Negative Polaroid Advice

Why, hello there!

So, in honour of the snow that is everywhere (you’ll see tomorrow for a tree and garden photo), I am doing a POLARoid post today. There’s a funnier joke in there. Give me a few weeks to locate it, and you’ll hear something better about cold photography. Now. Today’s In Search of the Perfect Polaroid picture:

What is happening in this photo? Hard to tell, isn’t it? So, it’s me and my brother surfing, because I like boards and water and Polaroids. But as I like the water I board on, I like my Polaroids clear. And this one definitely isn’t. Why is that, you ask? The shocking answer: it’s not an original Polaroid. It’s a Polaroid of a digital picture. See, I didn’t have my Polaroid with me that day surfing, but I really wanted a Polaroid of the experience. So, I settled for a picture of a picture. Ending to the story: it didn’t work out.

Okay, well, in terms of a cool vintage photo it turned out nicely, but in terms of a picture where you can actually see the subjects, it did not. So, Today’s Tip: don’t take Polaroids of pictures you already have in order to make them look cooler. Just don’t do it. While this photo might look neat because let’s face it, if you can make out a surfboard it’s a neat photo, the whole picture-of-a-picture thing is risky business. You get glares, strange colours, awkwardly blurry subjects, and awkwardly blurry memories as a result. I mean, if you’re into that kind of thing and your heart can handle the stress of wasted film, go for it. But really, you only get one shot with a Polaroid so my advice is, don’t waste it on a picture you already have. Sorry if that’s a negative way to end things. Wow, there are so many photography jokes in those last couple sentences. That is unreal.

So go take some Polaroids of real scenes, not scenes that you shot a few years ago and think look cool now, and let me know how they turn out!

RJ

P.S. Maybe you’ve never been tempted to take a Polaroid of a digital picture. In that case, I’m completely alone here. Thanks for reading anyway. However, if you have experienced this temptation and still have photos you’d like to turn into Polaroids, look at this really amazing Impossible Project product that I can’t afford; it’s called Instant Lab. It might ruin the spontaneity and risk of Polaroiding, but check it out anyway. And if you do make the purchase, can I PLEASE try it? Just for one photo?