Sad Picture: Polaroid Era Fading Away

[george]

Sad picture: Polaroid era fading away

Film won't be made for famous camera

Amateur photographer Angie Harris has a variety of digital equipment at her disposal, but her camera of choice is a 30-year-old Polaroid.

She loves the rich colors and the famous instant development.

She was heartbroken, then, to learn that Polaroid will stop manufacturing film in the spring, ending an era in photography and popular culture.

The company, which started making instant film 60 years ago, stopped making cameras about two years ago. It now will discontinue the film, including the popular 600 film used in the standard Polaroid camera.

"It seemed safe that the 600 was going to be around for a while," said Harris, 38, a North Side broadcaster. "When the 600 goes, that's it. Everyone's cameras will be shelf items."

Polaroid confirmed last week that it will close film factories in Massachusetts, Mexico and the Netherlands. The company is seeking another company to produce the film under license.

Polaroid, founded by Edwin Land in 1937, revolutionized photography with its instant-development process. The company's cameras became widely popular in the 1960s; by the late '70s, the Polaroid One-Step was the best-selling camera in the country.

The camera and its photos, instantly recognizable by their thick white border, became a staple of American culture before digital photography took over.

Outkast singer Andre 3000 paid homage to the photos in the 2003 dance hit Hey Ya, singing "Shake it like a Polaroid picture."

Now, Polaroid lovers are left to stockpile film before the camera goes the way of the eight-track.

"I'm going to try to buy as much as I can . . . put it in the refrigerator and save it," said Harris, who has filled family albums with Polaroid pictures.

The demise of the Polaroid is no surprise, given the speed and convenience of digital cameras, said Pete Nitschke, a professional photographer for 30 years and part-time salesman at Cord Camera in Grandview Heights.

Until a few months ago, though, Cord employees used Polaroid film for passport photos, he said. The Grandview store has about 100 cartridges of Polaroid film, Nitschke said, and he expects them all to sell.

"There are still cameras out there," he said. "I'm sure we're going to sell all of this, and we'll have people hunting for it when there is no more because they've still got a camera."

Everyday use of Polaroid had declined significantly, but some artists and photographers liked the photos because of their distinctive colors and easily manipulated images.

For a decade, amateur photographer Michelle Maguire, 30, has taken at least 2,500 personal and artistic photos with Polaroid film and her six instant cameras.

"I like to have something to hold in my hands at the end of the day or look at in a book," said Maguire, a librarian who photographed two weddings with a Polaroid. "It's nice to see a collection displayed somehow instead of looking at it on a computer screen or displayed on the back of a camera."

Lori Conger-Sroufe, a special-needs preschool teacher at Columbus Speech and Hearing, has used Polaroid pictures to reinforce classroom lessons for 10 years. She hasn't used it this year, though, because the film has been difficult to find.

"When you have that Polaroid, it's so much magic -- the kids enjoy seeing it appear," she said. "I use it for the 'wow' effect. ... It was a nice tool to have. I'm going to miss it."

--dispatch.com 2008-02-16

[george]

Polaroid Plans to Shut Down Instant Film Production

Norwood, Mass. - The Polaroid Corp. has announced that it plans to wind down its instant film business, a response to the ever-growing popularity of digital photography.

The move will affect the company's two Massachusetts plants where it produces the instant film, in Norwood and Waltham, resulting in the loss of an estimated 150 jobs.

Tom Beaudoin, COO of Polaroid, told the Boston Globe that the company will only produce enough stock to satisfy demand into 2009.

-- Digital Media Wire 2008-02-16

[astral]

The end of an era.

I wonder how long it will be, before 35mm and other small format films also disappear.

Time to stock up, keeping in the fridge.

[Nordlys]

Fujifilm still makes and sells Instax series instant cameras and its films.

[PadThaiGuy]

Film will make a comeback (someday) just like vinyl has in the audiophile world.

Edited February 16, 2008 by PadThaiGuy