No Filter: Finding glimmers of joy in the everyday with Fujifilm

Life is busy, busy, busy, with obligations tugging us this way and that. But what if we gave ourselves permission to slow down for just a little while? To notice what’s already there, without worrying about perfection, filters or what anyone else might think?

Enter the Fujifilm Quicksnap Original camera, and a challenge for the Peppermint team: capture a handful of unfiltered moments of everyday joy. One chance only. No deleting, no retakes, no chasing the ‘perfect’ shot. Go forth!

And go forth we did, with more than a little trepidation. Turns out we’re all so used to snapping endless digital photos that holding a one-shot camera felt strangely high stakes. There was a little performance anxiety, a lot of nostalgia and, ultimately, an unexpected gift: instead of trying to manufacture the perfect picture, we simply paid closer attention to where we were in ‘real life’ and in that moment. We lingered a little longer, looked a little harder, and found tiny glimmers of joy hiding in plain sight. Here’s what we captured.

Kelley Sheenan | Founder/EIC

As a photographer, I originally trained using film, but it’s been a long time since I last used it. The lack of immediate gratification, the one-shot chance, the waiting for development, the unknown… it’s actually so refreshing and such a change for my usually fast-paced life. We’ve just adopted a rescue dog, and so my phone is FULL of photos. It was so nice to capture her on film while she created her little comfort nests. She curates collections of our clothing and shoes, especially my Merry People boots, as they are a staple for our arvo walks, and cuddles them to calm herself. So grateful to have her in our lives.

Donnay Torr | Deputy Editor

I find it easiest to ‘kiss the joy as it flies’ (as William Blake wrote) when I’m in nature, dipping my toes in sand and sea, sniffing salty bird-ridden breezes and trying to fit my arms around the trunk of an ancient eucalypt. It feels pretty free out there, away from the ceaselessly depressing news cycle and the watchful eyes of Big Tech. But I always wend my way back home, where the heart roots itself beside a backyard fire pit and imaginary hares “jump into flames and are not burned”. My pics are imperfect and didn’t quite capture the ‘earth air fire and water’ idea I saw so clearly in my head. But they do capture one thing: love lives here, and so do those tiny, sudden moments of everyday joy.

Mandy Borrett | Advertising and Partnership Manager

Weekends at the moment are a flurry of activity with three kiddos. A blur of kids’ sport and AFL games with the boys, family dinners, squeezing in a weekly grocery shop, and renovations to our 100-year-old Queenslander house… But we’re always trying to find little micro moments of connection and absolute silliness. If we can’t find the boys (Connor, aged 10, and Finn, aged 5) they will almost certainly be either in the pantry or on the trampoline. They love nothing more than ‘Mum’ joining in the chaos – you are never too old to jump on the trampoline! It was also so funny to explain to the kids that we couldn’t retake shots and we had to WAIT to see the photos. Like their minds couldn’t understand. Haha! The sheer bloody thrill of using a one-shot camera was so much fun; it felt simple and so nostalgic.

Laura Jackson | Sewing Manager / People and Culture

Luckily, I am the type of person who can spot joy from a mile away! I take great pleasure in noticing even the tiniest of glimmers in the everyday, made easy by living a life full of things I love, surrounded by people I cherish. Be it a quiet moment on a beautiful sunny day, coffee in hand, a super fun dance class with my fitness friends, peaceful time indulging in creative joys like sewing and crafting or feeling the blood-rushing triumph of hitting a PB at the gym, there are endless moments of joy to be noticed, if only you stay open to them.

Emily Howard | Community Manager

I absolutely love drinking up every last bit of joy and sunlight on my winter afternoons. I normally spend them crocheting (I’m working on a striped cardigan at the moment!) or outdoors playing with my ever-energetic Labrador, Skipper. Afterwards, I potter around my garden to check on the new colourful blooms I planted and inspect the cabbages for any pesky caterpillars. I sometimes fit in a walk around my local neighbourhood. I love watching each house change and slowly wind down as the sun sets. It was refreshing to pick up a camera instead of my phone this afternoon. It made me linger a bit longer in each moment and truly cherish the sweet end to my day.

♡ This is a Better Together Peppermint Partnership, where we team up with brands we love. This story was created with support from our friends at Fujifilm. Their Fujifilm QuickSnap Original camera makes it easy to capture those memories and moments that make life worthwhile, whether it’s a walk in the park with a cute pooch in tow or a cosy evening gathered around a firepit. To find out how to recycle your Fujifilm QuickSnap in Australia check here or drop off to any major camera retailer that participates in camera recycling programs.