'Roid Week 2011

With my iPhone I can now take pictures and not only see them instantly, but share them instantly. In the studio the LCD screen on my digital camera (or a separate monitor) provides the instant preview a Polaroid back once did for my predecessors.


Fact is, Polaroids are obsolete for nearly all consumer and professional uses. That doesn't make them any less fun to use, though.


In the right conditions, these cameras can still take surprisingly good pictures, but qualities that would normally be seen as undesirable, like light leaks, faded colors, and lens flare, are part of the charm of shooting with vintage cameras.

For me, Polaroid cameras are toys. It's nice to leave behind the weight (figuratively and literally) of professional digital cameras and the need to make technically good images and just go with the flow. 


You might get something cool out of a Polaroid or you might not, but there's something fun abou pulling, waiting and finally peeling the film apart to see what you got.

In an ironic twist, the internet has helped spawn a new cult following for Polaroids on sites like Flickr. 


In 2006, one group on Flickr started 'Roid Week, a loosely organized, annual, five-day celebration of all things Polaroid. This year, over 1,400 people contributed nearly 4,000 polaroid images to the group.

These are a few of my shots from my wanderings around town during 'Roid Week 2011. I did break the rules a little by making it a seven-day affair starting on a Wednesday, but being a Polaroid enthusiast has never been about being a conformist.

Check out more of my Polaroid pics

Photographer

Polaroid Porch

More Funky Lights

I took some more Palaroids recently for my Polaroid Lights project. As with the previous photos, these Polaroids were made with multiple exposures of a point source of light in a dark room, some of them long exposures with camera movement, and others stationary. Focus and distance to the light source were also varied.

These photos are not of a Christmas tree, as before, however, but of 'On' lights on electronic devices. The red is from a surge protector, and the green light featured prominently here is on a computer speaker.

I liked funky effect so much after the first time so much that I just had to find some other lights to use the technique on. I love how the different lights create and entirely different look with the same technique. The Christmas tree pictures have a decidedly festive feel, while these have more of a cool techno feel.

The second picture from the bottom even has lines reminiscent of sound waves -- appropriate since the green light is on a speaker!

Now I'm addicted, and looking for my next fix. If I see some interesting lights in a dark room I'm going to pull out my Polaroid and fire away!

Check out all the photos.