From the first time I found my grandma’s old Polaroid camera stashed away in the attic, I was in love. Back then, I was young and didn’t really look at using Polaroid cameras as any sort of artistic expression, but over the past few years I have become more and more interested in photography. I have a small collection of cameras including an old film camera, three Polaroid cameras (including one of the new ones), an old Brownie camera and a Nikon. I take artistic pictures in my spare time and even take photos for the ASU women’s lacrosse team. Regardless of whether or not anyone else thinks my photos are good, I have a good time doing it, and all forms of photography are definitely great ways for expression.
Polaroid photography is especially cool for this. Since “vintage” is “in” right now, taking pictures using a Polaroid camera gives your photos a very vintage feel. The lighting is different than on a normal camera, the quality is somewhat fuzzy, and sometimes depending on your subject, the lighting or any other confounding variables your photo may have some cool-looking exposure effects. In the past, I have used Polaroid pictures to make vintage-looking collages, or I just keep the photos as mementos that look way older than they actually are. The only problem with the traditional Polaroid camera is how expensive and how difficult it is to find film. Most Polaroid cameras take 600 Polaroid film, although you will find some that that take other types. You can typically find film on Amazon or Ebay costing $20 to $30 for one package of ten pictures! Urban Outfitters now sells film too, but it’s still not as cheap as other films.
In today’s advanced technological age, there’s a way to get around spending that much money just to get Polaroid quality photos. First, the iPhone is becoming more and more commonplace. With an app like Instagram, anyone can be a photographer, taking photos and using the editing effects right on the phone to make a vintage-looking photo. There is even a printer now that can print Instagram photos onto Polaroid film (but this is really expensive, although very cool). There are also different Polaroid cameras now, rather than the traditional ones. One of the cameras I have is only about $70 and has different settings to adjust light and exposure on the camera. The Polaroid photos printed from this camera are smaller but very cool. There are also digital cameras that can print out photos on Polaroid film.
I try to stay updated on the new types of technology when it comes to photography and Polaroid cameras so if you have any questions about anything feel free to e-mail me at fbresibl@asu.edu or follow me on twitter at @faithbreisblatt.
Photo: A collection of my Polaroid cameras taken on Instagram!
