Instant Gratification

I saw a post on twitter today that led me to The Impossible Project, an organization working with Polaroid to develop newly improved film for existing Polaroid instant cameras.

Sweet.

The idea of revitalizing instant film definitely appeals to me. As you may know, Polaroid discontinued manufacturing their instant film a few years ago. You can still get the cameras and the film from amazon.com or ebay.com, but the word was that once the film ran out, it was out. After checking out a few of the film samples on the Impossible Project site, I noticed that there are quite a few varieties of film such as "Blue," "Chocolate," "Fade to Black" and "Image White." Each variety offers a development speciality, casting degrees of color or shadow onto your image. It's just like using the effects tool on a photo program on your computer, but instead of clicking on "Sepia," for your modern image to look aged, you use the "Sepia" film.

I love the vitality of a more analog-centric community. In our technology-driven world it often feels like we're trying too hard to look for the next big thing. The iPad came out days ago and there is already talk of "What's next?" Granted, if you wanted to go way old school, you'd be setting up your darkroom. But the notion of using modern technology to achieve an aesthetic that's accessible to users appeals to me greatly. The film runs about $18-$35, with a $47 variety pack option. I don't know how many exposures you get with each pack, but I assume it's around 10, the same as a single pack of the discontinued Polaroid film. Even if you buy a new Polaroid camera to go with that film, it's still cheaper than an iPad. And it's fun!

I'm pretty excited to have another point of view for photographic expression. The Impossible Project is in the midst of launching their products now, with a big push in summer. Their press release also mentions a store opening in New York City later this year.

Below are two polaroids of my own, the first of me and a family friend in the middle of a snowstorm at Donner Pass. What else but a Polaroid could capture such a blizzard as whiteout haze? And yes, I'm the nine-year-old wearing a funky striped scarf and Hello Kitty knit cap.

                   

The second was taken about 20 years later on one of those smaller, even more portable Polaroids. I think it was called a Sidekick or Slide-something? I'm at a plaid party. That's right, PLAID. I love this picture because the premise of a plaid party is just hilarious, but I'm also about ten weeks pregnant with my oldest daughter.