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'Roid Week, Spring 2010 - Wednesday

I had to post off my old Nikon D50 which I finally sold on ebay (only took me a year to get round to it), and even though it was a fairly grey day, I thought I might as well take my Holgaroid out and about with the Sepia film that's been in it since the Autumn. Just round the back of the Post Office is quite an old part of Cambridge by the river, and the street names - Abbey Road, Priory Road - give you an idea of what used to be there. Mostly, it's just Victorian terraces. One house has heavy wisteria on its front. Looks like an artist lives there.

But as to the older stuff, there's an abbey building dating back to the 17th Century. I'm really pleased with how the focus and framing worked here. Anyone who's used a Holgaroid will know that aiming it is more art than science...

The third shot I took (only two per day in this 'Roid Week) is of the last remnant of the 13th Century priory itself. Carefully framed to miss out the connoisseur of high strength lager on a bench nearby.

Only two more days to go! Swim in the pool.

Posted by Jake Messenger

2009 in film

So then, that was 2009, eh? How to summarise it?

Um...

Oh yes - in general, photography, and specifically, POLAROID!

At the beginning of the year I had a few cameras: a Nikon D50 was my main workhorse, with my iPhone with me at all times. In a couple of cupboards I had my dad's Nikon FM, unused for years, my first generation Mamiya 646, also unused. No need to use film - digital is where it's at!

Brendan Dawes on twitter mentioned this online store called PolaPremium which seemed to be selling Polaroid film and cameras, and also about The Impossible Project who were working on a plan to bring back instant film. Sounded interesting.

Then I went to the new Photographers' Gallery on Ramillies Street in London, just around the corner from where I work, and saw all the delicious film cameras in their shop, and a wall with Polaroid film for sale. Interesting. Didn't my dad have an old SX-70 lying on a shelf?

And so it began. In the spring I visited my parents in France, with a cartridge of Artistic TZ in my bag. The camera worked fine, and the obsession took hold. He let me take it back with me, just in time for 'Roid Week! (Here are my pictures from Spring 'Roid Week 09)

I'd already been on Twitter for a bit, mainly just tweeting amongst friends. 'Roid Week opened that right up introducing me to the Polaroid focal point which is Anne Bowerman. Anne and her partner Dave Bias were behind Save Polaroid. They are the American wing of PolaPremium and The Impossible Project. (Dave also designed the Medeski Martin and Wood website. My. Favourite. Band. Ever). Anne's tireless work, enthusiasm and encouragement through Twitter and flickr is the glue which joins the new Polaroid community together.

Also through 'Roid Week I found out about Etsy, again through Anne, but also through the fantastic work of the fantastic Nancy Stockdale and Lauren Beacham. I set up a store, and while sales have been slow, it's great to have an outlet for prints. One of my aims for 2010 is to push my store a bit harder.

So in brief, the world of analogue photography re-opened for me. And this resulted in accumulations... I'm now the proud owner of:

SX-70
SX-70 Sonar
Polaroid Land 250 Automatic
Polaroid 3000
Polaroid ProCam
Lubitel (which I don't like and will sell)
Holga
Polaroid back for the Holga
Vivitar Ultra Wide and Slim (thanks to Jess Hibbard for being my enabler with that one!)
Vivitar 3D camera
Digital Harinezumi
Olympus Trip 35 waiting to be picked up from the post office.

(click on the links to see the pictures I took)

I may have forgotten one or two cameras in there. Oh, yes, I also upgraded my D50 to a D90, and got a lovely 50mm lens for it. That will do for now, although a Hasselblad and Polaroid 600SE are needed, of course.

As the year went on, I found a wonderful subject for my cameras in Thetford Forest. Shot it with 600 film:

I shot it on Time Zero:

I shot it with Blue Polaroid film:

And on my Vivitar UWS:

And on my Holga:

(Forest shots here)

I went to France three times:

(more France shots here)

There was another 'Roid Week in November...

And it was a year of getting to know many great people through Twitter and Flickr, many fantastic photographers, too many to single out, although special mention goes to Jeff Hutton who devised his brilliant and generous Polaroid Giveaway Project, which saw him sending out originals on the condition that recipients posted an image of the Polaroid. I went out on Christmas day to the forest with his image of the Rockefeller Center in New York (taken on Chocolate film for 'Roid Week in November):

So there you have it! Happy 2010, everybody. May your year be full of exciting and interesting photographs. May mine be full of Impossible Project film!

Posted by Jake Messenger

World Toy Camera Day - 17 October 2009

The weather forecast was for beautiful, crisp autumnal sun. The weather forecast was wrong, at least for the east of England (friends further west were luckier, I believe).

So, knowing the Holga needs quite a lot of light, I fitted it out with the Polaroid back and some Sepia film from PolaPremium (ISO 1500).

I only took three images as it was mostly too gloomy, and one of the shots was too dark. But the Bracken above came out perfect, like a spooky Victorian memory. The tree is nice too.

So two thoughts: Firstly, that sepia film has a really lovely quality, very smooth with a glow to it. Secondly, I hope there was better weather for others!

To see what people have produced, check out the Flickr Group.

Posted by Jake Messenger