One week, Seven Photographs with the Lomo'Instant Square Glass

Film shooters understand time and distance very well, especially when placed in the context of analogue image-making. For one, time away from the work produced — due to literal and technical limitations posed — is necessary for it to simmer and wholly develop. While measuring the distance between the camera’s focal range to the subject becomes instrumental in capturing sharp and focused images. One might wonder: what if there was a way to stay true to the analogue process but make images within a shorter period of time, without having to compromise on quality?

Cue instant photography. A branch of analogue photography that still allows us to engage in the more thoughtful and deliberate process, but at a much faster rate. Here, analogue photography and instant gratification meet. We get to scratch that nostalgic itch for the analogue process while getting results in the blink of an eye — the images developing in the palms of our hands.

Eager to explore more of the instant photography world, I set out to take seven instant photographs using the Lomo’Instant Square Glass for one full week. A statement piece in itself and heavily inspired by folding cameras from the 1920s, the camera’s design brings the folding bellows into the 21st century.

The Lomo’Instant Square Glass was my first choice for two main reasons: (a) I wanted to work with the 1x1 grid and see what could be done within each frame, and (b) have control over the final images produced through the camera's many built-in features.

Loading it with a Fujifilm Instax Square pack, I had three goals for the week:

1. Capture multiple exposure instant images
2. Use the self-timer
3. Primarily shoot indoors from day to night

See the results below!

First Half: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday

Left: MX Feature, Exposures 1 and 2 shot at 1m focal range + Flash
Center: EV +1, 1.5m focal range
Right: EV +1, Flash, 1.5m focal range

Still in the early stages of feeling out the camera and testing its different focal ranges, the first three photographs I shot were a bit more stiff, conservative and pulled back in terms of the elements present within the frame, with only the first photo utilizing the multiple exposure feature.

These three instant photographs were portrait studies that leaned on the moodier side of things as captured in progression from day to night with photos 1-2 using morning-afternoon light and warm ambient light for photo 3.

Second Half: Saturday, Sunday, Monday

Top Left: MX Feature, Exposures 1-3 shot at 0.8m focal range
Top Right: 1m focal range
Bottom Left: MX Feature, Exposures 1-3 shot at infinity
Bottom Right: Self-timer, Flash, Infinity

The latter part of my week with the Lomo’Instant Square Glass surprisingly took on a full 180. Diverting away from the shadows and darker tones, my approach was much more loose and free, committing to the adventure-friendly nature of this instant camera by taking it to a pottery class and to the bouldering gym.

The instant camera’s aperture ranges from f/10-f/22, making it possible to shoot in any lighting conditions relatively well and compose elements sharply in the frame. Since both spaces granted me an incredible amount of natural light, I felt more comfortable playing around with the multiple exposure feature, taking triple-exposure instant photographs and a self-timer photograph shot at infinity.

Of the seven, I’m most proud of the last two images taken at the bouldering gym. It marked a time when I felt confident in the fact that I finally got the zone-focusing on point. The color results reflected on the two images were also a fun surprise, being vastly different from each other, with the triple-exposure photograph being more muted and pastel-like, while the self-timer photograph gained punchy contrasts and deeper vignettes.

Week in Review

As someone who wanted to revisit the instant format but be challenged by the medium as a whole, taking the Lomo’Instant Square Glass around with me for a week was a creatively refreshing experience. It reminded me that no matter how advanced instant cameras become over the years, its analogue aspect will never fade away — forever sewn into its DNA.

How would you document your week with an instant camera? What other features and ways of experimentation are you looking to try out next?

written by macasaett on 2023-12-13 #gear #square #halloween #week #multiple-exposure #instant-camera #pottery #bouldering #lomo-instant