Filip Brož On Saturday, another instameet took place in the Giant Mountains, i.e. a gathering of Czech Instagrammers and people who like to take pictures. This time, the meeting was combined with a hike to Sněžka and thus a more than decent walk. The route led from Špindlerův bouda along the ridge around the Polish lakes to Sněžka. In addition to great experiences and photos, each participant also took home a package of sweets from Nestlé. Anyone who wanted could try the great Instax camera from Fujifilm.
Already before 10:30 in the morning, several Czech Instagrammers were hanging around Špindlerův bouda. In the end, around fifty people arrived at the meeting. Among them was represented the top of Czech Instagram, for example Hynek Hampl (@hynecheck), Pavel Daněk (@danekpavel), Matej Šmucr (@matescho), Jirka Kryl (@j1rk4), Jiří Královec (@opocor), Jason Nam (@djasonnam), Jakub Žižka (@jackob) or Jan Haltuf (@tenkudrnatej) and many others. There were also people who have no experience with instameets, and it was their first event.
At ten o'clock, the main organizer Adéla Ježková also appeared (@adleyy), which refined the route and provided details. Everyone followed the same route, with the meeting at the top of Sněžka scheduled for two o'clock in the afternoon. During the nine and a half kilometer route, everyone could take photos, socialize and get to know each other as they pleased. I had the honor of seeing many Czech Instagrammers for the very first time. I was able to take a look at their photographic equipment and technology.
Personally, it was interesting for me to discover that many people took photos not only with iPhones, but also with other Android devices and, above all, different types of SLRs and compacts. Some people were also able to borrow Fujifilm's modern Instax Polaroid cameras.
There were two types to choose from, the larger Instax Wide and the smaller Instax Mini 90. I was lucky enough to get my hands on an Instax Mini together with film, which was enough for sixteen photos. The joke of this device is that as soon as you press the shutter button, the resulting photo will pop out of the side. It will be triggered by itself within a few minutes according to the current temperature conditions.
So I put the Instax Mini around my neck and set off with a few people. The path led along ridges and there were amazing panoramas, landscapes or various portrait and group photos to capture. In addition to the iPhone 6 Plus, I also carried a single-lens reflex camera in my backpack, which I never took out during the trip. The whole time I was mesmerized by the borrowed Instax.
Album photo
The device is very intuitive and literally maintenance-free. Devices from Fujifilm differ from each other only in terms of equipment, user options and also the format of the resulting photos. The Instax Mini 90 is Fujifilm's flagship and it's a lot of fun to shoot with. Unlike other models, it has several photo modes and a few gadgets.
I was a little nervous the first time I pulled the shutter. I thought to myself, what if I screw it up and lose one picture unnecessarily? Fortunately, I found out that it is not difficult at all. I took a landscape shot as my first photo memory, so I only chose landscape mode on the Instax. I also often took pictures of my girlfriend and other people, so instead I used the portrait mode.
All modes are selected using a button Fashion, and in addition to the aforementioned, there is also a mode for movement, party mode, macro or turning the flash on and off. However, what appealed to me the most was the double exposure mode, which allows you to save two shots in one photo. This makes it easy to experiment in different ways, for example you take a picture of a landscape and then a face. The resulting photo is really very interesting. You won't find any setting of aperture, ISO time and other matters on Instax.
This is because the camera automatically detects the brightness level of the captured environment and chooses the optimal amount of light in the flash and the optimal exposure time. The resulting photo, which pops up immediately after pressing the shutter button, is in the format of a business card. I was also very pleased to find out that I can immediately put the photo somewhere in my pocket or backpack and I don't have to worry about it getting damaged in any way. The image is always developed entirely by itself, with the photograph mainly characterized by warmth and darkness, such as a trouser pocket.
The Instax Mini 90 can take ten photos on one film. After that, you have to change the film and you can safely continue shooting. Before I reached Sněžka, I was changing the film. Towards the top, everyone had their fun taken care of, so there was no question of taking any pictures at all. Crowds of people flowed up and I took a deep breath at the top.
I also really liked the design of the Instax Mini. It resembles old cameras, only given a plastic coat. Charging, on the other hand, is handled by a classic rechargeable Lithium-ion battery, which, according to the manufacturer, can last up to ten films, i.e. one hundred photos.
Group photo
The second hour struck and most of the participants who set out from Špindlerův bouda were moving around Sněžka. So the classic group photo took place and the official program of the instameet ended. Some people stayed on Sněžka to take a few shots and photos for their Instagram accounts, while others, on the other hand, set off on their way back to Špindlerův Mlýn. So I said goodbye to my borrowed Instax Mini and headed back the same way. In the end, a total of twenty-five kilometers appeared in the activity on my Apple Watch.
All photos can of course be viewed by any Instagram user. Just enter hashtag #instameetsnezka and you'll immediately see what gems users managed to capture.
If you are interested in Instax photography, I highly recommend the website www.instantnikluci.cz, which is a bunch of people who only take pictures with this device and try to introduce it to people here.
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