Travel Photography with the NEW instax Link WIDE printer
Pete Elliot
The instax range at its core is about two things, fun and sharing with others. I’ve always been impressed by the instax cameras but often found carrying them around alongside my phone or mirrorless camera to be a problem at times. Fortunately, this has all changed with the introduction of the new instax Link WIDE Printer. This new standalone printer allows you to print directly from your phone, meaning your smartphone images aren’t lost as fleeting, distant memories lost among thousands of other snaps.
You can instantly print memories from family events, travel or anything you desire and allow you to have that social experience of sharing photos with friends and family instantly. This is without a doubt one of my favourite parts of being a photographer. Trust me when I say it goes absolutely everywhere with me, there really is nothing better than seeing people’s faces light up when you can instantly give someone a print that will remind them of that moment forever.
instax Link WIDE
The new instax Link WIDE app is the beating heart of the operation. This new app has a well thought through layout that is clean and very easy to navigate. instax has successfully combined the ease of your smartphone with the convenience of an app to print photos in minutes that will be with you for a lifetime. There are so many options for you to customise your prints all on the convenience of your smartphone, here are a few of my favourite features.
QR
One cool feature that you’re able to add with the app is the addition of a QR code. This has so many potential uses but here are a couple that I've found very useful. One is the ability to add the location of an image so it can be scanned and instantly found on google. Secondly, I’ve been able to add a link to my website so I can share my work with others. This is so useful as I can hand out these prints as gifts to clients from shoots, or potential clients and then be able to link directly to my website.
Colour Modes
The app also allows you to print in 2 colours modes, instax normal or instax Rich. This means you can opt for a classic instant print style or add more of a pop to your image if you want this print to stand out. Alongside this you can make final amendments to the brightness, contrast and saturation of your images so the final print is always in your control.
Custom templates
Another feature I absolutely love with this app is the range of custom templates that are available for you to customise your print and really tailor it to suit your needs. To name a few, you can make the prints for birthdays, weddings, special moments and many many more in the app. It really is quick and easy to tailor your print for its intended use all in the app, without any complicated editing software required. There’s no need to wait for weeks or even months to receive photos from events you’ve attended when you can print them right then and there for you to share with others.
Travel
As a commercial photographer who loves travel, the mountains and just getting outdoors with a camera whenever possible I too have fallen into this trap of having thousands of photos from trips, events or anything else locked up in galleries on my laptop in a seemingly endless sea of digital. On the odd occasion I do open an old gallery to re-edit a few photos I am instantly hit with a wave of emotions as I reminisce on all the good times from travels, the big hikes, the breathtaking sunrises and all the moments in between. Traditional methods of printing are often costly, time-consuming and require lots of your time in organising your files. With the addition of the new Link WIDE Printer lots of this is negated and not only this but I have a lot of fun selecting photos to print. These memories now line the walls in my bedroom, serving as a reminder of all the amazing trips I’ve had in my van. It’s always nice to look back on the good times.
Here are a few recent prints of mine from old trips that have brought back some of my fondest memories.
Isle of Harris/Lewis
The wild and desolate Isles of Harris and Lewis are a little slice of Scottish Paradise boasting pristine white sand beaches that stretch as far as the eye can see, clear turquoise water so inviting you’d sooner forget you’re in Scotland and some amazing mountains. I was lucky enough to spend 7 days road tripping here in my Ford Transit back in June and it was one of my favourite road trips to date. We Split our time equally between Harris and Lewis taking in all of the natural beauty it had to offer making sure we swam on every beach we visited.
Torridon
Torridon is a mountain utopia in the NW Highlands with immediately recognisable sandstone monoliths that rise steeply from the valley floor. It really is a mountain range like no other in the UK and it has a raw and rugged feel to it that keeps drawing me back. I’ve been lucky enough to visit twice this year and both times it has provided me with some of my favourite moments of 2021. Opening my tent at 5am and realising I was perched above a sea of clouds dancing through the valley below is something I’ll never forget and whenever I look at those images I am immediately transported back to that moment.
Dolomites
The alpine scenery of The Italian Dolomites is some of the finest you can find anywhere in the world so it’s not hard to see why adventurers from all over the globe descend upon this impressive mountain range. I was lucky enough to visit in 2019 with a good friends of mine and his dainty red vw transporter, aptly named cherry. The days on our trip were filled with plenty of hiking and some via ferrata routes that blew my mind. Being able to escape the crowds and watch mesmerising sunsets from mountain summits not accessible to everyday hikers was an absolute game changer. I can’t wait to revisit this magical place.
Final Thoughts
As I mentioned previously this printer goes everywhere with me now. The ability to share memories that will last forever instantly with friends and family is something that I cherish and this device paired with the app makes that so easy. With all of the built-in features and how simple the app is to navigate it’s an absolute breeze to print your photos and have fun with. My Christmas cards this year will all be containing little moments from this year that I want to share with prints and family and I couldn't be happier about it! It won’t be long before my house and converted van are absolutely covered in Instax Wide Link prints!
