Ready to Set Sail & Instant Photography...

Some of you have known that recently I have been on an Analog kick.  Pen & Ink, Books, Paper Day Timers, things that require some effort to obtain a physical result.  This also migrated to photography.

I still love technology and all it's wonders.  Just that it's time to take a step back and get some human satisfaction.

Polaroids or better known today as Instant Photography.

What is it with this Polaroid kick?
Is it coming full circle - considering my 1st camera was a Polaroid Super Colorpack Land Camera?
Perhaps.

The attraction to the Polaroid is something I have come to discover that other people shooting Polaroids are experiencing.  JOY.

The day that the photo above was shot, a group of Japanese tourists were watching in amazement of the old Polaroid 110a (Pathfinder) camera and the Polaroid 195 I was using.  Not long after that, a man just came up to me and we had a nice conversation about Polaroid and photography.

Before all those encounters as I traveled down the street to take a test shot of some bricks, a couple of young ladies stopped and starred at amazement of what I was doing and thought what came out of that box was just really cool.

Camera geek moment here...
I have gotten all tied up with megapixels, sharpness of images, bokeh (the out of focus stuff in the background), nose control, matrix metering, etc... that I've forgotten what I wanted from all this.  A bit of art and a bit of journalism and get some sense of satisfaction and joy out of life.

Looking at books on photography lately, looking at the work of Alfred Eisenstadt, Vivian Maier, Robert Frank,  Cartier Bresson, etc.... I realized I'm forgetting what this is all about.  Expression.  Communication. Art.  Simply put.... PHOTOGRAPHY.

So why Polaroid.  Why not just shoot my SLR's and film.
Polaroids look like Polaroids.  Perhaps not the best in technical terms but it's the closet I can get to capturing a "true" image.

Another Geek Moment...
35mm film.  Shoot it.  Take it to get processed (I'm too lazy to build a dark room), Print or Scan it.

My problem is this.  The 35mm negative.  The image from my eyes to camera lens to film is 35mm straight from the camera.  That means if I want a hard copy of exactly what I shot.  It's 35mm.  Great for slides.... not so great for prints because in order to get a sized print... I have to use an enlarger to TRANSFER that image to paper.

A Polaroid.  It's about 4" x 3".  No enlarging.  Take what the film gives me and that's it.  I have in my hands a true captured image.  Unaltered.

That is the reward and why I'm going to spend time on this form of photography.  To see what I can get out of it.

So with all this said.... it's time to set sail to discover.

Instant Photography

Remember Polaroids?  Those of us who have been around the block remember those accordion style cameras and the film that you pulled out of the camera.... waited a few seconds or so.... peel away the smelly (and probably hazardous) chemical backing and ta-da... photo.

Later on, we had the Polaroids that were spit out of the camera and the images magically appeared before our eyes.  Nothing to peel.  Just sit back and watch.

What wonderful memories.
Granted, the image quality wasn't the clearest, the colors weren't always a true representation of what you shot... but who cared.  You got the image right away.  You shared them with people and frankly... it's FUN.

For the younger audience... this is long before digital photos.  You had to send film away and waited for the results.  Polaroids - you got INSTANT IMAGES thus the name Instant Photography.

I'm now on my nostalgia phase of life and the need to re-discover the magic and art and the images that are Polaroids is a strong desire.

One problem.... the Polaroids we all knew have long since gone away.  The company exists only in name and no longer makes film.   So we all thought.

On my "Journey into Photography", I learned that the old peel away Instant Film (I'll call them Polaroids just like calling facial tissue Kleenex) still exists.

FujiFilm still makes those wonderful Polaroid Pack type film where you pull the white color plastic tab and then pull out the print, wait and peel the photo way from the chemical backing.

Going to shoot this film soon with another new/used camera - the same model I had as my very 1st camera - The Polaroid Super Colorpack Land Camera.

I'll have more about this camera and the images in a future posting.

There is also another version of Instant Photography that we grew up on a bit later from the old Polaroid Pack film.

The Polaroid SX-70, Polaroid 600 / Spectra / OneStep type camera.

This is the one where you no longer need to pull out the film or peel the photo away.

Didn't I say Polaroid no longer makes the traditional Polaroid film?

That is correct.

Another discovery is an instant film from another company called The Impossible Project.

When Polaroid went bankrupt years ago and got out of the film business, a group of former Polaroid employees in the Netherlands saved the last remaining Polaroid plant in Europe.  Although all the chemicals were gone and the formula was gone with the parent company, these people decided there is a market out there to produce Instant Print film.

The results aren't the worlds greatest.  In fact, you can call it experimental film (the image at the top is a sample).  The good people at The Impossible Project are trying to come up with the right formula to give us the Polaroid images we remembered.

The beauty is that all those old Polaroids now have a new life and some even have a new home...

An article on this camera to come soon...

Lastly....

If you want a more modern Instant Camera.  One where the camera spits out the image and it appears before your eyes.... you can't buy a Polaroid.  You can buy a FujiFilm Instax.

The Impossible Project is trying to make Polaroid type film for the older non-pack (spits it out) type Polaroid cameras.

FujiFilm in the mean time, already has a film that works and works fairly well called Instax.

The camera is inexpensive - around $80.

I have a few images from this film and  camera but can't post them at this time.  And yes, another article on the FujiFilm Instax 210 will be out soon as well...

If you find an old Polaroid sitting in a closet or garage, don't just put it in the dumpster.... it's not going to be a Leica that will be worth thousands of dollars.  But at the same time, your next garage sale, you may get a few bucks (enough for a McDonalds Happy Meal perhaps) for that old camera and some sick camera-holic like me will find a new friend and a piece of good ol' Yankee ingenuity will live on.

What Camera do I buy? - Part 1 - General Info

(Model - Ashley Mitchell)

The holidays are quickly approaching and the questions around "What Camera" or "What's the Best Camera" should I buy comes up.

There are tons of choices and a lot of decisions to make...
Let me try to help the process.


First Off...
If you just want to take a snap shot and send it to someone, your cellphone camera will probably do the trick.  You'll be surprised how good they have become.... but keep in mind, if you want to be a bit more serious about taking photos or wanting to get more involved with your photography, you will probably want a camera.


WARNING... WARNING... WARNING
Photography can get very expensive $$$
Worst case scenario - you may end up being a "Camera-holic" like me.

Unless you have the means to go out and buy the top of line of everything, stay within a budget that you feel good about.

Also, a camera is just a tool.
A means of which to capture what you want.
Just because you bought a Leica M9 with a 50mm Noctilux (I will explain later on), the camera isn't going to make your photos better.  In the right hands and with knowledge... perhaps.

Get a tool that will meet your needs and learn photography.
Learning photography takes a bit of time and some effort to learn.  But if photography is something you have interest in, you'll appreciate the results you achieve.

We'll explore the various types of cameras and some of the terminology and technology.
Keep in mind.... If you are looking for deep deep technical info, there are plenty of sites on the web that will explain everything in as much detail as you want.

My goal is to just have a conversation with you if as though you are asking questions.

More to come.......

Welcome

Hello and Welcome !

You're probably here because I sent out a quick message to those of you who follow my other blog site Steve Foon Images from the link http://stevefoonphotography.blogspot.com.

You also know that I've been infected with that disease called Cameraholism and have the worst case of the photo bug.

My heart is with Street Photography / Photojournalism.

Over the months, I am frequently asked "What's a good camera?" or "How does, why does, how do you....?"

I'm no expert and not a seasoned pro.
You should seek out real pro's or take classes at your community college (if you are lucky to still have a community college and if they offer classes in photography).

An outstanding learning opportunity exists at a local camera store in my neck of the woods called "CameraWest" in Walnut Creek, CA.  They offer a program called 1:1.  It is conducted by a veteran photojournalist, Michael Maloney.  For a small fee, you get a tailored made class and you learn a heck of a lot.

Back to this....
I will be sharing my knowledge and opinions based around the questions I am normally asked by friends, colleagues, and other camera enthusiasts.

If you want deep information or product reviews, please do a search on the web.  If you really want to learn, seek out the local schools or give CameraWest a call.

Your feedback and opinion is really important and hope you enjoy this site.

Steve Foon