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Spill the Beans and discover the instax SQ40.

Fujifilm has just announced the arrival of the highly anticipated instax square SQ40, a brand new instant camera that will ignite your creativity and transport you to a world of nostalgic charm.

In a recent YouTube video, our Fuji Guys colleague, Francis, took a close look at this analog marvel. Let’s dive into the key highlights!

The Instax Square SQ40 introduces a captivating square format, offering a fresh perspective to your instant photography adventures. From the moment you set eyes on it, you’ll be captivated by its elegant design. The camera features a timeless leather-like finish with striking silver accents, exuding a luxurious feel that perfectly complements its artistic capabilities.

When unboxing the SQ40, you’ll find everything you need to start capturing memories: an instruction manual, a convenient shoulder strap, CR2 batteries, and of course, the star of the show—the Instax Square SQ40 camera itself. It’s a comprehensive package that ensures you can dive right into the world of instant photography without delay.

Exploring the camera’s features, Francis guides us through its components. The back cover lock secures your precious film, while the film counter keeps you informed about the number of shots remaining in your pack. The viewfinder ensures precise framing, and the film ejection slot delivers your printed masterpiece. One of the standout features is the intuitive auto-exposure functionality. The SQ40 boasts a built-in flash that automatically fires when needed, making it effortless to capture perfectly exposed photos. The camera’s light sensor and flashlight sensor work harmoniously to calculate the ideal lighting conditions, allowing you to focus on your creative vision without worrying about technical adjustments.

Moreover, the SQ40 comes with a selfie mirror that enhances your self-portraits and close-up shots. By simply rotating the lens, you can activate the selfie mode, which adapts the camera’s settings to optimize your self-captured moments. Remember to maintain the recommended distance from your subject for crystal-clear prints.

To further fuel your creativity, Francis shares some expert tips. Experiment with centered compositions to create visually stunning images. Leave clear space around your subject to make them pop and stand out from the background. Symmetry can also work wonders, providing a pathway to captivating abstract shots. Additionally, negative space framing and other composition techniques can elevate your instant photography game.

For more information about the Instax Square SQ40 and other Fujifilm products, visit our official country websites on instax.eu or our global instax.com.

What a difference an angle makes

Low level angle

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In this tutorial, I want to show just how easily the feel of an image can change just by shooting from a different angle. 


Shooting from different angles allows you to create something a bit different, something with a different perspective to how the viewer of your image might normally see the world.

Portraits

We’ll start by the standard “hand held at eye level” height. If I take a photo of Marc using the same eye level as him, it gives a fairly flat, neutral look. There’s nothing wrong with this point of view at all. However, if I change the angle I shoot him I can really change the feel of the portrait.

I’m using an X-T1 camera which comes with a handy pull-out tilting screen. If I angle the screen down, I can shoot Marc from above. This can be quite a flattering angle ( in his case though with that expression… I’m not so sure 😉 ) when one looks upwards towards the camera. Equally, if I pull the screen out I can angle the camera low and shoot up towards him. As you can see, this makes him look more powerful and authoritive and with a little bit of Dutch tilt, almost epic!

Still Life

And it’s not only portraits where this works.
See the difference between a “high”, “standard” and a “low” shot of something like a car. The low shot definitely gives a far more epic feel, whereas the high shot has that Autotrader look about it.

Landscapes

For shooting landscapes, going low removes the “middle ground”. The “Mid” and “High” shots below show the same scene taken at different heights. They both contain the foreground and background elements, but if you decide that the middle area is dull, you can go lower (as in the “Mid” shot) and effectively remove it from your shot.
And also, if the foreground is something small like a flower, mushrooms or even a bit of dog-chewed wood, getting low allows you to bring them in to be the real focus of the image, rather than just a minor element of the shot.

Hopefully that’s given you a bit of inspiration to go out and try shooting from down low, or up high and see how you can affect your images.

Until next time.. Happy Snapping!

🙂