Remember when your Mom used to snap a photo of you with a Polaroid camera? You know- those photos that popped straight out of the camera and developed before your eyes. What ever happened to Polaroids any way? I mean for so long they were this art form, capturing a photo and suddenly it was produced- right there in your hand. Polaroid has so much history- everything from Robert Maplethorpe, to Andy Warhol's factory, to your own childhood- so why isn't it a thing anymore?
Well not too long ago, Polaroid film stopped being produced and suddenly it was gone. Other than a few expired packs you can buy on Ebay- it was impossible to find.Then they begun the creation of Polaroid 300s, these little polaroid cameras available in pastel colors that are for purchase at vendors like Urban Outfitters. People love the updated version- but for some it doesn't quite hit it. Meanwhile, for the past 8 years The Impossible Project has been hard at work to resurrect the art form. They've started remaking 600 Polaroid film, refurbishing old Polaroid cameras, and even making a new 600 Polaroid camera. It took 8 years- but movement was born. Now you can put that old Polaroid camera to good use.
Not too long ago I made the jump to get a Polaroid camera- a vintage One Step 600, rainbow stripe and all. It was one of the coolest things I'd ever done. Admittedly, not all of my shots have come out amazingly but it's still so much fun- I opted for the black and white film for more of a Maplethorpe/Newton vibe. We all know that 90's kids are crazed for nostalgia- well there's not much as nostalgic as that whirring sound the camera makes when it spits out film. I have to say- you never know what you're going to get out of a shot of Polaroid but that just may be the simple elegance of it.
Polaroid, much like Vinyl records is part of a movement for the revival of tangible art forms. These days all of our photos are online, all of our music is on our phones and the counter culture has begun rebelling. Yeah, we all realize that digital may be easier and more convenient. But there's something so magical about pressing a button and pulling out a fresh Polaroid- it's the same as sliding a vinyl record onto your turn table and hearing surface sound. People will say it's just a phase- I mean what more of a "hipster" thing is there to do than walk around with an all too bulky camera that you pay for each individual photo no matter how they turn out? But that's the beauty of it- the permanence, the uncertainty.
Polaroid is back in and it's here to stay- so get used to it.
