festival or in a big venue try just high exposure and pray, high risk but high reward.”

These three simple tips only cover a portion of what the instant camera has to offer the analogue world. Nevertheless, they serve as good reminders for us to be open to the world and speak of key qualities from Lomography's 10 Golden Rules.

We thank @navoski for generously sharing her input on the Lomo’Instant Automat. Have any more tips and/or words of advice to keep in mind when using this particular Lomo Instant camera? Share them below or reach out to Lomography Magazine Writer @macasaett!

written by macasaett on 2023-09-28 #gear #tipster #instant-photography #lomo-instant-automat