In an instant

Micheal Para Mir’s Instagram pictures are gorgeous. They are masterfully crafted with perfect composition and contrast. Photography is the art of capturing beautiful moments- immortalizing them in film. Equally immortalized are the many life lessons which we learned from Micheal, however yet again I’ll redirect the focus to a topic (one which I regret not asking). It can be readily stated that photography is one of the most readily accessible mediums in the modern age. One would be hard-pressed to find a phone without a camera. However, with the ease of capturing and sharing images their value almost… depreciates. The emotional impact of swiping through a gallery pales to flipping through the pages of a photo album with childhood pictures. Nostalgia clouded as I may be this is a problem tackled by the rise of instant photography. In 2018 Micheal himself used an instant camera, the Fujifilm Wide 300. Instant cameras might not have the best specifications for capturing vivid colors or handle less than ideal light levels, but they make up for it in character. I have been capturing intimate moments in birthday parties and get-togethers over quarantine on my Instax SQ6. It’s a unique social experience, the excitement in waiting for the photo to reveal itself, and ultimately handing them out as keepsakes. An instant camera won’t be used to capture a wedding photo or the magnificent dances which Micheal has captured with professional equipment, but at an age in which we photograph for our own gratification- not for monetary gain nor exposure- instant cameras fill a certain niche that might interest you.