PHLAC

Alongside the Kodak Brownie, Polaroid and its ground-breaking instant film became household names by the second half of the 20th century. Most American families in the 1970’s had one, even if it was hiding at the top of a closet or somewhat of a novelty sidekick to the fast-becoming-antiquated Brownie or quickly-emerging 110 format pocket cameras. So how is it that a camera so common has turned itself into the darling of art photography?

While widespread consumer interest withered away quickly by the ‘80s, Polaroid film and backs continued as staples for professional photographers. And the unique 20×24 Polaroid camera weighing in at 235 pounds remains the behemoth artists’ tool in a studio setting, popularized by the work of William Wegman with his Weimaraners and John Reuter, a lifelong Polaroid artist who is the director of Polaroid’s 20×24 studio.

When the Polaroid SX-70 was introduced in 1972, the idea of the camera as an integrative art tool was initiated. It implemented the first instant film that allowed manipulation or transfer of the Time-Zero film emulsion. The distinctions between photography, illustration, and even painting became less clear. The camera and film were only a starting point, and the variations of creation differed from what the typical darkroom offered.

Polaroid image-making conveniently fits well into the digital shift. Photographers who’ve grown a bit weary of digital image capture, and are reluctant to return to the darkroom have an alternative which yields almost the same immediacy in acquisition, but adds the appeal of seeing a developing photograph. Scanning and spotting give the photographer additional time to feel connected to the image.

The Polaroid company filed for bankruptcy protection in 2001. Despite the flourish of newer Polaroid camera users by way of eBay and the demand of instant film, some popular film-types have recently been discontinued. It’s unthinkable that the SX-70 Time-Zero film has been sentenced to an untimely demise in 2006. But there is an alternative to use 600 or 779 film—albeit with different results—with a do-it-at-home modification to the SX-70. The Spectra system, another option, which I’ve chosen for my inaugural dive into Polaroid, uses film (still in production) which is slightly wider in length than the SX-70 format. The cameras by comparison are also more affordable on the used market than a vintage SX-70.

Still another method is to take a $20 Holga and stick on a customized Polaroid back and you’ve got a Holgaroid. You can shoot a variety of Type 80 square format film, which is rumored to be retiring soon to instant-film heaven, but the newest backs also take the wider-format 100 films. Type 85 is particularly desirable for yielding not only the positive print but also a pretty damn good negative image.

It would be pointless to write about this without noting the fine work many photographers are exhibiting online, in particular at the most dedicated and impassioned Polaroid site made to date: polanoid.net. The spirit of their endeavor is summed up in these excerpts from the creators of the website:

POLANOID was invented because [of] the magic of Polaroid pictures, the thrilling Edwin Land story and the charm and touch of Polaroid cameras hit us like a sledgehammer.

As it was always our first and most important aim to keep our new POLANOID website free of any commercial aspect and to just make it a place of Polaroid lust and leisure, we had to find another way to earn some pesetas to buy our beloved ones flowers and toys after working late, and of course to continue our Polaroid collection. (Ok, to be honest we wanted to buy flowers and toys, but ended up in investing every penny in Polaroid products. It is simply not our mistake that Polaroid does not produce flowers).