Can You Get Great Portraits Using Just a Cheap Polaroid Camera? This Pro Takes the Test (VIDEO)

Jessica Kobeissi is a professional fashion photographer whose portrait tutorials we share often. This behind-the-scenes video is a bit different, as she uses a $100 Polaroid Snap camera to photograph a model in her home studio.

The Polaroid Snap is a fun and unusual camera, in that it captures 10MP digital files and outputs them as full-color 2x3-inch prints. And as you’ll see in the video, it’s possible to make some very nice images with inexpensive gear, if you know what you’re doing.

Kobeissi attempted to be as creative as possible with this shoot, and says “We used wigs and other items to make the photos as cool as possible.” While the Polaroid Snap doesn’t offer much in the way of user controls, we’d say Kobeissi did a commendable job.

The shoot begins with Kobeissi composing her photos loosely, because she’s unsure of the cropping the camera provides. But as the session progresses and she becomes more familiar with the $100 Snap, the photos get progressively better. At this point she adds some props and a $2 background, and really “goes pro.”

There are other interesting videos (of a more advanced nature) on Kobeissi’s YouTube Channel. You may also want to look at a story we posted earlier, discussing the recent revival of instant film photography.

X