Life Continues: Polaroid

It’s been awhile since the last blog. A lot has been going on with my business, I’m back in school and my personal life is… not to be mentioned. I have found that photography is a place where I can go and feel relaxed. Nothing makes me feel better than wandering around and taking photos of seemingly meaningless things. If I am around people, photography helps me connect with them. While I love the advanced cameras and accessories available today, I found that having an older camera makes people look twice. It makes them think, “Hey, that is neat. Take my photo with that old camera.” There is something nostalgic about seeing these dinosaurs of the camera world and they actually work. The Polaroid camera line is probably my favorite line of cameras ever. The photos are produced instantly and you have a memory that you can keep with you forever. Actually having a photo is somewhat of a privilege in today’s world. The closest you can get to instant is printing the photos from your home computer. Still then, the ink is expensive and the quality is sub-par.
Something about the Polaroid photos makes me smile and remember the moment it was taken. I blogged about restoring an old Polaroid 330 Land Camera in September, and recently I was working at a thrift store, helping organize and sort donations. Out of habit, I scanned their shelves on my break for any lost treasures when I came across a box, and the word “Polaroid” jumped out at me immediately.

I had no idea if it would fit my land camera, but I was not about to just leave it there. I asked the store clerk how much she wanted for it, and she told me it had been sitting there for over a year. She thanked me for coming to help them, and gave it to me!! While we were sorting through the clothes, I had told her about restoring my land camera… I was so excited to get home and play with my new toy…lol. I came in and thumbed through the handbook for a minute until I figured out how to mount it. I am so happy it fit!

Now I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of a clear M3 bulb – which will produce approximately 12 flashes. Yes, 12. Seems strange to me, but this camera is from the mid to late ‘60’s. It also had two packs of photo mounts in the box. As soon as a get a decent photo, I may use one of them.

 

Polaroid Sun 600

The Polaroid Sun 600 is another recent addition to my collection. A friend gave me the camera for my birthday in November, and I found some film for it online. I had to buy film to see if the camera even worked. These types of cameras came with batteries in the film packs for the flash, so the camera wouldn’t operate without the instant film. (Sorry for the blurry cell phone photos! =] )

I got 2 packs of the Silver Shade from The Impossible Project, a group based out of NYC committed to save the Polaroid film production. They offer several types of Polaroid film that is not manufactured by Polaroid anymore.

I love my new old toys! ‘Till next time!