Coeli Jimenez from the Philippines regularly shares amazing Instax images on her Instagram
(@ihateinstaxcoffee2). For this In the Moment with Instax feature we chatted about her
approach to Instax, her massive collection of 64(!) cameras, and crates of Instax photos sorted by format.
Hi Coeli! We are so glad an Instax fan from afar can join us here on the South African Instax blog. Can you tell us a bit more about yourself?
Kamusta, South Africa! I'm Coeli Jimenez from the Philippines! I'm an IT professional by
background but I also work for a number of non-profit organisations. I've been doing instant photography since 2018 with the Instax Mini LiPlay as my first instant camera.
I currently have 64 cameras (a mix of instant, film and lo-fi digital) and out of those, 15 are
Instax! I'm an island girl and stay on the beach for as long as I can. I also hoard stickers, travel as much as I can, and I read a lot of books!
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What inspired you to start creating with Instax?
I wanted to see what else I can do with an Instax camera, so from a hybrid LiPlay, I got myself an SQ6 and a Wide 300 to see how analogue cameras differ from the hybrid versions. The SQ6 especially was a fun one to use (too bad mine already died last year) with all the modes that I could experiment with.
Talking to and seeing the works of different instant photographers also helped inspire me to try to get more out of a normal instant photo.
You have beautifully curated layouts of the Instax prints you share on Instagram. How do you approach each image?
Thanks! Honestly, I just grab whatever I can at home. I have a lot of design papers for scrapbooking/wrapping so I use those and any decor that's already on our tables. I try to fit it to what my photo is as much as possible, but most of the time, I just make do with what I have.
We really enjoyed the abstract-like images you created with the Instax Mini 99. Did you play around with the camera’s built-in LED lights to achieve the effects?
I used an external LED color-changing light for that one, but I definitely used the long exposure and different exposure settings of the Mini 99! It's such a fun camera to use and is honestly my second favourite instant camera after the SQ6!
How do you display your Instax prints after you’ve photographed them? Do you have an album or a photo wall perhaps?
They're currently in crates, sorted by format. They used to be categorised in albums depending on the overall theme but I'm planning on doing a DIY scrapbook/photobook starting with my travel photos so I had to take them out of the albums. Since I'm trying to be better at portraits (or taking photos of people in general), I give those photos to my subjects too.
You also write articles on photography/instant photography on your Substack called Done in 90 Seconds, a reference, of course, to the time it takes to develop an Instax image. Please tell us more.
Thank you for acknowledging the reference! It started as an outlet to share what I've been able to discover in my years of doing instant photography. I had to pretty much learn everything on my own with a little help here and there, so the goal was to have something accessible to new users or those who want to experiment with their Instax cameras.
I try to look back at the common questions I used to receive when I taught instant photography workshops and write about those. I also write about the projects I do, with a huge backlog of projects that I want to start. Every now and then, I write about the books I've finished reading plus some personal ramblings.
For South Africans looking to visit the Philippines, should Manila be on the itinerary?
The Philippines is a diverse country and we have almost everything except snow. Manila would be a good jump off point as almost all flights to the different parts of the country originate from here. Manila also has a good amount of history, especially from our colonial period.
But if you're into beaches, mountains, desserts, forests, lakes or culture, we have everything. I know good travel agents if anyone wants to visit!
If you can take an Instax photo with anyone in history, who would it be?
I know his existence was probably an amalgamation of different people, but the Viking Ragnar Lothbrok would be one!
What is your favourite song, at the moment?
The Legend of Mother Swan by The HU.
What is your favourite movie, at the moment?
I don't have one favorite movie but I like horror, martial arts, fantasy and sci-fi movies.
If you can do anything else at the moment, what would it be?
If money was not an issue? Travel to Antarctica and the Arctic. Otherwise, read through my
200+ books from my To Be Read pile!
Join Coeli on the following channels:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ihateinstaxcoffee2/
Substack: https://donein90seconds.substack.com/
