A Farewell to Polaroid

I remember buying my last two boxes of Polaroid film. As the cashier rang them up, she remarked on how expensive each box was. "It's worth it," I replied, "They don't make this anymore." The last Polaroid film expires on September 30, 2009. It will be the end of an era. The website "My Last Polaroid" is collecting a gallery of the last Polaroid taken by photographers around the world in tribute.

Here's mine. I don't think it's the best Polaroid I've ever taken, but it is the last.

South Ferry Church


So, a moment of silence for Polaroid.

There is something to look forward to on the Polaroid front... The Impossible Dream plans to start producing film for vintage Polaroid cameras in 2010.

Reminiscence - Vintage Style

A Polaroid is such a lovely way to remember a hazy, lazy, summer day, don't you think?

Washed by Waves

There's a Chill in the Air

But I'm still remembering hot summer days...

Trustom National Wildlife Refuge

Hump Day Happiness

Hello all! I am back from my trip to the Finger Lakes, feeling refreshed and ready to go. I also have a bazillion photos to sort through, which is exciting!

Joe Pye Weed


But now... it's time for that weekly dose of happiness. Here's what's on my list today - what's on yours?

1) The smell of basil blossoms.
2) Modern medicine.
3) Good conversations on long drives.
4) Fresh garden carrots.
5) Swimming!

Hazy Day at the Beach

Another image from yesterday's trip around South County...

Scarborough Beach

A Little Field Trip

I took my Polaroid on a little tour of South County today.

Moonstone Beach Road


I am officially exhausted. Lots of driving, lots of heat and sun, not enough water. I am soooooo glad I have A/C in the car!! But, I had a fantastic time traveling around by myself, with no one to get impatient or to distract me from my mission.

I'll have more photos for you later! My brain is no longer functioning at this point, so I think I'll call it a night.

Song and Scene - Wednesday Morning Calm

I'm going to try something. I mentioned yesterday how important music is to my work. I'd like to periodically pair a particular photograph with a particular song. The intent would be for readers to listen to the song while they observe the image (or images). Why? Because to me sometimes music is the best way to get across my interpretation of the photograph.

I'm using Blip.fm to share the music today.



Weeds


Thanks to owl on the sill for introducing me to Fleet Foxes this morning!

Summertime, and the Living is Easy

Have I mentioned how great the folks down at The Good Earth are? Today I was able to take some photos on their property. My main focus: a beautiful New England meadow full of wildflowers. I brought along the Polaroid, figuring this would be the perfect place to use it.

Queen Anne's Lace

Polaroid-tastic!

Hi all! I'm getting back into the groove of "normal life" after the chaos of the past few weeks. This afternoon I'm going to do some gardening - partly for me, partly in tribute to my Grandpa, who loved to garden. We laid him to rest yesterday, holding my Grandma's ashes in his arms. Their tombstone will read "Together Forever". Isn't that beautiful?

*sigh*

Today I'm going to share with you some images from my archives. Lately I've really been digging the Polaroid look. I actually do own a Polaroid camera and I have a little expired film stashed away. I should pull it out and play some more at some point - you never do know what will happen with expired film!

But I digress. These shots were taken with new film, nearly two years ago. My best friend, my husband, and I had driven up to Rochester, NY for a wedding. I had recently purchased my $5 Polaroid camera at a discount/overstock store and was eager to try it out. We picked up some film at a local drugstore and I just played - paying very little attention to composition or light or anything. I love the impromptu "road trip" feeling the images capture (and the silliness of, say, a light pole sticking out of a friend's head).







Don't you just love road trips? I know I do. We always try and find a perfect small-town coffee shop or an ethnic restaurant along the way - makes even the most grueling drives through Southwest Connecticut bearable! I'm curious - how do you make the most of a road trip?

Getting back on subject - did you know that, even though Polaroid is discontinuing their film, you can still get compatible substitutes for some film types from Fujifilm?

Learn more about efforts to "Save Polaroid" here.

Memories of Summer

I've been having fun with Poladroid today! I went back through the ol' photo archives and found some hidden gems to digitally turn into Polaroids. This one had some interesting results, I think (I often crop my images after "Poladroiding"):

Summer Glow


I'm also getting ready for a family birthday party: cooking food, wrapping gifts... Best get back to it! Happy weekend, everyone!

New Toy

Recently, our local discount store moved to a new location. I was sad at first, because the original location is in walking distance and I used to find great deals there, particularly on gardening supplies. However, it turns out that the old location is now their clearance center - meaning potentially even better deals! I went in hoping to find a new glazed planter, but there were none to be had. (You really have to dig around for useful bargains in a discount store clearance center, I suppose.) I was ready to give up when I found something even better.... Polaroid cameras for $5! Of course, I couldn't resist getting one. I bought some film (more expensive than the camera) and played around with my new toy while in Rochester, NY for a wedding. It was really a challenge to slow myself down out of digital mode and try to carefully compose each shot to conserve film - especially since each frame costs over $1. It was also somewhat amusing to remember that there's no zoom. Well, aside from walking closer to or farther away from the subject. I did make several mistakes, like forgetting how to keep the flash from going off, leaving the camera on the wrong distance setting, or just getting too close to a subject. A few came out decently, though. I was pleasantly surprised by the colors - washed out, not particularly true - they gave a kind of retro feel to the shots. I'm looking forward to playing around more, maybe even finding some really old or damaged film and seeing what kind of funky results I can get out of it.

Here's one from today. I took the Polaroid print and scanned it, then messed around a little with the crop and orientation. The model is my lovely best friend, Amber. I hope you like it.