There is no doubt that more influencers are using their social media platforms and creating content with more vintage aspects in the last couple of years. An interesting combination of modern and old-fashioned style has been established, and people can’t get enough of it. As a young journalist myself I find this new way of taking pictures with a vintage camera and then uploading it on social media, interesting and unique.

The nostalgia that you get from vintage cameras can’t be compared with any new, advanced or extraordinary camera. It seems that it is not just the quality of the old cameras that attracts people to use and buy them. It is more sentimental than anything else. It brings up feelings and emotions that relate to the people and their loved ones.  

Maybe the reason why people are still purchasing and using the old-fashioned cameras is that they are looking for those feelings and emotions that the new cameras can’t provide them with. There is definitely a more professional and expert approach to this matter. New cameras offer extremely high-quality pictures, however, there will always be something about Polaroids and film cameras that is unique and more romantic to people.

The feeling of taking pictures with a Polaroid and holding it in your hands as an actual photograph in seconds revives memories and feelings of previous decades when parents and grandparents would show their albums to their younger family members. Or, it might remind people of those old movies from the 70s and 80s when having a Polaroid camera was the same as having an iPhone.

As for traditional film cameras, the feeling of rolling the rewind knob, not placing your index finger on the camera lens, or simply not forgetting to develop your film brings up a nostalgic epoch that the new technology, as revolutionary as it is, has taken away.

Being able to take pictures from a phone, editing and adding effects and filters, seems to be a reality that people are used to. Polaroids and film cameras give people that vintage-natural effect without adding filters or any other editing process. Seeing your memories develop right in front of your eyes creates a unique aspect that no editing app can offer.

The last couple of months I have been using the Polaroid Instax Mini 9 camera instead of taking pictures just with my phone. It was a strange experience taking my camera out of my backpack instead of just grabbing my phone and taking a picture. As strange as it was in the beginning, it made me feel more like a professional photographer who has some kind of knowledge when it comes to photography and cameras. 

The main reason why I started using a Polaroid camera was simply to see through the vintage lenses that can “take” you back in time and experience how a photographer would take family or portrait pictures. Some of the first polaroid pictures that I took were landscapes and shots of my family and friends. The aesthetic that those photographs illustrated was a vintage point of view while the posers in the pictures were wearing modern and minimalistic clothes.  

And really, that’s why I’m going to keep using the Polaroid camera. As good and easy as cellphone cameras are, Polaroids are more authentic, true, unique and original.A nostalgic throwback to film and polaroid cameras and how they are back in style.