Why did I pursue Instant Polaroid Photography?
Random Person 1: “Are Polaroids still a thing these days?”
Random Person 2: “Eh so, why did you decide to shoot with Polaroid instead of digital photography?”
Random Person 3: “Can you still find Polaroid cameras and films now?”
These are some of the many questions I would get asked by curious onlookers when they come across my Polaroid photo booth at art markets, culture conventions and other events in town, where I would display my camera collections as part of experiential corner.
I would share with them how my story began some 20 odd years ago when my family photo was taken one a Polaroid at a tiger sanctuary in Thailand.
A souvenir photo that I would not remember or revisit till many years later when I chance upon it again, by then 20 years had already passed and the photo somehow looked as if it was shot just recently. That year was 2008 and Polaroid had just declared (for the second time) that they were officially filing for bankruptcy, essentially ending an era of Instant photography that lasted from the 1940s.
In 2013, when I returned from my overseas studies, I once again came across the same photo during our house relocation. This time, I wondered to myself the same questions people asked me these days, is Polaroid still a thing?
Fortunately, there was a company called The Impossible Project (made up of ex-employees from the original Polaroid Corporation) who were able to saved the very last Polaroid factory in the The Netherlands. The machineries were on the edge from getting demolished in the year that the original company filed for bankruptcy before they were saved by TIP. Best of all, after years of research and trials, they were able to revived the Polaroid film format and were producing them in small quantities for shops around the world.
Out of curiosity, I found a local store in Singapore that sold refurbished cameras and films from TIP, rushed down to their store and bought myself a camera with a pack of film to try and capture my own instant memories.
Back home, I loaded the film pack straight into the camera, the sounds and swirl of the motor simply felt like music to my ears.
Initial first images however were not as brilliant as the photo I remembered I had before, TIP had to start from scratch as they had no resources or materials other than what the last few machines capable of making Polaroid films.
Call it blind faith or the envisioning of Polaroid films to be as good as the old days, I continued my support for all things Polaroid and even start collecting Polaroid cameras from my overseas trips, always stopping by thrift stores and flea markets to check out whats new or old. To further promote the art of Polaroid photography, and to make it more accessible to other, I even started my own Polaroid store in 2014 where I would share with people my passion in Instant Photography at vintages fairs and art market.
Polaroids has come a long way since then, and the current company now produces new films and cameras that would rival the ingenuity and standards of the 80s and 90s. — TIP eventually rebranded themselves to Polaroid, with the company coming full circle since it’s issues in the early 2000s
To many, Polaroids are a forgotten thing of the past, but to me, it is a medium to instantly record down memories that would otherwise be lost in a digital age, transporting us back to a simpler more relax pace of life.
Check out my following pointers on why Polaroid are different than any other from of photography.
It is instant!
Traditionally, Polaroid films in the past develops within minutes right before your eyes (https://youtu.be/1Byzma9iNTA) with the newer films taking slightly longer to develop between 10–15 minutes. Still, the process is much quicker than sending a roll of film to the lab, and having them to develop into negatives, which then needs to be scanned before you could see an image.
For most Instant Photographers, being able to see your photos straight away is pure Instant Gratification!
Look, if the picture you get instantly is as beautiful as the picture you get by waiting seven days, then it is absolute madness to say that there is virtue in waiting. — Dr Edwin Land (Founder of Polaroid Corporation)
It is nostalgic.
Polaroid photos with their white borders and square images are icons from the 1980s, popularised by the pop art moment of that era where artist such as Andy Warhol was gaining popularity in mainstream media and with the Hollywood A-listers they were shooting. Everyone knew what a Polaroid is and till today the colours on the photo still has that retro look to it.
It is precious moments in a photo.
No two Polaroid photo are identical and that’s because no two moments are the same. Every Polaroid is a precious memory that’s recorded down in film and it captures the emotions like no other. That’s why they are perfect for birthdays celebrations, anniversaries and family moments.
It is physical, something you can hold onto.
Best part of a Polaroid is that you get to hold onto a physical copy of that picture moment straight away. Unlike snapping countless digital photos, Polaroid can be passed along with messages along the borders.
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