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January 2013

2
No. 693

Impossible's Analog Travelog - Jill Auville in Stockholm

Patrick Tobin, | 144 days ago

Welcome back to our newest addition to the Impossible Blog: Impossible’s Analog Travelog! In this series, we’ll be showcasing fantastic Impossible photos taken on voyages the world over. This entry comes from Jill Auville, who recently visited Stockholm and brought along some Impossible film…

In the month of May 2012, I traveled to Stockholm, Sweden to visit my family there. I brought my Spectra SE and SX-70 with me, and I had a 680 SLR waiting for me in Stockholm (purchased on a Swedish auction site through my brother ).

I had 2 large ziplock bags jam packed with instant film, 80% of it from The Impossible Project (PX 70 COOL, PX 680 COOL, PX 680 Beta film, PX 600 UV+ Black Frame, PZ 600 UV+ Black Frame and PZ 680 ColorShade) (I had been stocking up forever for this trip).

I spent about 10 days in and around Stockholm and Uppsala, and these are some of the images captured on Impossible film.

About Jill

I live in northern California with my husband, 3 dogs, 2 cats and a parrot. I am an amateur photographer and I also collect cameras, I have around 100 as of right now (all film).

Thanks to Jill for taking part in Analog Travelog! To see more of her photography, please visit jillauville.deviantart.com/.

If you’ve recently taken a trip on which you shot some Impossible photos or plan on taking one soon, please shoot us an email at usa@theimpossibleproject.com

3
No. 694

8x10 Workshop in Barcelona

Marlene Kelnreiter | 143 days ago

Enjoy this spirited video from the 8×10 workshop, organized by our Impossible Partner Store in Barcelona together with Barcelona’s Photo Studio Seltona, perfect to slide into a happy, analog new year 2013! Enjoy!

4
No. 696

December Analog Feedback Afternoon Recap

Josie Keefe, | 142 days ago

By Gerry Irwan

Last Sunday we gathered at the NYC Project Space for our monthly meet up, Analog Feedback Afternoon. This event is a chance for the NYC instant film community to gather together to discuss each other’s work and get feedback on their images from other photographers. This informal gathering is modeled after art school critiques – but is completely free!

This month, we had many participants from our Holiday Lights Photowalk including Dave Knapik, Amy, and Gerry Irwan.
They shared their photos of the lavish Christmas decorations in Dyker Heights. Amy expressed her frustrations with shooting images in cold weather and the group went over some tips for getting the best tones and colors outside in the winter. Bruce Fraidowitz shared his most recent emulsion lifts and images. He managed to combine two of our favorite experimental techniques, emulsions lifts and negative bleaching into one amazing photo collage.

New York is bustling with creative energy, but in a city this size it can be easy to lose focus on your creative projects.We created Analog Feedback Night to help build a community of analog instant enthusiasts, and give them a chance to talk about instant imagery in an intimate setting.

Join us for our January meeting on Sunday, January 29th from 6-9pm.

Hope you can make it!

No. 696

8 Exposures...with Amy Siân Green

Patrick Tobin, | 142 days ago

Greetings Impossible friends, and welcome back to 8 Exposures, our very popular instant film Q&A series. This week, we’re happy to bring you UK photographer Amy Siân Green…

1) What kind of Polaroid camera(s) do you use?

My SX-70 gets used the most and is my most beloved. I also have two 600 Onestep cameras, one of which used to belong to my dad. They take turns on breaking, usually because I keep getting sand inside them by accident. And who could forget my poor little I-Zone that hasn’t been used since I was ten years old…

2) Why do you like instant photography?

I like that I’m using the same medium that my grandfather used to use. I like that I can hold a Polaroid taken in the late seventies next to a Polaroid taken forty years later and the difference is miniscule.

Funnily enough it’s the slowing down that I prefer when it comes to instant photography. There is a tendency to shoot digital at speed and in multitudes, but with film you have to take your time. And even once the photograph has shot out of the camera, you can sit and wait for the picture to develop in your hands.

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No. 698

"Trick Or Treat" Gallery Winners!

Patrick Tobin, | 142 days ago

Photo by Tyler Tyndell

While we love to make holidays last longer, we really pushed it with this one. Please forgive our BOO-boo. Here are the 3 winners of our Halloween Trick or Treat Photo Gallery Contest…

Tyler Tyndell, Amy Siân Green and Andrew Millar!

Congratulations to the winners! They will each receive a set of PX 680 American Woods film. Thanks to everyone who entered. We’ll be sending you a little treat next week to make up for our tardiness!

8
No. 698

Make Your Mark opens at Impossible NYC

Josie Keefe, | 138 days ago

January 17th, 2013
6-9pm
Impossible Project NYC Space
map
By Andrew Millar

This month, it’s a celebration of illustration! To commemorate the launch of the our pen set, we are showing a full scale exhibition demonstrating a range of drawing styles and subjects taken on a variety of Impossible films.

This group show will feature 50 stunning hand drawn original images from a diverse group of accomplished international photographers: Alexander Iezzi, Andrew Millar, Ani Asvadurian, Ave Heidelberger, Azuree Wiitala, Ben Inocent, Bernd Oehmen, Carla Triolo, Carsten Woywood, Fabienne Feltus, Grazia Dall’Acqua, Jade Sheldon, Jeanna Sheen, Jonathan Campolo, Joserra Puelles, Kristen Perman, Ludovica Bastianini, Marilyn Rondon, Meredith Wilson, Michelle Casper, Roberta Orlando, Roxanne Daner, Scott Brown, Stixxx, and Troy Bradford.

Images in this show were curated from the online gallery of images submitted from the devoted community of Impossible fans, and artists.

The opening reception will take place form 6-9pm on January 17th with a DJ, and refreshments. The exhibit will be on display at Impossible NYC from January 17th-February 23rd and will then travel to our Vienna project space. Check out a few of these amazing images and get inspired to illustrate your own!

No. 699

8 Exposures...with Justin Goode

Patrick Tobin, | 138 days ago

Hello again, Instapals! Welcome back to 8 Exposures, our ongoing instant film Q&A series. This week, we bring you our good friend, Dallas photographer Justin Goode…

1) What kind of Polaroid camera(s) do you use?

A Mamiya RB67 w/ an instant back, Polaroid Automatic 100, Spectra AF, Sonar SX-70 and a SLR 680.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

The whole process is special. You expose a frame, which is then pushed through rollers, smearing developer goop across a negative. A chemical reaction takes place and voila, an image materializes. That is tangibility at its finest. Within minutes you have a work of art in your hands. I like that, because of its analog nature, outside variables can shape the final outcome of the image. Another bonus of instant photography is the connection people have with the film. It’s incredibly nostalgic. Most, if not every person I’ve shot using instant film, smile & exclaim something about how neat, cool, awesome, amazing, unique it is. I couldn’t agree more. It’s all of that and then some.

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9
No. 700

Impossible's Analog Travelog - Nicholas Carn in Moscow

Patrick Tobin, | 137 days ago

Welcome back to our newest addition to the Impossible Blog: Impossible’s Analog Travelog! In this series, we’ll be showcasing fantastic Impossible photos taken on voyages the world over. This entry comes from Nicholas Carn and his trip to Moscow on which he brought along some Impossible film…

Last Christmas and New Year I travelled to freezing Moscow to stay with my Russian friend; of course I brought along my SX-70. The bleak snowy landscape of Moscow is such a perfect subject for instant film. My friend always took a long time to get ready each day so I would usually go out exploring with my camera(s) and meet her later on. Only knowing a few words of Russian, this proved challenging on the underground, having to remember station names visually.

One of my favourite Impossible shots from the trip, called “last night” was of remains of fireworks from New Years eve, the empty and burnt cases lonely on a frozen lake. Also a shot of fishermen sitting on their fold-up chairs, fishing through holes drilled in the ice, a power station in the distance behind. They look great blown up large where you can see the texture of the film. Also “Cosmos” my shot of the Russian cosmonaut memorial. There was a beautiful forest at the edge of the lake by my friends house which I went to explore, it was near here that as I was taking a shot of a power station chimney I was chased off by two Russian hounds…

Read all
11
No. 700

Dr. Love's Tips - Your SLR 680 and You

Patrick Tobin, | 135 days ago

Welcome back to Dr. Love’s Tips! This week, Impossible USA’s Camera Resource Manager Frank Love discusses the SLR 680…

For any of you who happen to own an SLR 680, you know it is a beautifully well-crafted work of art of instant electronic machinery….it also tends to produce more ‘divots’ or [‘undeveloped patches’] than your friend’s SX-70 camera.

You may be wondering…why?

The simple answer here is the one thing in the ejection process that changes from the older SX-70 cameras to the SLR 680 and 690 model folding cameras, that is the rollers.

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No. 702

Viewfinder: Writer's Bloqparty Tour 2012

Patrick Tobin, | 135 days ago

Writer’s Bloq is a group whose intent is to help great writers get discovered. They recently took their passion for writing on the road in their Writer’s Bloqparty Tour 2012, and they took along a handful of Impossible PX 680 Color Protection and PX 600 Cool film….

The things we carried weren’t all necessary. They weren’t necessary but they were significant, each and every thing in that van. Our inventory: eight warm bodies, eight thick blankets, a half-case of wine, a concrete block, a Thomas Pynchon novel, a jar of Vaseline, empty water bottles, candy bags full and heavy, a small array of scarves, a Moleskine half-written, a large canvas of Mount Kilimanjaro, an extra tire, worn bubblewrap, blue headphones, three handles of whiskey, powder packs of Vitamin C, a brand new umbrella, emptied Styrofoam coffee cups, a brush or two beneath our feet, and Polaroid cameras around our necks. Together, these things covered the entire floor, created their own kingdom of intimate knowledge. Together, they would get us through a week of adventure, the escape from our respective New York boroughs and day jobs for the Writer’s Bloqparty Tour 2012, our modern-day literary Parisian parlor.

But the things we carried above the floor were far more valuable, and as such, they were much harder to uncover. The unyielding guilt of moments past, the insufferable memory of the heart, the mind starved for inspiration. A journey for all writers plagued with a relentlessly restless soul; an adventure seeking a perfect whiskey, pure inspiration, and our beloved Kerouac.

We would soon wake in Cambridge, Connecticut, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, and back home in New York. Each and every night we would find ourselves in a new city and the eight of us would go about hosting our literary
Bloqparties, where we’d set up art based on our pieces, donated to us by artists all over the world, and share our writing. As the nights progressed, we would choose to sleep less and less and then not at all.

Read all
14
No. 700

8 Exposures...with Photominimal

Patrick Tobin, | 132 days ago

Hello instant film fanatics, and welcome back to 8 Exposures, our popular instant film Q&A series. This week, we are happy to bring you former Canadian and current Tennessean Photominimal…

1) What kind of Polaroid camera(s) do you use?

My favourite cameras are my Spectra Pro and my Polaroid SLR 690. I also use a 100 Automatic Land Camera.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

It’s extraordinary to be able to witness, in just a very few moments, how chemistry and light come together in the instant image. There is something about the tangible, palpable, instant photograph that still mystifies me. Somehow, these images contain depths that I haven’t felt in other media.

3) What is your earliest memory of instant film?

My parents took few photographs. As a child, I remember seeing a film in which someone used a Polaroid camera. I really wanted one, but they were too expensive for us. My mother ended up getting me a 110 camera, which is how I got started taking pictures.

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15
No. 704

The Holiday Card Exchange

Marlene Kelnreiter | 131 days ago

Thanks so much to everyone who swamped our international offices with lovely, funny, creative and beautiful holiday cards!

They’ve all received a honorary place on our walls and we’re about to sharpen our pencils and send you our Impossible good year wishes.

Thanks so much to everyone who got involved and is not only keeping analog instant photography alive but also the art of sending real mail.

16
No. 705

análogos – meets digital

Marlene Kelnreiter | 130 days ago

Love for detail is what makes this iPad magazine standing out, merging an analog project with today’s digital possibilities.

Evolving from an experimental idea by artist Thea Curtis, a beautiful Polaroid photobook was born and released in mid 2012. A limited edition was printed and sold out within a couple of days. Thea’s passion for iPad magazines led her to translate this project into a digital area of conflict. Her goal was not to create a simple «1:1-copy&paste-thing» to a different medium. It was thus expanded with elements such as slidable contents, sounds, animations and interactivity.

análogos is now available in the iTunes store, a truly special magazine merging analog instant photography, text fragments from Lem Dobb‘s movie «Kafka» and shrouded in dark drone sounds by Alex Huldi.

No. 706

Impossible's Analog Travelog - The Gentleman Amateur in Greece

Patrick Tobin, | 130 days ago

Welcome back to our newest addition to the Impossible Blog: Impossible’s Analog Travelog! In this series, we’ll be showcasing fantastic Impossible photos taken on voyages the world over. This entry comes from The Gentleman Amateur, who recently visited Greece and brought along some Impossible film…

1: We started our trip round Greece in Athens, in the Acropolis Museum.

2: When I think of Greece, I think of ancient times, classical civilisation; things that have survived for thousands of years, and still have the power to stop us in our tracks.

3: From the museum, you can look out the window, and see the Acropolis right there on top of the hill, up above the city that’s grown around it. And if you listen very carefully, maybe you can still hear the voices of the gods raining down from the sky.

4: But that’s not the experience of most people in Greece today. The news is all about the Eurozone crisis: about economic and political changes so severe they’re ripping people’s lives to pieces, about riots and flames and the end of the world as we know it.

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17
No. 707

Nora Tschirner by Katja Sonnewend

Marlene Kelnreiter | 129 days ago

During a production for the German Grazia magazine photographer Katja Sonnewend found the time to unpack her Spectra camera.

Loaded with PZ 680 Color Shade Cool film she took a few snapshots of German film actress Nora Tschirner during a break.

No. 708

The Impossible NYC Street Portraiture Photo Walk

Michelle Casper, | 129 days ago

Johanna Moelk

This month’s photo walk centered around street portraiture, offering tips and tricks for achieving the best results in this sometimes unpredictable setting. A group of over a dozen analog-enthusiasts took to the streets of SoHo to document the interesting characters and styles that make NYC so iconic.

Participants were given a suggested list of photos to take, including the “sneaky shot” and picking someone off the street to pose for you. Everyone managed to capture great images of photogenic strangers, while also taking some amazing shots of each other.

You can also find photos on our Facebook

Keep shooting, and stay tuned for information on next month’s photo walk!

18
No. 709

8 Exposures...with Greg Brophy

Patrick Tobin, | 128 days ago

Hello dear friends, and welcome back to 8 Exposures, our popular instant film Q&A series. This week, we are very happy to bring you Greg Brophy…

1) What kind of Polaroid camera(s) do you use?

I own one of just about all of the major Polaroid cameras. I use the SX-70 Sonar for color, an SLR 680 for black and white and a Spectra AF for both. I also love my Automatic 250 Land Camera for Chocolate film. I have a modified 110B, but the rangefinder is very sensitive to motion so I only use it in the studio.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

I love it I think for the same reasons most other people do. You can take a photo and have something in your hand that develops without the need for a darkroom. The fact that you have a physical object. I love the vintage-style colors and the way it looks without having to do anything to it in the computer. I used to spend a lot of time on the computer to get my images to look the way that Impossible films look. Now I can spend more time taking photos and developing my ideas.

The happy accidents I get when I shoot with it, the unpredictability of it. When I shoot digital, I know exactly what it will look like before I even shoot it. With Impossible film, there is still room for unexpected surprises.

Read all
20
No. 710

Impossible's Sunday Brunch - With Guest Chef Celina Wyss

Patrick Tobin, | 126 days ago

Photo by Gabriele Pagani

Welcome back to Sunday Brunch, our series in which we share lovely photos taken with Impossible film. We decided to mix up the brunch menu a bit by inviting Impossible friends and photographers to guest curate our Sunday Brunch selections.

Our good friend and fantastic photographer Celina Wyss came up with the menu for this week’s “Guest Chef” entry. Please enjoy these savory photos selected by Celina!

When first selecting images for Sunday Brunch I tried to stick with a single theme but that felt too limiting. So it came down to the ones that made my breath catch. These were the photos that I kept coming back to over and over again…

Read all
21
No. 711

8 Exposures...with Erin McGuire

Patrick Tobin, | 125 days ago

Welcome back to 8 Exposures, our popular instant film Q&A series. This week, we are happy to bring you California photographer Erin McGuire…

1) What kind of Polaroid camera(s) do you use?

The types of Polaroid cameras that I have are an SX-70, Spectra, and a few OneStep 600 box type camera. I also have a few Polaroid backs for large format and pinhole cameras that I like to use, and one Holgaroid.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

There are a lot of reasons why I like instant photography but what it all really boils down to is the quality of the images taken on any kind of instant film. They have their own special look and personality, especially Impossible Project film. No matter what you do with an Impossible Project image, whether it be an emulsion lift, drawing on it, or manipulating it in the digital darkroom, you can tell it’s an IP image because of its distinct characteristics.

3) What is your earliest memory of instant film?

I was born in ’65 and it seems like instant film was always around, but my own personal experiences with the film came when a coworker gave me her old Spectra camera and I took pictures of my boy when he was just a toddler. I still have some of those pictures and the very first IP picture I ever took was with that same Spectra camera.

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22
No. 712

Instant Fashion Lab

Marlene Kelnreiter | 124 days ago

Anna Eimerl, kalinkakalinka

During last week’s Berlin Fashion Week, students of the Universität der Künste Berlin organised Fashion Instant Lab – a 3-day pop-up gallery in Berlin-Mitte.

Journalists and bloggers, fashionistas and models were invited to contribute their favorite moments from Berlin Fashion Week 2013, captured with smartphones and digital cameras. These photos with an intimate perspective were developed into classic analog instant photos – using the Impossible Instant Lab – and filled the gallery only minutes later.

Amongst many others, contributors to the pop-up gallery were Cloudy, writer at LesMads, the bloggers Bosch and Dörte Lange, the art directors of the magazines mitteschön and style league. Overall 76 analog instant photos were exhibited at Torstraße 170.

Head over to the Instant Fashion Lab website to view more photos.

23
No. 713

Impossible's Analog Travelog - Frank Zierenberg in Morocco

Patrick Tobin, | 123 days ago

Welcome back to our newest addition to the Impossible Blog: Impossible’s Analog Travelog! In this series, we’ll be showcasing fantastic Impossible photos taken on voyages the world over. This entry comes from Frank Zierenberg, who recently visited Morocco and brought along some Impossible film…

I shot a lot of polas in Essaouira, Morocco at the end of October 2012. All photos were taken with PX 680 Color Protection film and an SLR 680.

It was particulary interesting to take pictures in a culture so different from our western culture – especially with a deep skepticism regarding photography. The old myth that a part of your soul is stolen when a picture is taken seems to be somewhat still present. Therefore the whole experience of taking pictures there was a journey that confronted me with some of the deeply rooted paradigms of photography: Respect for the depicted and his/her culture & the respect for privacy.

Using instant photography totaly changed everything. I quickly developed the method of “one for you, one for me”. This was a perfect ice-breaker and something that somehow seemed to overcome the skepticism regarding being photographed. I very often had crowds around me wanting to get their picture taken, even offering money of gifts from their shops in return. And I did not have a bad conscience for taking their pictures, as I left something for them.

Thanks to Frank for taking part in Analog Travelog! To see more of his photography, please visit http://www.brainbackup.de/

If...Read All

24
No. 714

The Impossible NYC Bi-Annual Sample Sale!

Michelle Casper, | 122 days ago

January 26th & 27th, 2013
The Impossible Project Space NYC

This Saturday and Sunday we are hosting our bi-annual sample sale. Come to the Impossible Project NYC Space from noon to 6pm for an exciting array of in-store exclusives. While cleaning out our warehouse we found many hidden gems and we are pricing them to move. We will have $15 cameras, discounted film, books, prints and hard-to-find accessories.

Whether you are an Impossible pro or an instant film newbie, this is the perfect opportunity to stock up on all your analog photography desires.

No. 715

Twitter Theme Days!

Patrick Tobin, | 122 days ago

Photo by Roxanne Daner

We’ve been having a blast creating special “theme days” on twitter like #BWednesday, #nomday and #purrsday but we’re always looking for new ideas. Tweet us your suggestions plus the #TIPtheme hashtag and if we select yours we’ll send you a pack of film! You can also leave your suggestions in the comments below.

Please keep in mind that we must be able to showcase at least 15 photos taken on Impossible film on a theme day so make sure your suggestion isn’t too specific or obscure!

25
No. 715

Dr. Love's Tips - Put Some Spring In Your Step

Patrick Tobin, | 121 days ago

Welcome back to another edition of Dr. Love’s Tips, where Impossible USA’s camera resource manager Frank Love provides you with insight that allows you to get the best out of your Polaroid camera and Impossible film. This week: Viewfinder dysfunction…

Have you ever had the viewfinder on your SX-70 or SLR 680 suddenly go kind of…limp?

It’s ok, it can happen to 1 out of every 5 instant film shooters.

Symptoms can show themselves as:
1. a viewfinder that won’t fully close or open
2. what appears to be a black viewfinder when looking into it (see also: Mirror, Mirror blog post)
3. a small piece of metal sticking out the side of the skirt around the VF.

This can often be a simple issue in which the spring that hooks onto the mirror within the VF has come off the little bit of plastic on the mirror that it grabs to. So long as the piece of the mirror hasn’t broken, here’s a simple fix to put the spring back in place.

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27
No. 716

Impossible's Sunday Brunch - With Guest Chef Azuree Wiitala

Patrick Tobin, | 119 days ago

Photo by J. James Joiner

Welcome back to Sunday Brunch, our series in which we share lovely photos taken with Impossible film. We decided to mix up the brunch menu a bit by inviting Impossible friends and photographers to guest curate our Sunday Brunch selections.

Our good friend and fantastic photographer Azuree Wiitala came up with the menu for this week’s “Guest Chef” entry. Please enjoy these tasty photos selected by Azuree!

J. James Joiner

This photo really stood out to me. It looks so timeless and joyful! I loved the matching reds, so bright and happy.

Christoph Holtmann

I was really drawn to the composition in this photo. I love the texture of the wall behind the car, the colors, and the reflections. I’m a big fan of the colors the COOL! films produced, subdued and dreamy.

Andrew Millar

Sparklers are so fun. I thought Andrew caught this one perfectly! Look how sharp and defined the lines are with perfect little stars on the end! Magic!!

Read all
28
No. 712

8 Exposures...with Ghee Dondlinger

Patrick Tobin, | 118 days ago

Welcome back to 8 Exposures, our popular instant film Q&A series. This week, we are very happy to bring you German photographer Ghee Dondlinger…

1) What kind of Polaroid camera(s) do you use?

I own two SX-70 models, one of which is a sonar, which is the model I prefer as at allows me to use auto focus; and I also own a Supercolor 635 CL model which I use primarily in low-light conditions.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

I like lo-fi photography in general for its unpredictability and the way the images turn out less than perfect. Instant film in particular I enjoy because they add their own specific sense of ‘unreal’ to the resulting image, a somewhat painterly quality. And for the challenge to make every exposure count. Also, in this digital age, it’s nice that there still are a few things which you can actually touch and hold.

3) What is your earliest memory of instant film?

I think my first conscious exposure to instant film was a book published in 1984 by singer/songwriter David Sylvian. Entitled ‘Perspectives’, it featured collages made from Polaroid photographs. My first hands-on experience with instant film was when I moved to Berlin and one of my flatmates owned a Polaroid camera, which was much used by everyone living in or visiting the flat.

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30
No. 719

Impossible's Analog Travelog - Kamila Woynarska in Mongolia

Patrick Tobin, | 116 days ago

Welcome back to Impossible’s Analog Travelog! In this series, we showcase fantastic Impossible photos taken on voyages the world over. This entry comes from Kamila Woynarska, who recently visited Mongolia and brought along some Impossible film…

Mongolia has always been on my top 10 list of places to visit. I did not want to have any expectations before I went but part of me hoped I would find a country still unspoiled, with abundant wildlife and vast landscapes. My first two weeks in Mongolia were a bit of a disappointment though – the capital city turned out to be a very crowded and touristy place full of internet cafes, French bakeries and pricey restaurants. Fortunately, as soon as I left Ulan Bator and decided to continue my journey on the back of a horse, I discovered a true face of this magnificent country – very invigorating and exhilarating.

In the next two months, I was lucky enough to meet very hospitable nomad families living in traditional gear, see one of the most beautiful lakes in the world and swim in it naked (Lake Hobsghol) and sleep under the blue sky with nobody around within 100 miles.

Read all
31
No. 720

Artist in Residence: Dave Knapik

Josie Keefe, | 115 days ago

For this month’s installment of Artist in Residence we check in with Dave Knapik , whose ‘Psychic NYC’ series is currently on display in our NYC Project Space as part of our 212 Impossible exhibition series.

“I began using Impossible Project film near the end of 2011, having never shot instant film before. Whilst growing up, family members had Polaroid cameras of course, but I never did personally. My introduction to photography came in the mid-00s, when digital methods had already matured and could produce perfect, high-resolution images effortlessly. As I learned more about the craft, however, I craved an unpredictability and spontaneity that digital photography was unable to provide. Amidst falling in love with “toy” cameras like the Diana and Holga, I started seeing images that other artists were capturing with Impossible Project film and quickly developed a strong desire to experiment with it. Finding a $4 Polaroid OneStep express in a Chicago thrift store was the beginning of a journey that led me to spend the majority of 2012 shooting instant film from the Impossible Project and shaping my latest project, Psychic NYC, around their lovely medium.

My initial experiments with the film were rough. I had no clue that the film was light sensitive when it ejected from the camera (yeah, I could have read the instructions that came with it, but I had this awesome camera in my lap that demanded I shoot first and ask questions later!), so those first couple of shots...Read All

No. 720

Artist in Residence: Dave Knapik

Josie Keefe, | 114 days ago

For this month’s installment of Artist in Residence we check in with Dave Knapik , whose ‘Psychic NYC’ series is currently on display in our NYC Project Space as part of our 212 Impossible exhibition series.

“I began using Impossible Project film near the end of 2011, having never shot instant film before. Whilst growing up, family members had Polaroid cameras of course, but I never did personally. My introduction to photography came in the mid-00s, when digital methods had already matured and could produce perfect, high-resolution images effortlessly. As I learned more about the craft, however, I craved an unpredictability and spontaneity that digital photography was unable to provide. Amidst falling in love with “toy” cameras like the Diana and Holga, I started seeing images that other artists were capturing with Impossible Project film and quickly developed a strong desire to experiment with it. Finding a $4 Polaroid OneStep express in a Chicago thrift store was the beginning of a journey that led me to spend the majority of 2012 shooting instant film from the Impossible Project and shaping my latest project, Psychic NYC, around their lovely medium.

My initial experiments with the film were rough. I had no clue that the film was light sensitive when it ejected from the camera (yeah, I could have read the instructions that came with it, but I had this awesome camera in my lap that demanded I shoot first and ask questions later!), so those first couple of shots...Read All

No. 719

Impossible's Analog Travelog - Kamila Woynarska in Mongolia

Patrick Tobin, | 116 days ago

Welcome back to Impossible’s Analog Travelog! In this series, we showcase fantastic Impossible photos taken on voyages the world over. This entry comes from Kamila Woynarska, who recently visited Mongolia and brought along some Impossible film…

Mongolia has always been on my top 10 list of places to visit. I did not want to have any expectations before I went but part of me hoped I would find a country still unspoiled, with abundant wildlife and vast landscapes. My first two weeks in Mongolia were a bit of a disappointment though – the capital city turned out to be a very crowded and touristy place full of internet cafes, French bakeries and pricey restaurants. Fortunately, as soon as I left Ulan Bator and decided to continue my journey on the back of a horse, I discovered a true face of this magnificent country – very invigorating and exhilarating.

In the next two months, I was lucky enough to meet very hospitable nomad families living in traditional gear, see one of the most beautiful lakes in the world and swim in it naked (Lake Hobsghol) and sleep under the blue sky with nobody around within 100 miles.

Read all
No. 712

8 Exposures...with Ghee Dondlinger

Patrick Tobin, | 118 days ago

Welcome back to 8 Exposures, our popular instant film Q&A series. This week, we are very happy to bring you German photographer Ghee Dondlinger…

1) What kind of Polaroid camera(s) do you use?

I own two SX-70 models, one of which is a sonar, which is the model I prefer as at allows me to use auto focus; and I also own a Supercolor 635 CL model which I use primarily in low-light conditions.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

I like lo-fi photography in general for its unpredictability and the way the images turn out less than perfect. Instant film in particular I enjoy because they add their own specific sense of ‘unreal’ to the resulting image, a somewhat painterly quality. And for the challenge to make every exposure count. Also, in this digital age, it’s nice that there still are a few things which you can actually touch and hold.

3) What is your earliest memory of instant film?

I think my first conscious exposure to instant film was a book published in 1984 by singer/songwriter David Sylvian. Entitled ‘Perspectives’, it featured collages made from Polaroid photographs. My first hands-on experience with instant film was when I moved to Berlin and one of my flatmates owned a Polaroid camera, which was much used by everyone living in or visiting the flat.

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No. 716

Impossible's Sunday Brunch - With Guest Chef Azuree Wiitala

Patrick Tobin, | 119 days ago

Photo by J. James Joiner

Welcome back to Sunday Brunch, our series in which we share lovely photos taken with Impossible film. We decided to mix up the brunch menu a bit by inviting Impossible friends and photographers to guest curate our Sunday Brunch selections.

Our good friend and fantastic photographer Azuree Wiitala came up with the menu for this week’s “Guest Chef” entry. Please enjoy these tasty photos selected by Azuree!

J. James Joiner

This photo really stood out to me. It looks so timeless and joyful! I loved the matching reds, so bright and happy.

Christoph Holtmann

I was really drawn to the composition in this photo. I love the texture of the wall behind the car, the colors, and the reflections. I’m a big fan of the colors the COOL! films produced, subdued and dreamy.

Andrew Millar

Sparklers are so fun. I thought Andrew caught this one perfectly! Look how sharp and defined the lines are with perfect little stars on the end! Magic!!

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No. 715

Dr. Love's Tips - Put Some Spring In Your Step

Patrick Tobin, | 121 days ago

Welcome back to another edition of Dr. Love’s Tips, where Impossible USA’s camera resource manager Frank Love provides you with insight that allows you to get the best out of your Polaroid camera and Impossible film. This week: Viewfinder dysfunction…

Have you ever had the viewfinder on your SX-70 or SLR 680 suddenly go kind of…limp?

It’s ok, it can happen to 1 out of every 5 instant film shooters.

Symptoms can show themselves as:
1. a viewfinder that won’t fully close or open
2. what appears to be a black viewfinder when looking into it (see also: Mirror, Mirror blog post)
3. a small piece of metal sticking out the side of the skirt around the VF.

This can often be a simple issue in which the spring that hooks onto the mirror within the VF has come off the little bit of plastic on the mirror that it grabs to. So long as the piece of the mirror hasn’t broken, here’s a simple fix to put the spring back in place.

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