Since VSCO Cam was released for Android back in December, I have been using it almost daily to process images for my mobile 365. However, there is one preset series in particular that I’ve been avoiding – the “Instant” P-series.

I don’t know why – perhaps I disregard it because I know it won’t look quite like Instant film? Or perhaps I simply overlook it among so many other wonderful presets. Whatever the case, I thought it was time to do something about it.

I am sometimes asked how I come by my photo app knowledge. My answer, every time, is to shoot and experiment. And this is what I did.

The test

P-presets 1-3. I’m usually not too keen on the yellow tint, but it works surprisingly well on the cheese here. My preference is certainly for the first one; there is too much red in the second one and too much yellow in the third. vsco-p1-3For comparison purposes – below is the same subject shot with a proper Polaroid camera on Impossible Project film. The Polaroid image is too dark – I tend to use the flash less than I should, since the flash makes everything frequently look very washed-out – and sadly blurry, since it was hard to stand still for long enough with so many people around.

pola-1

P-presets 4-6. These seem to have more of a blue tint than 1-3. I don’t quite like the orange and reddish tones on the cheese in the first and second image.vsco-p4-6Compare again the proper Polaroid image below. I really love the way this turned out, even if this too is a little dark.

pola-2

Finally, P-presets 7-9. These seem to be a mix of the yellow and blue types that we saw above. Again I prefer the yellow-type ones; P-9 is perfect for bringing out the gold tones in the sofa and table. vsco-p7-9And whoops, the Polaroid version? Far, far too dark; I forgot to take into account that the camera would expose for the bright window, leaving everything else underexposed.

pola-3

The verdict

I learned from this little test that several of the P-series presets are lovely given the right subject matter, and that I love phone photography as much as I love Polaroid for much the same reason – they both require endless experimentation.

Do you prefer the phone or the film images above? Do you have a preference for phone photography over film – or the other way around – or are you an omnivore (omniphotographer?) like me? Let me know in the comments – I would love to hear from you!

~ All the best from Jenny.