We learn from this PBS feature how Polaroid pioneered instant photography. There’s more to the legendary brand than “shaking” the print (don’t do that) and there are aspects of the Polaroid community that I wasn’t aware of. Just like today with Instagram, or any photo niche really, outliers made something of it and got famous doing so.
The Polaroid camera bypassed the entire process of film development, thus providing photographers an immediate look at their work. Released for sale in 1948, the first version was an “instant” hit. Now, the museum at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is showcasing the intersection of technology and art.
The story bookends mine about film too. As someone who’s always into the latest tech, I take a break with vintage stuff, and usually have lots of fun with it. I shot with a Land Camera last summer in Bend.
One of my fav photos was taken with one at Mt. Bachelor.
Here’s another quote:
You can see around me on the walls all kinds of surfaces and all kinds of ways of manipulating the materials.
I think, probably, it drove some of the engineers at Polaroid mad, because the artists were just ignoring the rules and just making it up.
I’m sure it did. Watch, listen, or read the transcript from Polaroid Pioneered Instant Photography online at PBS.
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