The Instax Mini 7s is a line of instant print cameras produced by Japanese film and camera manufacturer Fuji. They are similar to Polaroid cameras but work on Fuji’s own proprietary technology to produce hi-gloss prints with vivid colors and sharp contrasts.

At five inches by five inches by two inches, they’re huge compared to compact digital cameras. However, compact digital cameras are incapable of producing instant credit card-sized printouts on their own without the need for add-on peripherals.

I love my own Instax Mini 7S in Chocolate, and can probably come up with a hundred different reasons to own one. If I had to come up with a top five, however, they would probably be these:

Instant Autographs

If you ever run into your celebrity crush or stalk him like I do HI RAFA! and you’ve got your Instax with you, not only can you have a photo with him (or her), you can also ask him to autograph it on the spot. An Instax photo will make the experience more special, and it definitely beats having a fuzzy camphone picture of the two of you together, or having him scribble his signature on the back of an old 7-11 receipt.

Personalized Greeting Cards

Last Christmas, instead of relying on ye olde Hallmark greeting cards, I took photos of myself goofing around in front of a giant mall Christmas tree with my Instax, and sent off the prints (with my Christmas greetings written down the bottom) to relatives in the province. Not only were they fun to make, my aunts, uncles, and cousins also had a laugh at my stupid photos 😀

Party Favors

Instant photos make great party favors! If you don’t have the money to rent a photobooth or the patience to set up your own, just grab your Instax and a pile of film refills and you’re ready to go! Instant prints are a great novelty item because of their relative rarity, and people usually have a fun time just watching their prints develop in front of their eyes.

Scrapbooking

Instant prints make wonderful fillers for scrapbooks and guestbooks at special events. You don’t have to wait around for the film developing service to be ready with your photos — just glue or tape them on to the page a few minutes after they were taken. For extra fun, use OHP (overhead projector) transparency pens in a variety of colors to write on the photos, and watch the stars, heart shapes, and devil horns add personality to your pics.

Modern Art

I’m sure some of you have at least heard of The Polaroid Project, and are aware that instant photography occupies a special niche in modern art. You can now try your hand at a similar project, or use one of your own ideas, with the cheaper and easier to find Instax refills.

It’s also a great excuse to cover up for bad prints I once wasted an entire box of film taking pictures of my left ear when I still hadn’t gotten used to taking camwhore pics of myself with my Instax. I simply compiled the prints together and called it “Portrait of My Left Ear”. Tres existential

That’s it for my list If you have other ideas please let me know! Or if you’re looking to score your first Instax, drop me a line too so I can point you in the right direction 😀 Happy clicking!