I'm a Polaroid Junkie

[limr]

Sooooooo.....I'm having a photo show at a small local studio next week. It's me and one other woman, who is actually the curator for the studio.

The show is exclusively for instant film.

Much of my work was taken with a Land Camera 100 on Fujifilm peel-apart pack film (100C and 3000B). I also got a Fuji Instax Wide 210 camera for Christmas (or my birthday? Can't remember and it wasn't even that long ago! )

Here's the picture that is going on my publicity postcard:


rs Instant memories by limrodrigues, on Flickr

Here's one of my favorites that will be included (the original but some of the prints will also be enlarged):


Garage by limrodrigues, on Flickr

The negatives from the 100C film are recoverable, so I've scanned those in and will include enlarged prints. I also have one collage made from emulsion lifts and am working on another one, possibly more.

I'll be spending much of the weekend scrambling to try to get this all together. Wish me luck!

Art Exhibit Opening & Reception: Polaroid Junkies - Events Event, Arts & Entertainment - Southeast-Brewster, NY Patch
(The red hoodie shot is hers. The shot of the Polaroid, obviously, is mine.)

 

[bribrius]

Totally wish you luck!! Excellent! Had a land camera. I loved polaroids!! This is for your dad in a way right? Nice.

 

[limr]

Totally wish you luck!! Excellent! Had a land camera. I loved polaroids!! This is for your dad in a way right? Nice.

Thanks, really. Yup, it's for my dad. The second image is his work bench in the garage (he was a mechanic.)

 

[mmaria]

I'll just and you'll know what I think!

so glad for you! go girl! :hug::

 

[Derrel]

I just totally LOVE the shot of the old Polaroid camera. When I was a boy, I bought three of those things, each one better than the prior one. I used to get them at an area flea market, on the first weekend of every month, circa 1977 through 1980. I had a Polaroid 104 for quite a few years, complete with the external accessory flahbulb gun, with the blue slip-over filter to use with "B&W flashbulbs" when shooting color film.

I can STILL, to this day, remember the shutter tensioning sound, and the release feel and action, from that white-tipped cocking lever seen there on the left side of the front lens standard. The thing is...I was a kid...I shot more IMAGINARY pictures with my Polaroids than I did pictures with film in the camera. I used to practice with the rangefinder, focusing and composing...and then taking "imaginary photos".

The weird thing was the lens aperture/film type: Polaroid Black & white was shot at a very small f/stop...maybe f/32...because the shutter was not especially fast, and Polaroid B&W film had an ASA Speed of...wait for it, wait for it... 3,000!!! YES! ASA 3,000, with SUPER-FINE grain, due to a quirk in the way Polaroid B&W images were actually, basically, contact prints! Thanks for the flood of memories, Lenny.

 

[EOV]

Awesome work. It sounds like it might get hectic but make sure you enjoy the moment.

 

[Designer]

Good luck!

 

[limr]

Thanks everyone!

Derrel, I loved hearing about the memories It's a funny thing about the film speeds. The camera has three settings for 75, 150 and then 3000. Nothing in between. The Fuji color emulsion is 100 but the black and white is 3000 and it's also a contact print. The 'negative' isn't really recoverable the way the color one is, but it can still be scanned and then reversed. Produces some funky colors. Here's one I did for a photo interpretation of "Favorite TV show" collaboration we did on another forum (my show was Buffy the Vampire Slayer.) Had to adjust the contrast but this is mostly how it scanned:


Fitch negative by limrodrigues, on Flickr

And a print from the same photo shoot:

Martha Quinn by limrodrigues, on Flickr

There's some flare on the right of both pictures. Thought I had a pinhole in the bellows but I checked it out and I don't really see anything.

 

[terri]

This is a wonderful idea for a show!! I would love to be there to see it. :heart:

Polaroid was a major part of my alternative processes (real Polaroid) for awhile - I used Time Zero, sepia, all kinds, and still have my Day Lab (sniffle). I've been lost without the real thing, but I do appreciate that I have to get past it and start playing more with Fuji (kind of disillusioned with the Impossible Project folks, though I hear they're still putting out product).

Instant film was an incredible breakthrough in photography when it came on the scene, and it deserves the love. :love: Good luck with the show, Lenny - I hope you have a blast!!

 

[Derrel]

Martha Quinn...one of the first MTV "VJ's"! (I never watched Buffy...I saw just ONE, single episode of it, in Canada, while staying with a friend...)

I did not realize there was anything that still had a negative accessible--I've lost track of what instant films are available these days.

There's an interesting film available for streaming or download Time Zero: The Last Year of Polaroid Film (2012) links - icefilms.info it's called Time Zero: The Last Year of Polaroid Film. It's a pretty interesting documentary, and has some fascinating people in it. I was pretty bummed out when I could no longer get SX-70 film, which is my last remaining Polaroid camera. I have Polaroid backs for 4x5 and 120, but alas no film for those. I really liked this movie.

 

[terri]

Martha Quinn...one of the first MTV "VJ's"! (I never watched Buffy...I saw just ONE, single episode of it, in Canada, while staying with a friend...)

I did not realize there was anything that still had a negative accessible--I've lost track of what instant films are available these days.

There's an interesting film available for streaming or download Time Zero: The Last Year of Polaroid Film (2012) links - icefilms.info it's called Time Zero: The Last Year of Polaroid Film. It's a pretty interesting documentary, and has some fascinating people in it. I was pretty bummed out when I could no longer get SX-70 film, which is my last remaining Polaroid camera. I have Polaroid backs for 4x5 and 120, but alas no film for those. I really liked this movie.

Surely, you are aware of these folks, punkin. From what I've gathered the quality has improved dramatically from their first offerings some years back. Started by a bunch of former Polaroid engineers. They have the formulas as well as the original equipment. Scroll down and find film for your camera; I'm positive they have SX-70 film, and formats to fit film backs, too.

I would love to watch this movie! :heart:

 

[limr]

This is a wonderful idea for a show!! I would love to be there to see it. :heart:

Polaroid was a major part of my alternative processes (real Polaroid) for awhile - I used Time Zero, sepia, all kinds, and still have my Day Lab (sniffle). I've been lost without the real thing, but I do appreciate that I have to get past it and start playing more with Fuji (kind of disillusioned with the Impossible Project folks, though I hear they're still putting out product).
Instant film was an incredible breakthrough in photography when it came on the scene, and it deserves the love. :love: Good luck with the show, Lenny - I hope you have a blast!!

Thanks, Terri! :hug::
Impossible Project definitely has film for SX-70s. I just got an old folding one for my birthday but haven't gotten any film for it yet. It's gotten better from what I hear and it can produce really nice stuff, but it's a really slow-developing emulsion and it's also quite expensive. Works out to almost $2.50 per shot.

The Fuji peel-apart is really quite good. I don't know if the original Polaroid film had recoverable negatives but you can recover the Fuji negative very easily, which makes it just that much more versatile. Emulsion side down on a piece of glass, gel bleach to take off the black backing, wash and hang it up to dry. Wicked easy! It helps me justify the cost of $9 for 10 shots. I can actually get 20 shots! And the colors change in interesting ways. Emulsion lifts are also much easier than with the Polaroid emulsion.

Having said that, I might be getting a stash of original Polaroid 669 packs and I will be all over it like white on rice

Derrel, I took that picture specifically for the Martha Quinn name! I remember the early VJs too. I liked that it linked the old imagery/architecture with modern pop culture, which was a big part of the show. I did see it when it first came out and it was almost at the end of its run when I discovered it on reruns when I was living in Portugal. Good stuff

And thanks for the link to the documentary, I'm definitely going to check it out.

 

[minicoop1985]

Wewt! Make sure to take some pics of the show, not that you need to be told to. (I'm the same way) Sounds like a pretty awesome deal, really.

 

[limr]

Wewt! Make sure to take some pics of the show, not that you need to be told to. (I'm the same way) Sounds like a pretty awesome deal, really.

There will be pictures, for sure

 

[vintagesnaps]

How cool! Congrats!

I got an SX-70 and love it, it's a joy to use. Ray and Charles Eames did a film about it back in the day (if you search you should find it). No the film isn't cheap, but guess what I spent a chunk of my tax refund on! Also had out my black rainbow Polaroid the other weekend and we happened by a classic car cruise-in, dropped the camera and out popped a picture! lol Camera still works, decided the photo is an abstract - yeah, that what it is! I did it on purpose (yeah sure).

I haven't used the peel apart much yet, maybe over the summer I'll get to it; haven't tried an emulsion yet. What is it you use?? whatever I read about sounded like something of a toxic mess! lol

I read somewhere that the film Time Zero will be coming out on DVD, I haven't watched it online yet.

Take some pictures of the gallery show and post them to show us will you? I'd love to see.

edit - Great minds, Coop...