The crafting of a Polaroid image - Some thoughts.

Polaroid, to our mind anyway, is any film that is more or less immediate in nature, self developing (no darkroom needed), with the emulsion and the developer being in physical proximity at the time of shooting, and processing is initiated by passing the film through a roller system which spreads the developer over the film. Smaller ‘pull apart’ films are pulled from the camera manually. 8x10 pull apart film requires a separate processor, which is just a big motorized roller system. Polaroid Spectra, Polaroid 600, SX-70 and the like are so called ‘instant’ films; the developer is integrated into the film ‘packet’ and is likewise spread as it passes through rollers when the film exits the camera. Before and after the demise of the Polaroid corporation a few years ago, films that were not Polaroid by brand name, but were’ ‘Polaroid’ in function and esthetic were developed by Fuji, and later by the Impossible Project. There is now the advent of a new entity (or a resurrected entity) called Polaroid Originals. There is great variability between all these film types. Getting into the details of all this is far too complicated for this forum. Suffice to say that different films and different cameras require a somewhat different approach. 

The most notable aspect to shooting any type of polaroid is exposure. Some polaroids films are very ‘fast’, and some are very ‘slow’. For example, the speed of Type 809 8x10 film (one of our favorites) is about ISO 50. Impossible Project 8x10 black and white film is something like ISO 600. We always shoot in natural light, and not uncommonly muted light, but still, having adequate light for exposure is important. Most Polaroid films do not make good images if they are too over- or underexposed - their exposure ‘latitude’ is narrow. And image quality, in our hands at least, suffers when exposures are too long (longer than 2 or 3 seconds). Therefore, choosing a scene and positioning the subject in the light to the best effect is paramount. Polaroid rarely offers much flexibility in varying shutter speed and aperture, none at all with some cameras. This makes dealing with motion and depth of field more difficult. Also, because Polaroid film, in general, is less sharp than other films, a very ‘painterly’ result can be attained. Some Polaroid films actually have a ‘milky’ quality, partly due, most likely, to emulsion movement during development, and partly to the physical thickness of the emulsion. Anticipating these qualities, which are both advantages and shortcomings at the same time, and using them in a creative way is key. Ansel Adams described ‘previsualization’ - see the image you want to create in your mind’s eye, assess what is possible given the film type and camera you are using, and the light and textures and forms available to you, position your camera, click the shutter, and keep your fingers crossed. Ansel might not have said ‘keep your fingers crossed’. :) 

Another important aspect of working with Polaroid is framing the scene. Since Polaroids are unique, and often rather small, maximizing the impact of the image makes for a better photograph. There is no cropping once the image is made. Moving in closely (but not so close that sharp focus is lost) increases the apparent size of the subject. Likewise, careful cropping in camera can make an enormous difference in whether the image is pleasing or not. It is important to pay attention to whether it might be desirable to call attention to just a part of the subject, and position that portion of the subject within the frame in such a way as to emphasize it. For example, in shooting the figure, the person itself is the principal subject, but it is sometimes desirable to feature a body part, such as a knee or a shoulder or a breast, and thoughtful positioning of the camera can achieve that goal. Also, moving in closely frequently involves allowing parts of the figure to extend beyond the frame of the photograph. This can be done well, and it can be done poorly. If done poorly, a distraction is created and image quality suffers. For example, if a torso is being photographed, it sometimes is pleasing to have the lips appear near the edge of the frame, but if the mouth and nose are visible, the result might not be as pleasing. Another example would be cropping the leg - generally cropping above the knee is more desirable than cropping mid knee or just below the knee (in our opinion).  And, if you are too far from the subject the visual impact may be reduced. However, if  the scene offers interesting elements that can become secondary focal points, then a strong image can still be created.

This is a big subject, and this is very cursory insight, but hopefully there is something in this little essay of interest to a few of you. As always, we appreciate your comments, and are receptive to your questions, and we will do our best to respond to you, whatever the topic. We hope everyone is having a happy, creative day!