Instant Gratification
We live in a time where we are all impatient and everything is available nearly instantly. Sometimes I like to slow it down and take photographs with an analog film camera. It allows me to think through the shot and take my time. A roll of 35mm film has about 24 to 36 exposures. So I try my best to make every frame count!
It really allows me to go through my process and really think if this is a moment worth capturing. I know it sounds a little cliché, but when I first started, I was a student. Film was expensive and each frame cost a few quarters for a poor student. However, it made me happy.
My first Polaroid camera was an i-zone! Remember those?! It was a gift from my siblings when I was younger. These created these tiny one inch polaroids. I was obsessed! I would take photos of everything around me!
It wasn’t until college that I picked up a Polaroid SX-70. These are very neat! They fold down flat and they are manual focusing. I absolutely love this model of Polaroid camera. Cheap film to save some money was the goal. I brokered a deal with my local camera shop to buy their expired Impossible Project film packs at a discounted rate. The results were really interesting!
Polaroids are not only for fun quick shots. They are still being used in the fashion industry. Agencies would use Polaroids or request them from interested models. These are un-retouched, not professional, and simple photos that depict the model's appearance. I love instant film. It really is raw in a sense there is no filter or post processing. Plus, in an age of digital, it is film medium that satisfies most of our need of instant gratification! Don’t get me wrong, I love waiting to develop my film and look at them on a light table.
Polaroids just have a little magic in each frame.
