Angela's Post: Instant Gratification

One of the earliest cameras I can remember was one that shot out a piece of paper that you then peeled apart and shook.  Like magic, the photo appeared and we passed it around for everyone to see.  Then, it ended up stuck to the refrigerator or lost in a drawer somewhere.  Those were the days before I saved every photo I ever took, carefully filed away in photo albums labeled with the date on the spine.  

The popularity of instant film, mostly known as a Polaroid, named after the manufacturer, seemed to die away a few years ago with the onset of the digital revolution.  Who would want a one-of-a-kind photo that didn't even have a negative, that actually cost about $2 to take, when you could print to infinity using a single image from a digital file?  Well, not many, it turned out, and Polaroid eventually ended production of their legendary instant film in February 2008. Stores continued to sell their inventory until supplies were depleted and I, and many of my friends, snatched up as many packs as we could, whenever we saw it. The last man standing was Fuji, who also manufactures instant film, but not all of it fits every Polaroid camera.  

 

Then, something really interesting happened.  A group called The Impossible Project acquired Polaroid's old equipment and factory in the Netherlands and began producing instant film for the vintage Polaroid cameras along with new, experimental film.  

 

Many of us never gave up hope when Polaroid ended production and held onto our cameras.  Many of us even picked up major steals ($5!!) from yard sales, thrift stores, and flea markets (there are a few of us who think cameras just look good sitting on shelves, too, and didn't care whether or not they actually worked...).  I've been noticing a lot of cool work from some friends who are fairly known for shooting with instant film, so I caught up with them to see what's up.

 

AK: So, people think that film is dead, and that Polaroid is even deader.  You know my feelings about film, but Polaroid did end production and went out of business, so that's partially right.... where's all this film coming from, now?  Are you finding any problems getting film to fit your existing cameras?  How about price, has that changed much?  What kind of cameras do you use, anyway?

 

Jennifer Wade: I have two types of cameras that take two different kinds of film: Instant, and peel-apart pack film. The two instant cameras are an SX-70 (made in the late 1970's) and a One Stop Talking Camera (made in the 90's). The SX-70 film is literally impossible to find, and I've had to fit the camera lens with a filter that allows it to use regular 660 film without over-exposing the photograph (since it was built for ISO-70 film, not ISO-600). The 660 film, which is what the popular cameras from the 80's and 90's used, is hard to find and just in the last two months, the price for a 10-shot pack has doubled.  The pack film camera, a Polaroid 440 Land camera (early 1970's), uses peel-apart film that is actually cheaper and easier to find, I think because some camera shops still use it for passport photos. The 4th Polaroid I own is a 160 Land camera (early 1960's), which used roll film. I have been unable to find any film that fits it, so for now, it just lives on my shelf as a beautiful piece of history.

Eric Petersen: I mostly use a Polaroid 330 which takes the Fuji Peel-Apart film, A Fuji Instax, which is pretty new and a smaller film size and my SX-70 with the leftover stockpile of film that I still have. I also have polaroid backs for my Holga and LC-A+.

Ramune Rastonis:  I lucked out because my sister found a beautiful Polaroid SX-70 at a thrift store years back for only $5. Now if you look for the SX-70 on ebay or The Impossible Project's store, they are going for around $200-$300! The Impossible Project, where I am getting my film, is currently making two kinds of film that work for the SX-70 (PX 100 Silver Shade ($22) and TZ Artistic ($24.50), they used to have Fade to Black but it is all gone). The price certainly isn't cheap, especially considering the experimental nature of the film and the fact that you have accept the quirks you get when using it. The Impossible Project also sells other kinds of polaroid film that fit other cameras.

Lindsay Bianco:  I shoot mainly with an 80's Barbie Instant 600, but have quite an arsenal of Polaroids: Three Polaroid one-step instant cameras; Speedliner Land Camera (Model 95B); Polaroid Land Camera Super Colorpack; Polaroid Spectra System; Polaroid Land Camera Automatic 103; and Polaroid JoyCam.  I would say that film is a little more expensive than it used to be. I can buy a pack of 10 polaroid exposures for $20 but they actually aren't that hard to find. Go to any CVS, Wal-Mart or Wallgreens and don't ask the clerk for help. Just go to the film section and look in the back. It's there. It's dusty, but it's there.

In the age of digital, where everything you shoot can be uploaded instantly, edited to oblivion, and shared with eighty billion people in just a few seconds after pressing the shutter, what is it about the instant film process that makes you stick around?

JW:  The most appealing part of an instant shot, especially from the pack film 440, is the blur and the grain of this small, 3x5 picture that I develop in my hands 40-90 seconds after shooting. The tones and grayscale are beautiful, and the lenses, the handling of the photo before I've peeled it apart, and the shadows in the bellows of the camera all add vignetting and imperfections that I don't get with a standard camera. Each photo is one of a kind, there's no negative to reproduce, it's just... here. Here's this thing I made. Nothing will ever look the same.

EP:  I think the thing that makes me stick around with the instant process is that every image is a one of a kind, besides scanning the image, which you can get the color pretty damn close, it will never be the original. I also love the color that I get from the films and cameras. Many people try and replicate the look digitally, but it's never quite right. 

RR: After shooting digital so much, it's refreshing to compose a shot, click the shutter, see the result and be done with it. What I like about The Impossible Project packs I've used (like Fade to Black and PX 100) is that they involve other elements that you don't have to think about with digital photography. The PX100 is super sensitive to light so as soon as you take the photo you need to cover it for 60-90 seconds to let it develop. I haven't played around with it enough to see all it can do, but I've seen some neat results online. The Fade to Black goes completely black within 24 hours (or much quicker in my case) unless you stop the processing by peeling the polaroid apart. The colors change drastically from one minute to the next and this transformation is not something you can experience with digital, or even regular film. Plus, how awesome is it that the battery for the camera is in the pack of film and your photo comes out right after you took it?

LB: There's something about the chemical process that is just magical, it's like writing a sonnet.  Film development has been building for over a hundred years or so.  Digital is great, but it's the new kid... old school is cool.  (Also, I just got married and having a photographer who shot film was a priority for me).

Since the one photo is pretty much the only original you'll ever have, I mean, you don't even get a negative, there's pretty much only one shot each time you hit the shutter.  Do you plan out your shots because of that or do you get trigger-happy and snap whatever you want, whenever you want?

RR: Since I just recently started shooting with The Impossible Project's polaroid film and due to it's experimental qualities (and $$), I try to plan out the shots to an extent. Partly I am taking photos of whatever because I am curious how they will look on polaroid versus other film or digital, but as I get to know how the film reacts to different situations, I think I will be a bit more selective in my shots. Unfortunately with the Fade to Black film I am somewhat limited to an area where I can easily take apart the polaroid to stop the development and then clean off my hands (those chemicals get all over your fingers).

LB: I definitely think twice, and I think that makes me a more thoughtful photographer. At present, I take and take and take and see what's what, but polaroid is different. It's just one shot, and I want each to say something, I can't say that when I'm shooting digital it feels even remotely the same.  I want each shot to justify the $2 that it costs. 

EP:  I've just never been the type to shoot as many frames of a certain thing until I got what I wanted, I tried to get it right the first time. It's so much easier with digital to just rapid fire and hope for the best but that's never been my style. So I take my time with my polaroids just as I would with any other shot. 

JW: I do think a *little* more carefully about what I want to shoot, because in a given pack of film, I have only 10 shots, and that pack cost a good amount of money. Because with each camera, the ISO is fixed and the exposure possibilities are very limited, I only take the cameras with me when I know I'll be able to use them, and be able to use them in an interesting way. Once I'm there, though, I try not to hold back too much from shooting, because otherwise what's the point of having the camera with me? 

 

 

What is your favorite film to use?

JW: I love Fuji 3000-B pack film. It's black and white, and the tones are gorgeous. Scans don't really do them justice at all, the blacks are SO black, and the details around the edges from development are fascinating to me.

EP: I pretty much use Fuji FP-100c for almost all my peel-apart stuff now. For my Instax, I use Fuji Instax Mini film.

 
RR: I've enjoyed playing with the Fade to Black film and am rather bummed that there is no more in existence (from what I understand). I hope The Impossible Project continues to make it because I have only just started experimenting with it and haven't quite achieved the results I want. I have two shots left and the rollers on my SX-70 are acting up and leaving lines across my polaroids . . . but it's just one of the many quirks I've come to accept in shooting polaroid.

 
Have you tried any of the alternative polaroid processes like transfers?  I've never had much luck with them, myself.

 

EP:  I've done some transfers, but not in a long time but love how they turn out. The only other thing I've been trying is creating a negative out of the Fuji FP-100c stuff. You can basically take the backing and with some bleach, wipe the black back off leaving you with a negative. Now I just need to get a scanner that will scan 4.5x3.5 negatives.

Tell me a little about yourself and how Polaroid fits into your life and how you create your art.  

JW: What I love about photography in general, especially film, is that I'm capturing my own perspective of a moment, on materials that impart their own quirks to the resulting image. Instant film introduces a unique kind of quirks and beauty, and I get the result immediately. So the making of the photo can become a part of the moment itself. Plus, peel-apart pack film is so tempermental depending on temperature and humidity and light, that it's sort of a fun challenge every time I shoot one to get it exposed just right. That part is fun for me.

EP: For the most part I now bring some type of polaroid with me a large percentage of the time when I go out shooting. I've gotten a lot better at judging what will and won't look good on instant film and also of how something will look with a certain camera. 

 

RR:  Right now I am using polaroid as an experimental break from digital and film. Playing with The Impossible Project's polaroid is a nice way to step back and take photos in a unique and immediate way. For me, it's not so much about capturing an image exactly as it was or having some grand vision for a photo, as it is about composing shots in different environments and seeing how the specific film will work in that situation. I can't say any of my polaroids are "Art," but I am having fun with them and hope to learn the quirks of the film and use them to my advantage.

 
LB:  What keeps bringing me back to film is the soul... the grain, the unknown...the magic. digital just falls flat in comparison. To this day, there is still nothing better than a well taken film photograph... all 100 percent in-camera. I see these pretty pictures on the net, all blown out and tortured to look that way...and I guess there's something attractive about that...like a super model...but to push the metaphor, there is still nothing more beautiful than a natural smile or a moment in time...free of minions toiling in front of glowing screens for hours...all attempting to return a perfect blue sky, into the glory it was on the day. 

 
Are you still using YOUR Polaroid?  Let us know in the comments!!

 

Comments

[chachlate]

Great and informative article. Impossible Project is indeed a great resource -- though they have released just two original stocks at present (the PX series) they intend to release more varieties, including color stock and film for a wider variety of cameras.

I own an original model SX-70 which i use with great delight, and my results are viewable here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/chachlate/sets/72157623488608091/

[Angela]

Thanks for the link!

[Dwight Zimpel - Your Vietnam Tour Guide]

I do a lot of traveling, have 2 digital cameras, and had forgotten about the SX-70 on the shelf. Back in the'70s an instant picture was a great way to make friends, or give kids in other parts of the world a gift. Good to hear that there are some out there that appreciate the technology of the past. DZ

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[Ed]

Great resource. Thanks for the link and photos!!

[John]

I had several "instant picture" type cameras over the years. Today, digital photography has taken over, and made it so much easier to capture special moments. Then they are instantly available. Also, I still have a 35 mm camera.

[ffxiv gil]

What can I do to the soul ... I went back to film grain, unknown ... the magic. Figures are only relatively flat. To this day, what better than a good film to take pictures ... all 100% of the camera. I see online, all blown up, tortured these beautiful pictures, read this ... I think there are some that ... ... like a supermodel, but to promote the attractiveness of the metaphor, what is more than natural smile or a free moment ... beautiful light of the screen in a few hours before the hard work I ... all attempts to return a perfect blue sky for its glorious day.

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[ForestWander]

Pretty cool post. Older cameras like this certainly deserve more notability than they get since the advent of digital photography. Film processing and the instant production of Polaroids is something that digital cameras have yet to replicate!

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I had some "instant picture" brand cameras terminated the years. Today, digital taking photographs has in use over, and completed it so much easier to capture special moments. so therefore they are straight away available. Also, I still have a 35 mm camera.

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Thanks for the article about cameras. It brought back a lot of memories.

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great images, I;m learning how to take pictures so seeing some of your photos really helps me. thanks

[Polaroid 600 Camera]

There is nothing like the old Polaroid photo. It's sad that the 600 film was discontinued. The new ones from the Impossible Project are a light in the end of the tunnel but they are still developping. Hopefully they will get better. I love them the 600 cameras that I'm making a site for them as a good place to get info, manuals, tutorials, where to buy etc... to help other instant camera lovers.

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Over the past few years, I have slowly been learning about digital photography through osmosis by listening to friends talk about things like sensors, noise, memory cards, compression, white balance, something about raw foods...I kid, I kid. The only digital camera that I have is the one on my cell ...
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