I’ve always really enjoyed photography and working with film. Even in many of the collages, I would use old rolls of film I either developed or I had yet to develop, creating a very vintage feel. One thing I always wanted to try to do though was create a vintage feel with my photos themselves (either using a film camera or a disposable camera) without using a digital camera and an editing program on a computer. A website I absolutely love, photojojo, shows us how to do just that.
With a disposable camera, you can flash filters in front of your camera’s flash to add a dash of extra color. You can also create your own flash filter by using any of the following materials: wax paper, cellophane, different color plastic wrap, or anything else that would give your photos color. Lens filters can also have a similar effect. Some types of ordinary objects that can be used as lens filters are sun glasses, tape, and different colored wrappers.
Damaging the film can also create cool effects on all types of film. For example, you can get the film wet, put the film in the freezer for an extended period of time, or put the film or disposable camera in the sun. You can also poke holes in a disposable camera to create some light leaks. Photographer Thomas Anderson experiments with damaging film and disposable cameras and put an entire disposable camera in a pool and documented his photos. Besides water, drops of lemon juice on film make for another really cool effect.
You can also try creating cool effects by damaging the lens. You can do this by painting over the lens with nail polish, scratching it with a nail, or melting the lens. Thomas Anderson created images that look almost dream-like by scratching a disposable camera’s lens with a hot screwdriver.
Another interesting technique can be used to make 3D photos. This technique involves taping two disposable cameras together at somewhat different angles.
Using a cell phone fish-eye lens on a disposable camera also can be a very cool method or taking photos!
For more ideas on tips using disposable cameras or film cameras, check out photojojo!
