For this month’s 8 Exposures, I’m sharing favorites from several packs of Impossible Project film that I shot over the summer.
When I started this series at the beginning of the year, I mentioned that I wanted to shoot more portraits on Polaroid and asked if there were any takers out there with the patience to pose while a fiddled with the camera settings. Well I had one taker, my friend Laura, who is passionate about photography and everything vintage. So one afternoon this summer, she pulled out her collection of vintage hats and I snapped images.
A few from the set I took didn’t turn out well, out of focus and over-exposed, but that’s the nature of instant film. But then there were these, without a doubt some of the best images I’ve ever produced with my SX-70. And when people look at me like I’m crazy for shooting film in this age of digital, I will always remind myself of the photo of Laura and the rose hat. What emerged from that blue emulsion was a photo full of beauty, softness, warmth, and magic that no amount of digital processing could ever recreate.
Emboldened by my shots of Laura, I turned the camera back on myself attempting some self portraits. And honestly, I would love to say that I planned this sun-flare encircling my head like a halo, but I didn’t. It’s the magic of Polaroid shining through and the fact you never know what surprises await once the film finishes developing.
And my child, my child who has never been able to sit still long enough for me to capture him on film (apart from that one time he was asleep), sat patiently atop a stone wall surrounding the purple fields of Cotswold Lavender. It’s entirely possible that he was bribed.
Sunflowers, I cannot resist sunflowers. There is something about their big bright blooms that always brings a smile to my face.
Finally, a few shots from my journey into London to join Xanthe, Susannah, and group of fellow photographers on a photo walk around Barbican. Thanks for the lovely afternoon!
