I recently developed an obsessions with Polaroid (pun intended). It started out with my friend Jessie bringing one to work last year after she found a OneShot at a thrift store. After a little hunting of my own, I was also able to score one for about $4, however the film is becoming scarce since Polaroid announced last year it will be discontinuing instant film. Film packs are going at around $20 for 10 shots. Which brings up the question, "why even bother?"
Everyone and their mother has a digital camera. People are loosing what it means to be a photographer. It's not about taking a billion shots and hoping a few turn out really well, it's about knowing how to work a camera and not relying on the automatic mode. With Polaroid, you better know what the hell your doing or you'll waste $2 on a crappy shot. I recently acquired a vintage 1970's era SX-70 for the tune of $160. The SX-70 is the holy grail of Polaroids. Not only does it do the instant magic, but it also lets you manual focus on a subject. The Polaroids of the 80s and newer had a fixed focus and had a stupid flash that would go off even when you didn't want it too.
Now I know I could run my digital images through Photoshop and apply a Polaroid action that will look exactly like I scanned in a vintage shot, but it's just not the same emotional affect. There's something about snapping a shot and waiting for it to develop to see if you get an amazing picture, or if you just wasted $2.
