Forever young, I want to be forever young. As Alphaville sings about youth, I think about how I keep my memories alive and feel young again. Staying young also means being expressive and doing all the things that will make us look back in nostalgia. That includes taking photos with instant cameras, the kind of gifts we dream about having when we were young.
Over the past few weeks, I dedicated a fair bit of time to spend with my friends. It is unsurprising that as part of the Tik Tok or Instagram generation, we will dedicate a bit of time during every meal or occasion for a photo-taking session. What’s new this time was that on top of snapping away my Boomerangs on Instagram, I whipped out the Fujifilm Instax Mini 40 for instant prints. These are the kinds of photos that do not expire after 24h like your Instagram Stories or are subjected to your followers for likes. These are the special photos tucked away in a frame or a scrapbook and hold a special meaning to you and your intimate group of friends.
To me, the best kind of photos taken with the Fujifilm Instax Mini 40 are selfies. The camera is fully automatic with a flash that always fires, and the exposure is adjusted via a variable-speed shutter, so faces will always look well lit in a selfie. There is even no need to adjust the focus. I can easily push a large silver button and the lens pops up instantly and the camera is switched on just like that. It is also so easy to snap photos with a nice ergonomic grip, which is comfortable to handle whether I am shooting a selfie or from behind the camera. For a tad bit of zoom for selfies, the retractable lens can be pulled out for Selfie Mode. With a single pair of AA batteries, I can get by with 100 shots.
I brought the Mini 40 to a fancy dinner at Sentosa and it turned out to be a perfect accessory to my monochrome crop top and lace outfit. With silver frames and black faux leather finishing, it looks classier than you can imagine for a camera with a friendly price point. My influencer friend Sheena, who is accustomed to shooting photos with a mirrorless camera or her phone, was thrilled to try out the Mini 40 and take photos that materialise in our hands in a minute. Instant prints are simply fun, expressive and never go out of style.
Here’s a photo of my #OOTD featuring yours truly with the Fujifilm Instax Mini 40, and another of Sheena and me:
I also love how cute the colourful frames are, which add more vibrancy to the images. With bright smiles, big eyes, well-lit faces, and pastel-coloured frames, it surprises me how Cheki (Japanese term for instant cameras) makes me feel cheeky all over again.
Alphaville sings, ”Youth’s like diamonds in the sun, and diamonds are forever,” in Forever Young. Our youthful spirit and fun memories with our special ones are as precious as diamonds to us, and these moments will last a lifetime in the form of the Instax Mini 40.
