Creative Ways to Use Up the Shots on a Disposable Camera

I'm sure you've been there at least once. Your regular camera is broken, or you need one on the spur of the moment for a trip, or someone passes them out at a wedding reception, or maybe you buy one just for fun: the disposable camera. You take a few shots of your weekend trip or the big party, and then you have a bunch of shots left over and no idea what to take pictures of. You don't have any more special events coming up, nothing that needs to be documented. What to do?

The most common solution, of course, is to just leave the camera in your purse or on your hall table for a few months until another event comes along. By the time you've used up the rest of the camera, a significant amount of time will have passed, and you will have forgotten what you took pictures of; it'll be a nice little surprise when you get the film developed. This method does have a certain appeal.

However, if you want to get your pictures back a little quicker than that, there are other creative things you can do to use up the rest of the shots. You might be tempted to just take a bunch of quick throwaway pictures so that you can turn in the camera right away, but don't. Instead, try something a bit more interesting. No, I'm not talking about a dozen pictures of your pets doing cute things. Here are a few suggestions.

Document your valuables. I'll bet it's never occurred to you to do this. Take fairly close-up shots of things like your TV, your stereo system, or especially valuable pieces of jewelry. On the back of each snapshot, write the make and model number, any ID numbers, a brief description-anything that'll help you identify the item. Keep the snapshots in your safe deposit box.

Make a series of self-portraits. Just hold the camera at arm's length, facing you. The picture won't be of the best quality, but it will be spontaneous and fun, and that's good. Take a snap of yourself in the same place at different times of day, or make every shot a different angle of the same pose, or take a snap every day and let the series document how you change in two weeks' time. Frame the whole collection and hang them in a grouping for a quirky conversation piece.

Take artsy shots. Take close-up shots of everyday items with interesting textures and patterns, or shoot local landmarks at unusual angles. Take the camera along on your next car trip and take random pictures through the open car windows without aiming. Take multiple pictures of one specific type of item-doors or mailboxes or shoes, whatever interests you. Frame and hang as above.

Organize your shoe wardrobe. Take a well-lit, close-up picture of every pair of shoes you own, and fasten the pictures to the outside of storage boxes. Stack the boxes neatly in your closet. You'll know at a glance which shoes are in which box. This is also useful for other accessories like hats and purses.

Make something crafty. Take lots of pictures of flowers, or scenic views of your city, or colorful neon signs. Take goofy candid shots of all your friends. Have the pictures laminated and use them as coasters. If you want to get fancy, mount them on construction paper before laminating.

These are just a few ideas; with a little time and imagination, you can come up with a lot more. The goal is not to take pictures of any old thing just to finish the roll, but to be creative and look at your world in a new way. If you're using a disposable camera that you only spent a few bucks on, you won't feel so much pressure to make every shot perfect, and that'll let you feel free to be inventive and have fun with your project. Give it a try! The camera may be disposable, but those last dozen pictures don't have to be.