Polaroid
This year I bought my first polaroid camera from Trade Me. Lately I have been finding that I want to spend less and less time behind the computer, and the idea of instantly being able to hold the image in my hand kept beckoning to me. Not being sure which type of camera to get I just went with one I knew I could get a film for from the Impossible Project. I found a Polaroid 2000 Land camera and because it is not cheap to send film to NZ from the factory in the Netherlands, and I wasn't sure if it worked, I ordered only 3 films. (Since then I have done more research and now have my sights set on a SX 70 Land camera).
As you can imagine I was so excited to receive my first film in the mail. I had some images already dreamt up in my head. I had been secretly thinking in Polaroid for some time. My hubby thinks I am totally mad spending the money when I have a very wonderful DSLR and perfectly wonderful editing software but he just doesn't get it, it is not the same.
I love the nostalgia in polaroid images, I love the shape, I love the feel of it, I love holding the camera in my hands with nothing to think about but the composition, the distance and the light.
Anyway, going back to my first roll of film. I asked Marino to pose for me when he got home from school, excited to show him how it worked and to see the picture shoot out of the front. I carefully measured the distance, set the dial and clicked. The button did nothing. I tried again. nothing. I was so sad and disapppointed. I thought the camera didn't work or the film was wrong. Went back to the manual. Tried again... nothing... Marino was getting bored of posing now. Then to my surprise all 8 images shot, at full speed, out of the front…. all blank!
I wanted to cry. I thought of the money I had spent and looked at the perfectly developed blank polaroids!
Dilema shall I dare load another film? Well I did. And thankfully it worked next time. Some of the exposures were a little light and I had some weird effects but still I love them. Can't explain why but I do and they are stacked beside my bed where I can still look at them. So to me if I love it, it is worth the money.
And with the very expensive blank ones I found some cool I ideas. One we use on our fridge and write lists on it with a whiteboard marker and then I came up with a project idea called, "No Mistakes" and I got Marino to draw pictures on them with a Sharpie pen. We have sent a couple to friends with a drawn picture of them inside.
Here are some family portraits. I asked Marino why he wasn't in the first photo but he said he was the one taking the picture. Another day when I asked him if he could do a family portrait with him in it too he came up with the following. I love how he drew birds in the trees and old film type camera on the tripod. Kids perspectives are always interesting!!!
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