Best Instant Cameras for Holiday Magic (And the Photo Ritual That Changed Everything)
There’s a little camera I got 10 days ago that changed the way I feel about holiday photos of my own family.
It’s not expensive. It’s not fancy. It doesn’t shoot RAW or sync with Lightroom or let me change lenses.
Want to Try An Instant Camera?
It’s just a cute little instant camera. (I tried this one, and yes that's an Amazon affiliate thing so I do earn a commission, yada yada, but I'll link other ones below because it really doesn't matter which one you use...)
I loved it because it brought something back to my life that I didn’t even realize I was missing.
The Best Instant Cameras For Holiday Magic
If you’re ready to start your own Instant Holiday project, here are a few great instant cameras to check out (yep, I’m an affiliate for some of these — thank you for using my links if you decide to grab one - and full disclosure, I haven't tried all these, but the internet seems to like them. Let me know what you think of them if you grab one!):
📸 Kodak MiniShot 2 Retro – It's actually like a little printer, not a polariod, it prints different colors one by one, very cool and everyone loves to watch it print yellow, then cyan, then magenta layer by layer (it sucks the print back in each time) and then when it's done you don't have to wait for the image to "develop". This is the one I got and use throughout this blog post - and there is a newer version, I just clicked too fast and ordered the this one... whatever... at time of this blog post it was $119 and that included 60 photos/film. Regular price is $149.
📸 Fujifilm Instax Mini 12 – Cute, colorful, easy to use, and it seems like everyone has this one. My girls have an earlier version of it. At time of this blog post it was like $93 without any film.
📸 Fujifilm Instax Wide 300 – Bigger prints! Great if you want more scene in the frame (like a whole kitchen of mac & cheese action). $175 for the camera itself at the time of this blog post.
📸 Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo Hybrid – Hmmm... SUPER loving the retro feel of this one. And it ALSO has a memory card, if you hate giving away the prints and not having anything to show for it. It's not cheap, but INNARESTING to consider.... $320ish at the time of this blog post.
📸 Polaroid Now+ – A little more artsy, with creative controls via a phone app. A nice choice if you want more flexibility. The classic, the OG, and now it's bluetooth so that's kinda cool. $99 at the time of this blog post.
📸 Kodak Printomatic – Budget-friendly and fun ($69 at the time of this blog post list price is $79), though the prints are smaller and less sharp, apparently prints on sticky paper so that's kinda fun.
Whichever one you choose, keep it nearby this season. Not for perfect smiles.
Just for the moments that matter.
The ones you’ll want to hand back, later, with a smile and say:
"Here — I made this for you."
Bonus: My Favorite Photo Gift Ideas This Year
Before I share the full story behind Instant Holiday, here’s a free gift you might love:
Download my free guide: Favorite and Fun Photo Gifts - Volume 1, Fall/Winter 2025 Edition — it’s packed with simple, sentimental ideas (like this one!) to help you turn the photos on your phone into gifts you’ll treasure.
So... what is Instant Holiday?
Welcome to Instant Holiday, the idea I tried over Thanksgiving and totally plan to continue.
It’s my new way to document a wild, beautiful holiday… with intention, and joy.
A Photographer Who Doesn’t Always Take Photos
I take photos for a living. Thousands of them. With care, intention, and deep love for the families I work with.
But when it comes to holidays with my own family?
I don’t try so hard. I’m usually just grateful to be in the room, enjoying my people, with one hand poised above the Ruffles / onion dip.
And this time of year, after a season of working with so many incredible clients, sometimes I just want to set the camera down and soak up the mess and magic of my own family.
So most years? I barely take any pictures during the holidays.
But this year, something shifted.
It Started With a Story
A few weeks ago, I posted a little poll on Instagram: “Do your kids hate being in photos?”
I figured a few people would say yes.
EVERYONE said yes.
So many private messages poured in after my little informal poll — parents talking about how asking for a quick picture turns their otherwise-happy kids into frowny little storm clouds.
And I get it.
Because my girls are teenagers now. And I can see it in their eyes when I lift my phone — that flash of "Please don’t make me pose right now."
And I thought: What am I really trying to capture, anyway?
Not the smile.
The moment.
So I Tried Something New
I saw someone sharing a clip of their instant camera on social, and it hit me: maybe that’s the answer.
Not more photos. Not posed photos. But different photos.
Photos that feel like time capsules.
So I ordered the instant camera she'd linked (of course I needed a new toy / business expense) even though BOTH my girls have Instax cameras I could have used... Le sigh... such is the way I do things.
And during Thanksgiving week — when we were baking pies, stirring gravy, making Tini's viral mac & cheese — I didn’t take out my phone (except to watch her recipe OMG, go watch THIS TIKTOK and make her mac and cheese, exactly as she describes, this woman should be protected at all costs she's a GENIUS).
So during the mac and cheesing, I got to be present. But I was also watching for moments, like I'm always doing... Because I knew there'd be things I'd want to remember. My mom and her grandbabies, playing a magnet game.
Because when the moment felt right — not perfect, not posed, but real — I picked up the little instant camera and clicked.
That was it.
No previews. No retakes. Just one try.
And then I got to give that photo to my sister.
The Kitchen, the Camera, and the Gift
My dad made the gravy.
My brother-in-law revealed his Taco Bell pie that was Baja Blast flavored - SOOOooo good...
My nephew might have had cake before he had turkey, but who noticed?
In the middle of it all, I took a photo, or two — one frame, one click, one memory.
One story, two layers.
And then the best part?
I handed the print to my niece, my sister, my daughter...
"This one's for you."
The Instant Holiday Rhythm
See the moment.
Take one instant photo.
Photograph that photo with my phone, in context, right away.
Give it away.
And with every little print I handed off, I felt more grounded, more present, more grateful.
I felt like a photographer again.
Not working. Not hustling.
Just seeing.
And involving the kids in it!
I handed my niece the little camera for a while, and she wandered around, taking photos of things that made HER feel the day. She got to give photos away. I got to share my love of intentional photography with her.
Watching her prep for a moment, stand there, consider whether it was worth it, when AJ (that's me, Aunt Jess) had told her she should really only take a few photos with this camera because I hadn't brought endless film... THAT was cool.
I loved that for her, and I loved it for me.
Not a Pro Photographer? That’s Actually the Point
I came to this project because holiday photos have always felt like something I didn't want to push during family time, and I was trying to come up with an idea to solve that problem for ME.
But maybe you're coming to it for a different reason.
Maybe you always have your phone out — and end up with hundreds of photos that don’t mean much. Maybe you scroll through your camera roll and wonder why none of them quite capture what you were feeling.
This helped me slow down.
Because with an instant camera, you pause. You think about it. You breathe. Then you click — just once.
And then, if you want to, you hand it off.
That was a fun second layer of intention, for me... the giving of the images. But also it became a fun little creative challenge, to tell the second story, the layered story, with my phone... so that I could give away the print.
Like the vibe here?
Come hang out with me. I’m Jess, a longtime family photographer who writes like we’re chatting in the preschool pickup line.
Each week (ish), I send a quick, thoughtful email — usually with a photo tip, a funny story, or a moment that made me pause.
Sometimes there’s a gentle nudge to take a picture of your own. Sometimes there’s a reminder that you’re doing a great job.
If that sounds like your kind of inbox moment, you can sign up for emails here:
