How Tinderflint and Nomad’s #Shot27 Turned Disposable Snaps into a Creative Statement

In an industry defined by speed and digital polish, creative production company Tinderflint and editorial and post-production house Nomad decided to throw things into reverse. Their new photography initiative, #Shot27 — launched in association with RAPID EYE Limited — challenged some of the creative industry’s sharpest minds to capture beauty the old-fashioned way: through the lens of a single-use camera.

No reviewing.
No editing.
No deleting.
Just creativity.

It was a test of instinct over precision, a celebration of analogue imperfection in a digital world. Each participant was handed a disposable camera and asked to document their surroundings — 27 shots, taken with care and curiosity, to be judged on their raw storytelling power.

A staggering 1,700 images submitted. From those, 200 were shortlisted, 20 made the final, and three winners emerged — with Entain’s Sam Steele taking first place for a frame that encapsulated the spontaneity and thoughtfulness the brief invited.

The Winners

1st place – Sam Steele (Entain)

2nd place – Eve De Haan (Dark Horses)

3rd place – Zuza Grabowiec (Brothers & Sisters)

Entries were reviewed by a panel of creative leaders and visual tastemakers, including Mark Denton (creative boss at Coy! Communications and author of 'Unleash the Power of Puerility'), award-winning sports and fashion photographer Holly McCandless-Desmond, ex-Havas London ECD and art director Andy Garnett, photographers and creative directors Adriana Roslin and Melanie Lehmann, multidisciplinary creator Mr Whisper (Balwinder Bhatla), Momentum UK’s commerce creative director James Cahill, filmmaker and photographer David J East, and luxury fashion photographer and creative director Carla Guler.

The Finalists

Kristie Girvan (Modern Citizens)
Tamara Walbourn (Hijinks)
Eve De Haan (Dark Horses) – 2nd place winner
Zuza Grabowiec (Brothers & Sisters) – 3rd place winner
Martin Cox (Kinetic Krow)
Joint team
Chloe Gray (Marks & Spencer)
Amanda Davies (Freelance Producer)
Robbie Tighe & Solomon Greaves (DEPT)
Anna Sweet (Deliveroo)
Liam Campbell (Grey)
BBC Creative team
Annabel Watts & Stephanie Johnstone (Deliveroo)
Stephen Lynch (Havas)
Chiara Piccirillo (Wonderhood Studios)
Remi Frederick (Asos)

The exhibition will remain on Nomad's walls in London throughout the summer and you are welcome to visit. If you can't make it, be sure to check out all of the finalists' photographs here.​

“Creativity through constraint,” as Tinderflint and Nomad framed it, proved to be far more than a catchphrase. The launch night at Nomad was packed and lively, as attendees celebrated the finalists and pored over the photographs pinned across the studio walls.

Eliot Carroll, founder and client services director at Tinderflint said: “In a world where everything is instant and on demand, this approach forces you to be patient and considered. A contemporary vision with an old school approach. It was a little step into the unknown until the long awaited prints arrived and the excitement from the finalists seeing their images was one of the best parts of the night for me.”

Nomad’s Donna Head called it “a truly brilliant and fun evening,” adding that “Tinderflint challenged some of our industry's brilliant creative talent by providing them with an old school disposable camera and asking them to capture the world around them. They then judged their photos to see who's at the top of their analogue game... And the results were superb”

Whether it was nostalgia, novelty or simply the challenge of letting go, #Shot27 struck a chord. And if the buzz from the first edition is anything to go by, this may well become a staple of the industry calendar — one click at a time.