The Spring 2021 Polaroid Week is about to start, and we have already marked our calendars for one of our favorite moments of the year. Beginning April 18 and running through April 21, the’Roid Week 2021 community will be opening their group’s photo pool for all instant film lovers to share their newest creations.
In preparation for the week ahead and seeking some creative inspiration, we reached out to talk to some of the group members about their work, their favorite instant photos, and their involvement with the ‘Roid Week community. If you’re looking to delve into instant photography soon, keep on reading for some tips and tricks!
Julia Holcomb
Please introduce yourself and your photography to the community.
Hi, my name is Julia! I initially started shooting my senior year in college and did a year-long photography internship at a newspaper in New York after I graduated. I was hooked on analogue photography then and there. I took a hiatus for several years and picked it back up in 2012. Lomography had a store open up in Chicago, and I was immediately inspired. There, I met the most amazing people and artists and was introduced to instant photography. Azuree Wiitala and Rachel Winslow taught me about Polaroid cameras, and I have never looked back. Azuree sold me my SX70, and I am not sure how I ever lived without it!
Why did you select this photo to talk to us about?
For my grandmother’s 80th birthday, my whole family met up in New York to celebrate. I packed way more film than clothes and on this particular day, my family entertained me and let me shoot a ton of pics. My cousin Joshua is in this picture and I caught him just before he was going to take a nap. I was talking to him from the door and the lighting was pretty magical. I grabbed my camera to shoot his portrait. I can’t tell you how excited I was when I peeled the film and saw this amazing portrait looking back at me.
When did you join the ‘Roid Week project, and what do you like about this community?
I believe my first ‘Roid Week that I participated in was in spring 2013. Roid Week is my favorite artistic time of the year; I try to go out the week before for photo walks with friends to shoot new pictures in anticipation of the week. As someone who doesn’t have social media outside of Flickr and Lomography pages, it’s so exciting to see all the amazing art fellow instant film lovers showcase during ‘Roid Week. It’s the time artists post the best of the best, and I love it so much!
What’s special about instant film?
There is nothing more exciting than shooting a roll of film, sending it out for development, and getting that message that you can upload your pics. It is the best! However, it takes a ton of patience. Instant film gives you some instant gratification. Depending on what film you are using, you only have to wait 1-20 minutes to see your photo, and there is something so special about that. I absolutely LOVE Fujifilm 3000B and am extremely sad they stopped making it. I have a few packs left in my fridge, but I dread the day I run out. While I personally loved the Impossible Project a bit more than Polaroid Originals, I can’t deny how incredible their film is. The hues of the SX70 and 600 color film are nostalgic and excellent storytellers all on their own. The last thing I will say about instant film that is especially special is that the cameras alone are a conversation starter. I have people walk up to me to ask about my cameras frequently when I am out on a photo walk and pull out one of my Polaroids.
What tips do you have for members who are just getting started with instant photography?
As far as tips go, I would suggest new instant film artists study their cameras before using them because film is not cheap. The “stay broke, shoot film” slogan is legit! However, don’t overthink. You should also just be having fun. Lastly, find instant film lovers near you to shoot with if you can. Although I enjoy my solo photowalks, I loved my tradition of meeting up with Rachel the week before ‘Roid Week to shoot with intention. There is nothing like instant film, and clearly, I can go on about it endlessly!
Matthew Davidson
Please introduce yourself and your photography to the community.
My name is Matthew Davidson, from Aberdeen in northeast Scotland, where I’m a project coordinator and reprographics photographer. Most of my Flickr pics are from explorations around the city, countryside, coasts and mountains – I love being outdoors and visiting historical and pre-historical places and experimenting with old cameras and films.
Why did you select this photo to talk to us about?
This was one of last year’s series of unconventional lockdown self-portraits. I rarely take portraits, so this project pushed me out of my comfort zone. Not all of the series worked, but this one came out exactly as envisaged – a kind of hidden, grungy look, a little bit 40s private detective, but mostly trying to give a serious air while wearing a silly hat.
When did you join the ‘Roid Week project, and what do you like about this community?
My first ‘RoidWeek was back in 2009 whilst returning to film photography after a digital-only hiatus. This was partly down to wanting to explore alt-photography, manipulated film, cross-processing, multiple exposures, plastic lenses, etc. I’d seen the amazing aesthetic diversity of the ‘RoidWeek pool and wanted to contribute. In general, I like the fact that there’s such a dedicated group of people on here who love and want to promote instant/film photography in an age that’s now dominated by digital.
What’s special about instant film?
I find it fascinating to watch them gradually change colours while developing, and nowadays, people don’t print their photos so much, so being able to hand over a finished print feels more special than looking on a screen. The immediacy of the prints is a bonus when in an experimental mood and as touched on above there are many different techniques to try with them. I enjoy using the older cameras with their physical controls.
What tips do you have for members who are just getting started with instant photography?
If you’re just getting into it for the first time then go for something like an Instax. These cameras are simple, tough, cheap second hand, and the films don’t need sunlight protection while developing.
Hilary Clarke
Please introduce yourself and your photography to the community.
Hi, My name is Hilary Clarke (aitchclarke on social media). I’m based in the North West of England, and I love film cameras, especially Polaroid. I also enjoy exploring alternative processes, and I’m currently experimenting with making small bags from cyanotyped fabric.
Why did you select this photo to talk to us about?
The photo I’m going to pick as my favourite is this photograph of an ice cream van. I took it on a family holiday on a beach in Cornwall, and it just sums up for me the feeling of relaxation by the sea when I’m with the family on our annual summer holiday. It’s taken on a Polaroid Land Camera 420 using Supersense OneInstant film. I really like how I can make an old camera see again using new film.
When did you join the ‘RoidWeek project, and what do you like about this community?
I first joined the community back in 2011. I really look forward to the twice-yearly ‘RoidWeeks, the quality of the photographs that are contributed is just wonderful, and it challenges me every time to make better images. The community is welcoming and supportive, and I’ve made many friends over the years.
What’s special about instant film?
It’s just a magical experience to hold a physical photograph in your hand only minutes after you’ve taken it.
what tips do you have for members who are just getting started with instant photography?
I got into Polaroid photography by borrowing a friend’s camera and joining them on a photowalk. It was helpful to talk things through and see how it all worked and very useful to ask for advice. If you don’t have a local polaroid shooter nearby, I’d say just give it a go, but do ask the Polaroid community for tips and tricks. We’re a friendly bunch!
Ina Echternach
Please introduce yourself and your photography to the community.
Hello, my name is Ina Echternach and I am a Polaroid photographer who has dedicated her heart to landscape photography, especially forest photography.
Nature and the forest are both a base and a refuge for me, always new and different. With my Polaroid’s I try to capture this magic of becoming, life and passing. I grew up in Bonn (Germany), and when I think of my childhood and youth, I spent most of my free time outside in nature. Spring, summer, autumn, and winter, no matter what the weather was like, I was drawn outside. As I got older, I lost that connection to nature. It was only about 20 years ago that I slowly realized that something was missing before we moved to the countryside. And since I’ve been taking photos with Polaroids, I’ve started to build up a very intense relationship with nature again. Ultimately, I hope that my pictures will encourage the viewer to go out into nature and enable a new view of the nature surrounding us.
Why did you select this photo to talk to us about?
It’s not hard for me to choose one, it’s one of my triptychs. It’s an older one, but one of my absolute favorite pictures I’ve ever taken. I can remember exactly the mood in the forest, how happy I was to be there, and how excited I was if I could capture that special mood in a Polaroid triptych. And then the moment when I saw the Polaroid for the first time (back then, the film still had to be hidden from the light for some time to develop), It was one of those magical Polaroid moments. I wish “The Impossible Project” (now Polaroid) had made more of that beta film; those pink glitters were pure magic.
When did you join the ‘Roid Week project, and what do you like about this community?
I started Polaroid photography in 2010, and 2011 was my first Roid Week that I participated in. I felt so wonderfully included in the community from the very first moment. The helpfulness and positive interaction in the Polaroid family is really something special! I have never experienced this in any other photo community. Over the years, the Polaroid family has spread across many different social media platforms.
What’s special about instant film?
The miracle of being able to capture the moment always gets me. The Polaroid snatches an image from that one moment. And when it’s out of the camera, I can hold it and watch it develop in the palm of my hand. I can take that small, tactile evidence of our existence and give the Polaroid to someone who experienced this one moment with me. The smile I see on the face of this person contains all the magic of instant photography.
What tips do you have for members who are just getting started with instant photography?
To all of you who are starting the great adventure of instant photography, I can only advise one thing: Pick up a camera and take pictures of what you like and have fun. That’s what it is all about!
And if you need technical help at one point, be part of the polaroid community, join some groups, and you will get answers to all your questions.
Toby Hancock
Please introduce yourself and your photography to the community.
I’m Toby Hancock, although some people in the instant film community know me as Zoltar. I’ve been into photography for over 50 years and been taking Polaroids since the 1980s. I’m mostly known for my old Time-Zero emulsion manipulations and present day neon sign and night scene Polaroids. I’m also one of the administrators on the ‘RoidWeek group.
Why did you select this photo to talk to us about?
The story behind this photo is simple. I was at Expo ’98 (World’s Fair) in Lisboa, Portugal. I pressed the shutter button on my SX-70 camera by mistake and the resulting photo was blue sky with 2 cables going through it. Rather than wasting a Polaroid frame, I decided to do an abstract manipulation.
When did you join the ‘Roid Week project, and what do you like about this community?
I first joined ‘RoidWeek in 2010. This group and community is filled with extremely talented people, who are also kind, generous and funny. I’m honored to call many of them my good friends.
What’s special about instant film?
Despite the fact that I’ve been shooting instant film for decades, I never tire of the anticipation and thrill of watching the photo develop in the palm of my hand.
What tips do you have for members who are just getting started with instant photography?
My advice to newcomers is to take it slow. Learn how your camera and film work in different lighting conditions and environments. Remember, there’s no such thing as a wasted Polaroid – each one is a unique work of art.
Meredith Wilson
Please introduce yourself and your photography to the community.
Hi! My name is Meredith, and I’m an Aussie living and working as a film and TV accountant in the UK. When I’m not working, I can often be found with a film camera in hand, tramping through my local wood, or creating still life set-ups and playing with light and shadow. I got into Polaroid photography back in 2010 when the Impossible Project released its first BNW film. I shoot a variety of film cameras, but my SX70 and pack film cameras are the ones that usually end up in my camera bag.
Why did you select this photo to talk to us about?
This photo was shot on New55 Instant colour film with my Intrepid 4×5 camera. It was taken in response to a photo challenge to photograph your earliest memory. For me, that was being in the sea with my Nan. She was holding me as I was floating on my back and looking up at her with her hair tucked under a flowery swimming cap. I can’t have been more than 2 or 3. I have so many memories of trips to the beach with my family. Of mum slathering us with sunscreen and the dreaded zinc and us telling her to hurry up because we wanted to swim. Of my sisters and I being woken early and bundled into the car with the dog. […] Photos are linked to our memories, and while this image wasn’t created until 2018, every time I look at it, it takes me back to those times, and that makes me smile.
When did you join the ‘Roid Week project, and what do you like about this community?
I took part in my first ‘RoidWeek back in 2011 and was blown away by the images submitted to the group. Until then, I hadn’t fully appreciated the creative possibilities of Polaroid. The film community as a whole is very welcoming and supportive, and Polaroid photographers are especially so. I’ve learned a huge amount about the cameras, film, and different techniques from them, all of which has helped me find my own Polaroid style. Along the way, I’ve gotten to know and become friends with some truly talented people. Prior to Covid, I would meet up with a group of U.K.-based photographers 3 to 4 times a year.
What’s special about instant film?
Having a tangible image to hold in your hand is pretty special. There’s also something lovely about the colours and tones of Polaroids that make it quite unlike other types of film. I take part in a monthly postcard art swap, and I love creating and sending out Polaroids in the post. I try to make the package a bit special so that the recipient will enjoy receiving it as much as I enjoy sending it.
What tips do you have for members who are just getting started with instant photography?
For anyone starting out, I’d say practice and patience are big factors. Polaroid is less predictable than other film types, and you will have failures. The film works best with good light, and if it’s a cold day, you’ll need to keep it warm, or it tends to develop bluish tones. I tuck mine under my arm or in my back pocket, which works pretty well. That said, you can get some really moody shots by shooting when the light and temperatures are less than ideal, so don’t be afraid to experiment.
Polaroid Week is a tradition recognized on Flickr year after year, in which Flickr members share their latest instant film captures. Flickr’s Spring ‘Roid week begins this coming Sunday, April 18, 2021, so get your instant cameras out and get ready to share your creations! No matter what instant camera you use, we’d love to see your captures.