This is sort of a rant, but not really. But it is. 

I had the Fujifilm Instax Mini and it was fun. I remember  shooting through a few cartridges quite quickly, taking snapshots of my niece, nephew, wife and ordinary things around me. A street in Stockholm, my wife eating (mumbling please stop and eat) and friends stopping by for dinner.

But the film size was my big issue. Shooting pictures with the Instax Mini did not give me that old Polaroid feeling I had growing up shooting with my fathers camera. The frames I held  in my hand was really… mini, as the product name tried to warn me prior to my purchase.

So I sold it. And then bought the Instax Wide.

And the Wide film format was pretty much on target for my taste. I had a framed photograph in my hand, kind of back in the day, and something to pin on our fridge or give away. The film format was good. Ten times better compared to the Mini.

But, and this is when I realise I am already a grumpy and lazy old fart, the size of the camera is a reflection of its name; wide. It is a big camera to put in your everyday bag and this makes me bring it on very few occasions.

Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoy the end results I get with the Instax Wide, but it is a wide camera. I can’t see myself carrying it around my neck or fitting it into my laptop bag during office hours when I’m running to and from client meetings.

Bring the damn camera with you

I realised last year that I need to work on my basic skills; always carrying a camera. Luckily I have the Olympus 35 Trip for film and the Ricoh GR II for digital that you can fit into a pocket, which I have been focused on using this year. Always carry a camera. Take lots of photos. Complete all the projects I have on paper but not on film or my SD cards.

In a perfect world I would not have to work on picking up a camera before leaving the house – I would just grab one and leave.

But I am not there, yet. I am working on it. My basic photography skill of bringing a camera with me. From something small, to (and I hope I will get to this state of mind) any camera. My Hasselblad, my Instax Wide or any-other-camera from my collection of toys. Not thinking about it, just leaving the house with a camera.

Maybe some day.