Here at Analog, our mission is simple: Make it easy to experience the joy of film photography! For this reason, we use high quality film and include development with the purchase of every camera. It's also why we decided to compile a list of best practices and tips when using disposable cameras.

Film doesn't quite work like phones, and you should be familiar with the differences to make the most out of your shots. Understanding our tips will make the moment you receive all of your photos (directly to your phone) even sweeter.

If you don't have time to read everything below, we recommend at least checking out our three most important tips when using a disposable camera.

Before we get started, make sure to check out our shop for all your disposable camera and film development needs! We include development with all of our cameras and send your pictures directly to your phone. Bundling allows us to have the best prices around.

Note: Practice some of these techniques towards the end of your roll of film. Some of the tips intentionally mess with the camera and can affect future exposures.

A truly unique aspect of disposable cameras is the ability to overlay shots, otherwise known as double exposures. This is an awesome trick for overlapping two different shots and creating something really mind-blowing. There are a few ways to achieve this:

a.) Smack the bottom of the camera against your palm after taking a picture. Don’t worry, you’re not going to hurt it!

b.) Don’t completely wind your camera all the way after your last picture.

This technique can produce really cool results at concerts and festivals.

My favorite disposable camera trick ever: Shoot retro 3D images by using 2 disposable cameras at once.

…Wait, what?!

By holding two cameras together, and taking both photos at once, you’ll capture the same image from two, slightly different, angles. When you put these photos together after development, your image will look three-dimensional.

The key is to put your subject front and center – about 5 feet away – with a solid backdrop – about 10 feet awayUse a GIF generator, like this one at GIPHY, for easy sharing. I promise, all your friends will ask you how you did this!  

If you take away anything from this guide to getting the best disposable camera pictures, let it be this:

Unless you are shooting towards a reflective surface (ie. mirrors, water, glass), make sure to use the flash!

Exposures always come out sharp in settings with high light allowing for a lot of contrast. That said, even in daylight, turn the flash on for best results. You’ll typically have more photos come back to you that are too dark than too bright.

As an added bonus, using the flash in daylight can produce some magical, vintage looking light streaks - one of the hallmark characteristics of using disposable film. Bet you can’t replicate that with a filter!

There’s only one other time I would recommend not using the flash (see tip #6).

Keep your disposable on you at all times! The beauty of the disposable camera is that its ready to go anywhere – the party, festival, beach, boat… the list goes on.

These are situations where you either 1.) don’t want to bring out your expensive phone or 2.) that expensive phone can be a huge distraction.

At Analog Camera Company, we like to say that disposable camera photographers put the experience first. Be in the moment, and stay strapped with your disposable - you never know what spontaneous, once-in-a-lifetime shot you might get.

Earlier, I mentioned that there is only one other reason to not use the flash. If the tradeoff is waiting for the flash to load or missing the shot, put the experience first! You can always take a shot without flash while the flash is charging.

Even more so than other types of photography, you’ll want to play with light, angles, and colors in your shots. 

Going for the vintage vibe? Let streaks of sunlight work their way into your exposure.

Looking for a new perspective? Shoot from the ground up.

Want to capture something truly breath-taking? Play with bright colors, or, better yet, trying grouping different shades of the same color in one shot.

If you've already got a great scene or subject for your disposable camera picture, use angles, lighting and colors to make it even more memorable upon developing!

This one is for all you festival and concert goers! When taking pictures in a crowd, raise the camera above everyone. This new vantage point makes sure your shots aren’t congested with bodies and blurs.

This little used trick is one of my favorite ways to capture the vibe and the essence of an event, and since you can’t actually see the shot your taking, you’re in for a fun surprise when your film gets developed.

When it comes to the focus of your pictures, remember that the sharpest part of your image will be in the center of the frame, anywhere from 5-15 feet away.

Knowing this you can play around with the distance to intentionally capture the subject of your picture out of focus.

Try to keep the camera still when shooting! The shutter speed is not fast enough on a disposable to focus on something while the camera, and subject, are moving.

That being said, sometimes, this can create the desired effect on your shot. The rules of disposable cameras are meant to be broken!

Written by Max Gallagher