DISPOSABLE PHOTOGRAPHY

Disposable photography has been around since the mid 1900's. They usually have a fixed-focus lens and integrated flash, therefore have little to no control over the actual look of the image. The single-use camera is often used by tourists and people travelling around the world to capture their adventures, as well as becoming popular in weddings for guests to capture their perspective of the event. The whole 'idea' around the disposable camera is the notion of 'capturing the moment' and that moment being as authentic and real as it can be, with no manipulation of the images.

The cheaper style of camera is also often used by photographers who enjoy a less than perfect look, and don't focus too much on style and rather, on substance. However, like I'm doing in this project some photographers use this lack of style to their advantage and explore the technicalities of the single-use camera.

Unsurprisingly, this style of camera has become increasingly popular among the younger generations, across both their personal collections as well as on their social media accounts. This isn't just popular among the audience with a lack of technical skill and money for more advanced digital technologies, but a lot of celebrities and influencers have been seen using this method frequently across their social media accounts. This is an aspect which I will explore more deeply later on in my project.

Technicalities of the Disposable Camera...

The technicalities of the disposable camera aren't very advanced compared to that of the technologies we see today. They are usually incased in a cardboard/plastic box, which can cause an array of problems in terms of exposure and light leaks, this is something that I'd love to explore with my work during this project, to see what interesting images I can create.

The flash is normally quite essential on a disposable camera, as the film roll is often at a lower ISO number, therefore needing a striking light source for the images to be exposed clearly. On the subject of exposure, often disposable images aren't 'correctly' exposed, with flashback as well as lots of drastic lights and shadows caused by the flat flash included in the camera, giving them a more 'amateurish' look that we easily recognise.

In terms of colour all different disposable cameras give off a different tone, similarly to film in analogue cameras, some showing warmer tones and others with cooler. Throughout this project I will utilise different disposable cameras in order to explore this idea and find out why the most popular disposable cameras are so.

Some disposable cameras are waterproof although, this is a less common trait. These cameras are often used for holiday photographs when visiting seaside towns and swimming in pools. This camera creates interesting imagery, and I find it very impressive that such a basic camera can withhold such damaging circumstances.

The Failures of Disposable Cameras...

Although this camera is handy, cheap and easily accessible for many across the world, the disposable camera does come with some failures.

As previously stated the fragile, cheap casing may lead of light leaks and exposure of negative film before the development. This can lead to blank negatives which is only noticed after the development process. Similarly, in terms of exposure the issue with flash and ISO may lead to images being way too dark or way too light, and this issue is often difficult to fix. Some photographers may be able to rectify this through scanning negatives in and digitally manipulating the images, however this takes away from the authenticity of the disposable image.

The disposable camera also introduces a continuity charge, with the repetition of buying a new camera and sending it off to be developed. Although a camera may be less than £10 to initially purchase, the price does eventually build up when used regularly.

Another issue is the lack of creativity in the development process as many who use disposable cameras aren't equipped to develop their own negatives. Labs may alter colours and tones due to their development process which is out of the photographers hands, unless they decide to develop these themselves (which can also save them some money). As said previously the photographer may wish the scan their negatives in to digitally adjust the colours after the development, but again it does take away from the whole process of this style of photography.

And lastly, and probably more obviously to those who aren't as clued up in photography, is the amount of waste disposable cameras produce. The disposability of these cameras is being more problematic with the issues of global warming increasing everyday. Many have taken a turn to analogue photography because of this, and started to use point-and-shoot cameras. These cameras simply do the same thing as disposables, with little to no control over how your final image looks, and create less waste, you just wind up your film afterwards and continue to use the camera.