Polaroid: Life Continues Part II

Wow! I haven’t blogged since Easter. Where did the summer go? It’s August!

I have a few new additions to my vintage Polaroid collection -  an original WORKING Rainbow SX-70 OneStep Polaroid c. 1970

Where did I obtain such an awesomely vintage and cool camera, you ask? Oh, and it was free. Did I mention that? Go check out Listia.com – it’s a free ebay style auction site, but you bid with points instead of money. Some of the items people will even ship free! I auctioned a 1g mini sd memory card – shipped for free – and someone ‘paid’ 2000 points for it… A week later, I won this baby for just 800 points! I have auctioned off old jewelry I had sitting around, a hat, a dvd… anything – used or new!

Isn’t it beautiful?
(Aside from the cell phone photo lol)

I also have this beefy looking Polaroid Sonar OneStep Land Camera circa 1972-77 (also from Listia.com!) I love it the look, but haven’t had a chance to test it yet.

 

The box it’s sitting on is actually a Wink Light 250 for my 330 Land Camera. It’s the ‘electric’ version of my flashgun – and no bulbs required! I imagine one flash per bulb got a little expensive after a while.

it’s a Polaroid Wink-Light Model 250 that I *think* will fit my 330 c. 1957-1960.. Found it at the Cotton Yard Market in my hometown for $5.00!

I have fallen in love with these old cameras. One of these days I am going to scan in some of the Polaroid photos I have taken. I think that’s why I enjoy the Instagram app on my phone. I use another iPhone app called PostalPix – I can upload my Instagram pics directly to their site and they print them in neat little 3x3 or 4x4 squares. The prints look just like old photos!

Love them! More to come later! Or sooner, rather.. hopefully! =]

 

 

Easter Egg Extravaganza!

This year, I decided to do something a little different with my Easter eggs. Sure, we still have the plain ol’ dyed ones… but I also experimented with silk dying!

First, you gather some old men’s neckties. I scooped mine from the local thrift store! They have to be 100% silk. Experiment with some really funky patterns! Cut the lining out of the ties, so you just have the silk.

Next, wrap an egg in the tie with the outside pattern of the tie touching the egg. Wrap it in the cloth, then wind some string or yarn (I used thread) tightly around the egg so that the cloth is touching it completely.

When you have wrapped enough eggs, boil them for 20 minutes. Your water will start to resemble some sort of witches brew because all the colors are combining! The first photo was taken right after I put them in, the second one was about 15 minutes later.

 

Remove the eggs from the heat after 20 minutes. Let the pot cool before you start to unwrap! I know, the anticipation is killing you…lol!

(Looks tasty, right? LOL)

When the water has cooled enough to touch, pull the eggs out and begin unwrapping them. The pattern from your neckties will have transferred to the egg!

Pretty neat, huh?

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!