You shot on someone’s capsule
Somebody pointed you at a QR code, you signed in and took some photos, and then nothing happened. That is correct. Here is what comes next.
Nothing develops until the morning
A capsule is a shared camera for one occasion. Everyone shoots into it and nobody sees a single photo until it opens — not the other guests, not you, not even the person who started it. The host picks the time; it is usually 9am the next day.
When the capsule opens, every photo from everyone appears at once, in astra, for the people who were there. If the host made the capsule public, it also shows up in the gallery inside astra for anyone signed in, and you can take any frame you shot out of it from the photo itself.
What you were shooting on
Not a filter. Each capsule is loaded with a film stock modelled on a real emulsion — its tone curve, its grain, the way bright lights bleed through it. If your photos came back warmer, harsher or grainier than your phone camera would have made them, that is the film doing what film does. See the eighteen stocks.
Questions
I opened a link. What was that page?
The capsule the link is for: its name, when it is on, when it develops and how many people are in it. No photos and no names. From there, open astra and type the code, or carry on in the browser.
When do the photos appear?
The morning after, at the time the host set — usually 9am. Nothing is visible to anyone before then, including the host, apart from a peek: one random photo shown only to the person who bought it.
Where do I see them?
In astra, where you joined: the app or the browser you shot in, or anywhere you sign in with the email you used. The capsule is on your home screen and under capsules, and if you allowed notifications your phone tells you when it develops. Joined with just a first name? Add your email and the photos stay yours on any phone.
Do I have to pay?
No. Guests never pay. The only thing for sale is a peek, and nobody has to buy one.
Can I save the photos?
Yes — full resolution, no watermark, and they never expire.
Can I get a photo of me taken down?
If you took it, delete it from the photo itself and it goes for everyone. If someone else took it, ask whoever started the capsule — the host can remove any photo — or report it from the photo. If the host is not reachable, email support@astracamera.com.
Can I leave?
Yes. Leave the capsule and it stops showing up for you. The photos you took stay in it unless you delete them first.
Why could I not see what I was shooting?
That is the whole idea. There is no preview and no retake, so the morning is the first time anyone sees anything — including whoever started it.
Want your own?
astra is free for a capsule of up to ten people, with no card and no limit on how many you start. You are dealt a roll of film every day whether you are at an event or not.