Instamatic

For a very long time, I thought it was my uncle Edwin who took most of the family pictures. He had beautiful cameras and liked tools and devices, so I thought that was only natural. One day, while I was sorting old photos, Mama told me something about one that only the photographer would know. That was the day I discovered Mama's adventures with Kodak Instamatic.

Memories kept safe. Her favorite subject is Family ♥️

She took many photos, even tried to keep them sorted chronologically. Life is fast and sometimes you just have to let things be.

There are many kids looking directly at the camera and smiling. But you still know who the real subject is

Inspirations. She bought a camera to capture her firstborn's growth and developmental progress. He was a premature baby, very tiny and precious. Over the years, she would take pictures of milestones in the family like birthdays, graduations, fiesta and Christmas celebrations.

At first, she sorted out pictures chronologically and kept them in self-adhesive albums. She also used her trusty manual typewriter for the labels. However, this became especially tedious when some photos needed to be inserted in-between the pages. She became contented just having the pictures pasted in the album, no sorting needed! 👌

Still life. St. Martin de Porres and St. Lorenzo Ruiz

Why Instamatic. Her officemates bought this camera. The guys would literally just shove it in their pockets. It was portable and affordable (around PHP400 only), but it also came from a trusted brand. Mama bought one.

Around that time, there were discount cards being sold, and they all got one. For PHP70.00, you would get vouchers from small shops that offered an average of 20% off for their products and/or services. Mama used up her catalog mostly for the Columbia camera shop.

Person on the left shows only the upper half, girl on the right shows the lower half. Subject right in the center

On films and flashcubes. Quiapo, Escolta, Avenida Rizal. Those were the commercial centers at the time. Mama would ride the Rivera jeepney to go to Columbia camera store located in Quiapo. Mama bought films and flashcubes as needed, so there were no issues about expired films. If it was for an event, like fiesta processions, she would buy at least 2 films 🎞️

The flashcube held 4 flash bulbs. It rotated automatically after each shot, bringing a fresh bulb into position. So for 1 roll of film with 24 shots, you would need 6 flashcubes. The discount cards covered much of the costs. 📸

All of the people in the photo are not facing the camera except for the the subject

Again, many children in this photo with most of them not showing their faces leading your eyes to the subject

Patience. Mama had her photos printed in 3x4 papers. She would bring in the rolls, fill out a piece of paper, and pay for the development of the film and photo printing. It was a 2-day wait on average.

The papers used ranged from Kodak to Fujicolor to Mitsubishi, along with other unbranded cards. Most of the photos remain as vibrant as when they were first printed. Those that appear faded seem to have been printed that way originally. In some cases, there is slight yellowing on the back, but the actual images are unaffected. The Kodak Royal papers show no stains or signs of fading. Very impressive. 👌

Mama was surprised that I genuinely liked her photos (not just because she's my mother). She was not concerned about lighting and composition when she took those pictures. She just wanted to preserve memories of her family, most especially her children 💕

Featured artist: Grace
Camera: Kodak Pocket Instamatic 20 (all-black matte)