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The New Instant Camera Generation

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We spoke to two professionals with first-hand experience of the new instant camera movement to get their insights on the new trend.

Image by Pra Chid

The instant-camera market that looked dead in the water just 15 years ago is enjoying renewed success in our increasingly digital era.
Fujifilm sold five million of its Instax instant film cameras in its last fiscal year, and the Japanese camera-maker is forecasting even bigger numbers by the end of its current year. Meanwhile, the makers of the Polaroid suite of instant cameras are also enjoying a renewed interest.
It seems that a whole new generation of photographers is falling in love with the instant camera. It’s a remarkable turnaround, especially in a marketplace where digital-camera sales are in a state of free fall.
To help understand Fujifilm’s success and discover why so many photographers are now turning to an analog format in this digital age, we spoke to two professionals with first-hand experience of the new instant movement.

The Rise and Fall of Instant

The roots of instant photography can be traced to the 1940s, when scientist Edwin Land went on holiday with his family. He was taking a few snaps of his children for the photo album, as most fathers do, when his daughter posed an interesting question: She wondered why the photos were not available to view instantaneously. For Land, this moment of temporary bafflement acted as an inspirational spark. His work resulted in the release of the first Polaroid camera, the Land Model 95, in 1948.
Fast forward a few decades, and despite a few peaks and valleys in sales, instant photography was at its zenith. Polaroid’s revenue peaked at $3 billion in 1991, and the likes of Fujifilm and Kodak were cashing in as well. These cameras came to be ubiquitous at special occasions and tourist honeypots. Small, white-bordered prints can still be found throughout family albums to this day.
It was only when the digital sensor first appeared that the party came to an abrupt end. Consumers rapidly embraced the opportunity to take endless photos without worrying about costly film. Instant photography limped on for more than a decade, until Polaroid finally declared bankruptcy in 2001. The company that bought the original Polaroid Corporation didn’t fare much better, pulling the plug on film production in 2008.

Rebirth

The factories might have stayed silent forever without the intervention of a film photography enthusiast from Vienna named Florian Kaps. Saddened by the news of Polaroid’s demise, Kaps decided to take action. Working with two partners, he started his own small instant-film production firm. The Impossible Project appeared to be aptly named, but the mission turned out to be a huge success. By marketing vintage chic to a younger audience, the company sold over 500,000 units and generated $4 million in revenue in its first year of operation.
Kaps’ own introduction to instant image-making came in 2004, when he took his first Polaroid shot. In his eyes, it was “the most analog photographic material still available in a more and more digital world.” He says many young consumers are turning to physical experiences as an escape from screens.
He comes alive when describing the instant print: “The pictures slowly develop in the palm of your hand and are real. You can touch them, smell them, and even lick them,” Kaps says.

The New Wave

Image by jakkapan
It didn’t take long for Fujifilm — the only surviving member of the first-wave instant cohort — to see potential. The Japanese giant never actually ceased its production of instant-film cameras, having originally launched the Fotorama and ACE series cameras in Asia during the 1980s. By the time the Instax brand arrived in 1998, Fujfilm had become the lonely standard bearer for the itinerant instant community. Just 15 years later, with fresh branding and upgraded specifications, Instax found an insatiable new audience. Sales continue to grow.
“They [Fujifilm] are very successfully targeting an expanding group of young customers, who are missing an easy way of producing small real images on the spot,” says Kaps. The social-media accounts that promote these cameras are awash with bright colors, millennial-aimed slogans, and celebrities holding Instax products at red carpet events.

Enduring Style

While Fujifilm is clearly pitching to a young market, it would be foolish to write off the new wave of instant photography as a passing teenage craze. Fully grown photographers are also embracing the retro appeal and physicality of this medium.
Richard PJ Lambert, of Birmingham, U.K., is one such photographer. Even as a specialist in analog photography and alternative photographic processes, Lambert finds instant cameras compelling. “I spend too much time in front of a screen, and instant cameras help me escape a little,” he explains. “It is a nice feeling to make a complete photograph without distraction, and then be able to share it with others in the corporeal realm.”
Image by tomertu
Referring to Fujifilm’s recent success, Lambert notes two important factors. “Producing a tangible artifact has become an almost nostalgic event, and there is a certain joy in creating something unique,” he says. “It also makes excellent business sense for manufacturers. Almost like the early years of Kodak, they can make a profit at every step of the process: the camera, film and print.”
That said, he quite clearly values the artistic honesty associated with the format.
“I quite like inviting unpredictability into my process, and instant film has an idiosyncratic color palette, tonal range and depth that is impossible to reproduce”.

A Bright Future

Speaking about the years ahead, Lambert is hopeful that the success of Fujifilm and its competitors’ revival will continue. “My fingers are firmly crossed for the future because instant photography is fun, exciting, and I couldn’t get the same results without it,” he says.
For Florian Kaps, the future looks bright. The rampant, ongoing success of the Impossible Project has allowed him to focus on a new business that sells only analog wares. “In my opinion, the next step will be the rediscovery and spreading of high-value instant photography,” he says. “It is comparable with the evolution of vinyl records, where we also see an exploding market for real, analog, [high] quality products.”
Every youthful generation collectively rolls its eyes when rose-tinted memories are trotted out for the umpteenth time. Occasionally, however, the eye-rollers find that the past has something worthwhile to offer. The recent resurgence of instant photography is proving that what once seemed old can suddenly reappear — albeit with new technology and up-to-date branding — as something very fresh.

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