• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Hello everyone, and welcome back to 8 Exposures, our popular instant film Q&A series! This entry focuses on Wisconsin photographer Jon Syverson…

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

The most used in my collection would have to be the Polaroid Spectra SE and the Polaroid Land Camera 150.

*2) Why do you like instant photography???

It sometimes resembles a far away place, or another time, something other than the sterility of other forms of imaging.

Instant photography is of course one of the last truly magical things, I believe. I am still captivated and left in awe, quite frankly, of all of the different types and ages of instant films that are available for use to this day. I wish some of the oldest of the Polaroid films were still available, or that I could time travel, whatever.

I also really like instant photography because it requires you to have greater knowledge of film scanning, which was something I used to do for years on the job. Although, come to think of it, I had never attempted taping a Polaroid to a drum scanner.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Welcome back to 8 Exposures, our popular instant film Q&A series! This week, we’re happy to bring you British writer and photographer Hilary Clarke…

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

The first camera I bought was a 600, which I still love as it’s so easy to use and takes fantastic images. I’ve also got a Spectra and a folding SX-70 sonar which is fast becoming my favourite. I seem to be building up quite a collection as I’ve just bought a Land 1000, the type of Polaroid I remember best from childhood.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

I’m quite shy about approaching strangers to take their photographs, but carrying a Polaroid camera means that people are intrigued and very often will ask me to take their photo! It’s easy to get chatting to people, and they always have memories of Polaroid cameras themselves which they like to share.

I love the variety and depth of the images that can be produced; they sometimes have a lovely dark smokiness that can be quite hypnotic and at other times, the sharpness takes my breath away.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Welcome back to 8 Exposures, our ongoing instant film Q&A series. This entry focuses on UK photographer Andrew Bartram…

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

Mainly SX-70 Originals, I have two of those but one has recently stopped working; an SLR 680, and 250 and 103 Automatic Land Cameras.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

I can’t draw, paint or play a musical instrument so, along with my passion for the darkroom, instant photography allows me an accessible creative release from the day job.

Although I have been a film user and printer for 25 years I have only been into instant photography for the last year since I bought my first 600 box camera on Ebay, shortly followed by my first SX-70. I love the sheer unpredictable nature of the Impossible films, even the fabulous Color Protection film behaves in different ways depending on light, heat and the variables associated with your camera. So it’s that unpredictability, the uniqueness of each image combined with those wonderful Polaroid Cameras that I love about instant photography.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Welcome back to 8 Exposures, our popular instant film Q&A series! This week, we’re happy to present to you a photographer friend from down under, Douglas Pope…

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

A beat up old SX-70 that is very much on its last legs, and a dusty, neglected 450 that I’ve not used in months.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

I like the quirks, knowing my camera so well I can plan a bleed or a leak – feels more personal…I also like knowing there is one copy, one original that is aging and deteriorating. It gives each image more weight I think.

3) What is your earliest memory of instant film?

Having a Polaroid taken of me at a circus in the UK, an elephant had its trunk around me, I couldn’t imagine a better way to remember it than that Polaroid.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Welcome back to 8 Exposures, our ongoing instant film Q&A series. This week, we turn the spotlight on Chris Mettraux…

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

J’ai la chance d’avoir une grande collection de Polaroids. J’utilise un Polaroid SLR 690, sx70, Polaroid 110 modifié pack 100, et un Polaroid 600 SE modifié par mes soins avec un dos 600 et sx70 qui me permet de régler diaphragme et vitesse…

I am very happy because I have a big collection of Polaroids. I work with several cameras, for example the Polaroid SLR 690, the SX-70, the Polaroid 110 modified for Type 100 pack film and the 600 SE modified by myself with a 600/SX70 back which allows me to set the aperture and the speed.

Je suis photographe et ne travaille qu’avec des appareils argentiques ou des procédés anciens “cyanotype, Vandyke, ziatype et wetplate” donc le Polaroid et venu à moi comme une evidence. Je suis également modérateur sur un forum de Polaroid at www.polaroid-passion.com

I am a photographer and I only work with analog cameras or old processes like Cyanotype, Vandyke, Ziatype and Wetplate. So the instant photography came to me like evidence. I am also a moderator of a polaroid forum at www.polaroid-passion.com.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Welcome back to 8 Exposures, our popular instant film Q&A series! This week, we are happy to present you with the dreamy photography of Carine Wallauer…

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

I have a Polaroid 1000. When I was a teenager my literature teacher gave it to me. It was a gift from her grandma when she was eight years old, but she never used it. It was still in the box, untouched.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

I love the atmosphere. I love the way things appear just like I saw them in my imagination. I love the colors. I love the square format. I love to have it inside my shirt and close to my heart when I hide it from the light until the magic happens.

3) What is your earliest memory of instant film?

When I was a kid my uncle had a polaroid and used it to take pics of our family lunches. It was so magical to me! I still have one of them. (:

4) What’s your favorite Impossible film type?

I love both Color and Silver Shade.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Welcome back to 8 Exposures, our popular instant film Q&A series! This week, we’re happy to bring you Agafia Polynchuk…

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

My one and only beloved is my SX-70. It’s a little crazy, like me. It loves to mess with me – sometimes it starts shooting dozens of pictures without my permission! It always plays tricks on me when I’m trying to decide to turn the L / D control to the darker or lighter side, if the room is dark. It doesn’t have a name, but I love it.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

Simply because it is magic.

3) What is your earliest memory of instant film?

There are a lot of polaroid pictures taken by my parents on in my photo album. I was about 4, I remember that I was putting ripe apricots into a blue bucket, standing on the roof of the shed surrounded by thousands of wasps. I wasn’t too interested in photography at that time.

4) What’s your favorite Impossible film type?

My absolute favorite was PX 600 + Black Frame. Daylight, black, white, and of course, grey – in my opinion, these guys make a great combination. If I decide I want all the colours of the rainbow, I’ll paint them in myself. This film is perfect for it. Some water, paper, aquarelle, PX 600 Lift … and voilà!

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Welcome back to 8 Exposures, our instant film Q&A series! This week, our star is Oklahoman Dylan Boyd…

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

I have a large shelf dedicated specifically toward displaying my vast Polaroid and instant camera collection, but I primarily use my SLR 680, SX-70 Sonar, Original SX-70, Spectra Onyx, Macro 5, and for packfilm I use a 250 Land Camera and a Holgaroid from time to time.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

There are so many reasons to love instant photography, for me it’s not only the nostalgic feeling it gives me, but also the tangibility and the time it gives me to escape this always growing digital world. I suffer from high anxiety and it gives me a chance to slow down, breathe, and be at one with myself and my art. I appreciate that I can compose a photo, snap the shutter and then have the image spit straight out of the camera. After that I love that I can watch all of these beautiful chemicals create an image right before my eyes. It’s an actual creation, not just a bunch of 0’s and 1’s on a hard drive. I consider it real magic.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Hello friends, and welcome back to 8 Exposures, our popular instant film Q&A series. This week, we are happy to bring you Miami-based photographer Phillip Pessar…

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

I have over 40 Polaroid cameras that I have found at the thrift store but I find myself going back to the same four over and over again: A Polaroid Pronto!, a Colorpack II for pack film, a Spectra 2 and the first Polaroid I ever bought at the thrift store in December 2009, a 636 Close-Up.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

I love the surreal look, especially with The Impossible Project films, and of course, I love that I get immediate results. I used to shoot a lot of 35mm film and although the results weren’t immediate I would have them in an hour after finishing the roll. Unfortunately, as fewer people shoot film local drugstores and big box stores are discontinuing processing and the few that still do process film do so little of it that the results are horrible. It now takes about 2 weeks to get 35mm back from a place that does decent work and I’m much too impatient to wait so long to see my photos. With instant film I have my photographs right away and not in two weeks and I love the results.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Welcome back to 8 Exposures, our ongoing instant film Q&A series! This week we’re happy to bring you Gorilla VS Bear Creative Director and photographer David Bartholow…

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

Polaroid Spectra System, Polaroid 600 OneStep, Polaroid SX-70 Pronto! B, Holgaroid, Polaroid One 600.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

Instant photography is responsible for consistently amazing work by countless photographers and individuals, and the mere existence of the medium is one of mankind’s many great achievements.

3) What is your earliest memory of instant film?

Having my portrait taken at tennis camp in the summer of 1983.

4) What’s your favorite Impossible film type?

Tough call. The new PX 680 Color Protection film, last year’s PX 680 beta, and/or the PX 600 Silver Shade UV + Gold Frame.

5) What are your favorite subjects to photograph?

Musicians, travels, walls, my cat + girlfriend’s dog.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Hi friends, and welcome back to 8 Exposures, our ongoing instant film Q&A series. This week, we’re happy to bring you Maryland photographer Ashley Saldana…

1) What kind of Polaroid Camera do you use?

I use a variety of Polaroid cameras. The majority of the time I use my grandparents’ Supercolor 635 CL Polaroid camera. Lately I have been shooting with my SX-70 Model 3 and my Spectra camera.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

I like the fact that every photo you take is completely different, even if you take the same shot twice. I love the minimal control I have of how the photo will develop – that’s what makes instant film so mysterious to me! You just never know exactly how your photo will end up. I also love how the anticipation builds up to watch something right in front of me develop in my hands. It’s like I’m capturing different bits and pieces of the world and taking them with me wherever I go.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Hello friends, and welcome back to 8 Exposures, our ever-popular instant film Q&A series. This week, we are pleased to bring you California photographer Patrick J. Clarke…

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

I was lucky and bought some Polaroids before the prices started going up….and I’m a bit of a camera nut, so I have more than a few.

My first Polaroid camera was actually my son’s One 600. It’s the camera that got me back into using instant film and then discovering The Impossible Project.

I have an SX-70 Sonar that’s been with me since First Flush came out, and then recently got my Uncle Larry’s SX-70 Alpha 1 Model 2 with the split-viewfinder. It’s been dubbed “The Uncle Larry” for obvious reasons. I love the Sonar, but I’ve been shooting with the Model 2 a lot more since it’s smaller than the Sonar, beat up looking and I love the split viewfinder in it.

I had a Spectra, but it started smelling like it was on fire every time I used it, so I replaced it with a black and red Spectra 2 with a close-up lens and the copy stand. I haven’t had a chance to play with it much, but love the Spectra format and will be using it more soon.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Hello and welcome back to 8 Exposures, our ongoing instant film Q&A series! This week, we turn our lens on Celina Wyss…

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

I’m always scouting sales and thrift shops for more but currently I shoot with a few different SX-70s, 3 Spectras and have just started playing with a Colorpack IV. My vintage camera collection extends far beyond those however and my closet is full of various 600 models and more. I’m pretty certain I’m going to need a new system for storing them soon.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

I love that what you see is what you get. There is no digital doctoring after the fact and for me that actually feels freeing. I love the imperfection that comes with instant photography. You are free to let the photo be what it is, flaws and all. Instant photography is truly about being in the moment. You stop, just for a moment and witness the world around you. You notice the temperature, the light, the shadows all in a moments time. You take a breath in and then you click. Then waiting for the shot to develop is the icing on the cake. It’s like magic!

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

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.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

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.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

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.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

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.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

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.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Welcome back to 8 Exposures, our ongoing instant film Q&A series. This week, we are happy to bring you Georgia photographer Lee Summers…

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

My first love, the SX-70 original. An SLR 680 SE that saved me in the dark days of Time Zero discontinuation. And the beautiful, translucent Spectra Onyx for when I want to roll wide.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

It’s like the difference between a tamagotchi and a real pet. It’s one of a kind and unpredictable. Tangible. It’s a conversation starter. It’s been said so often before but this is real magic right here and we need more of that in this world. Plus, when my hard drive eventually dies and I lose all of my digital photos, I’ll still have my Polaroids. And someday, someone else will have them and wonder why I’ve kept so many blurry photos.

3) What is your earliest memory of instant film?

For some reason, I can’t recall ever growing up with a Polaroid camera in the family, though my parents have albums of them that run counter to my memory. The turning point in my adult life was when I was given a donated original SX-70 by a manager at a thrift store I used to work at in the early 2000s. I fell in love with the mechanics and design and since Time Zero was still readily available at the time, I was instantly hooked.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Hi friends, and welcome back to 8 Exposures, our ongoing instant film interview series. This week, we are very happy to present you with French photographer and filmmaker Sarah Seené…

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

Since I began to work with instant film, I use a Polaroid 636 Close-up camera from 1992, which my dear aunt gave me. When I was a child, I used this device to photograph my grandmother’s animals…

2) Why do you like instant photography?

What interests me in the instant photography is its spontaneity, suspense and surprise. I prepare my instant photos a lot… During one hour or two, I set up costumes, sets and make-up which are going to give sense to the central characters of the photo. It is the contrast between the direction and the speed of the development that interests me and, of course, the magic grain of the instant photo, inimitable.

When the photo comes out, my heart is beating at top speed ! For me, instant photography is synonymous with emotion and sensation!

3) What is your earliest memory of instant film?

A few weeks ago, my mother offered me her first photo of me when I was an infant, and it was a polaroid. Obviously I didn’t remember taking this picture… But I do remember very well the very first Polaroid I made: when I was 7, the day of Christmas with my Grandma, we had just decorated the Christmas tree, I was so happy to decorate it with her,...Read All

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Hello, friends. Welcome back to 8 Exposures, our popular instant film Q&A series. This week, we’re happy to bring you long-time Impossible supporter and wonderful photographer, Italy’s own Andrea Palei…

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

I started shooting instant film with the “Polaroid 1000 red button” of my dad. I am passionate and I bought an original SX-70 (my favourite camera), from there I became insane, and I started collecting as many instant cameras as possible. I often use original SX-70 and SLR 680. And sometimes the Spectra and Colorpack II.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

It’s magical. The thing I love most about the instant photography is the unpredictability of the outcome, and the possibility to “touch” the photo and see it “born” slowly under my eyes. Those are things that fascinate me again like the first time.

3) What is your earliest memory of instant film?

The very first memory: I was a child and my father was taking polaroids at the beach and birthday parties.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Welcome back to 8 Exposures, our ongoing instant film Q&A series! This week, we are happy to bring you California photographer Bria Morrison…

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

My folding SX-70 is the love of my life and my very first “real” (as in not automatic everything) Polaroid camera. I found her on eBay in early 2009 and she’s still one of my greatest treasures. Since then I have fallen for my Spectra which is perfect for quicker shooting at weddings or other on-the-go occasions. And, not to forget my latest acquisition, my beloved Polaroid 180 Land Camera.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

I really love everything about instant photography but the one thing I love above all others are the images themselves. They’re soft and clear all at once. Painterly. You can blow them up HUGE and they remain some of the most beautiful photographs I’ve ever seen. There is no equivalent in the digital or standard film worlds.

3) What is your earliest memory of instant film?

Even though instant film was in my life for many years before this, the first time I can honestly say I remember what it was like to be photographed on instant film was on Grandparent’s day when I was in elementary school. My grandma, mom and I all posed for a picture & held up this little paper bunny I had made for Easter.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Hello, instanteers. Welcome back to 8 Exposures, our popular instant film Q&A series. This week, we happily bring you wonderful California photographer Francisco Chavira…

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

Like most photographers, I get GAS or Gear Acquisition Syndrome; It’s incredibly easy to get! There are Polaroid cameras everywhere at my place. However, I was challenged by a fellow photographer to stick to one camera and one film, to learn everything about that one camera and that one film. So, I shoot almost exclusively with an SX-70 Sonar. I’ve learned that the sonar doesn’t work most of the time, so I manually focus all the time. Sticking with this one camera, I’ve grown very comfortable with it and shooting it has become very natural. It’s truly an amazing camera, the depth of field and the sharpness of the SX-70 is stunning.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

As a film photographer, having an instant photo at your disposal is incredibly rad. Not only do you get the satisfaction of seeing how your images will look right away, but your subject gets the feeling of accomplishment as well. All the effort your subject put into makeup, hair, posing ect. is worth it. Instant film is powerful, because it has a unique ability to alter someones mood. To think how this one tiny square image, can uplift and excite is amazing. Having that power to instantly uplift your subject on a portrait shoot is powerful.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Welcome back to 8 Exposures, our popular instant film Q&A series. This week, we bring you Tennessee photographer and new mom Ashley Jae Fly…

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

I use several different Polaroid cameras, but the three I use the most are a Spectra System, an SX-70 Sonar & a Sun 660 I’ve pretty much retired the rest of them.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

I’m in love with instant photography because of its permanence, magic, and the nostalgia I feel when I shoot with it. It’s imperfect, which in my eyes makes it that much cooler. I love the static of it, and the fact that what you see is what you get. We don’t scan our instant photographs and then edit them in photoshop. It is what it is.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Welcome back to 8 Exposures, our ever-popular instant film Q&A series. This week, we’re very happy to bring you the photography of Carla Triolo…

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

My favorite camera is my folding SX-70 Sonar. I take it with me everywhere. If not for the fear that I would roll over and crush it, rendering it useless and reducing me to a blubbering incoherent heap on the floor…I would snuggle with it in bed every night. It was the first Polaroid camera I was truly successful with. Out of all the cameras I have, I find it the most portable and it has always yielded great results. I also use a Spectra SE, a Polaroid Land Model 250 and my grandfather’s Polaroid Land Model 350.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

I love the unpredictability of instant photography. No matter how I picture an image turning out I am never 100% on point. You never know exactly what will happen. Also, I appreciate the fact that unlike digital photography, I can’t just delete and retake as I please. This makes me focus a lot more on what I want to photograph and how. I think the extra care and thought really shows through in the pictures. You can tell how much love was put into it.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Hello, friends, and welcome back to 8 Exposures, our popular instant film Q&A series. This week, we are happy to bring you Rhode Island artist and photographer Gregory Geiger…

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

Other than a few button pushes when I was very young, I started my own instant film aventure with a Polaroid Joy Cam. I got frustrated with the strange form-factor, even though I loved the ease of multiple exposures. After that my constant companion, for about two years, was an i-Zone camera. I loved the ease of use and the size of the camera, but when I got frustrated with the ultra tiny images, I transitioned to a Polaroid One. I used that grey box cam until I ran out of the original Polaroid film. I finally gave that camera away, which was a sad day indeed.

When Impossible Project started making film, I was a little bit hesitant. I wasn’t sure if it was going to be the real thing or how long it was going to last, so I picked up a Green One Step Express from the NYC store. I fell in love with the First Flush film, fell in love with the Impossible Project itself, and three months later got the SX-70 Alpha One that I am madly in love with and literally carry with me everywhere.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Hello everyone, and welcome back to 8 Exposures, our instant film Q&A series. This week, we are happy to present to you Italian photographer Giacomo Inches…

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

I feel very comfortable with the SX-70 and Image cameras. If I have enough space, I definitely put them both in my bag. But I like to test and experiment with different cameras as well. I recently acquired an SLR 680 and I also like a Land Camera 340 that was given to me as a present. I also turned an Image camera with broken shutter into an Image pinhole camera that returns wonderful b/w images. Sometimes I play with a 630 LightMixer or a 1000 camera. At the end of the day, my wife is always complaining about all the cameras I have around (too many).

2) Why do you like instant photography?

I love photography in general because it can capture a particular moment (that is already gone, due to the impossibility of stopping time) into a particular frame. Instant photography, however, is one step further: a second after you shot, that moment you fixed through the camera becomes ‘tangible’ in your hands. You can observe the picture becoming reality and finally seeing and remembering and feeling that moment you just lived & shot. Moreover, compared to the modern digital photography, the instant returns a unique picture: even if you scan it, it will never be the same as the single original one. I still find people getting surprised by the self-developmment of the picture and its appearing ‘like magic’

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Welcome back to 8 Exposures, our ongoing instant film Q&A series. This week, we are pleased to bring you UK photographer Leanne Surfleet…

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

I have a few different Polaroid cameras but the main 3 I use are my Spectra, 450 Land and non-folding SX-70.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

Well, I never thought of myself as an impatient person but when it comes to photography I like to see the results instantly! Then I feel that I can move on with my shoot and change things up. I just find it exciting and feel that it’s a great skill to master, to have a certain control over your instant photographs. I’ve been shooting instant film for around 6 years now and I’m still completely amazed and confused by the whole process! Only having a certain amount of exposures makes me think about each one carefully before pressing the shutter, I’ve learnt over the years to not get too excited about a fresh pack of film and waste them. I cherish each and every one of my instant photographs.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Welcome back to 8 Exposures, our popular instant film Q&A series! This week, we are proud to present you with Florida photographer Ritchard Ton…

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

I have several sx-70s, an automatic 100, 195 land camera, numerous plastic One Steps, and a modified one shot into a pinhole.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

First, it was about watching the photo develop.
After that, it was about instantly having a photo to document the moment.
And then it was the ability to manipulate the photo.
And then it was the camera. The SX-70 is the best camera ever built. Yeah, I said ever.
And then it was the excitement of being a part of the creation of a new film and process of perfecting the film.
Now, it’s all of the above.

3) What is your earliest memory of instant film?

As a child, my family had a Kodak Handle instant camera. To me, watching instant photos develop was amazing. Not having to take a roll of film to local photomat kiosk in the A&P parking lot and wait a week to see the photos was really something special.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Hi friends, and welcome back to 8 Exposures, our popular instant film Q&A series. This issue, we’re happy to bring you Oregon native Rich Burroughs…

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

The main one is an Image 1200i, it’s one of the Spectra cameras with an LCD. I’m really enjoying the Spectra aspect ratio lately, it feels very cinematic, so that one is getting most of the work. I have a bunch of others though. A couple of SX-70s, a 180, some 600 cameras, a Clincher, and backs for my Hasselblad and Holga.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

It’s that magic of seeing the images develop. I work a lot with models and they really enjoy seeing the images come to life, it gives them a lot of confidence when they see that we nailed a shot. And it’s nice to be looking at a finished print. When I shoot digital, there are images that look great on the LCD but don’t work when I see them on my monitor.

3) What is your earliest memory of instant film?

We had Polaroids when I was a kid, my dad was into photography and they were so common. Polaroid and Kodak are the two brands that really dominated photography in my childhood.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Ciao, friends! Welcome back to 8 Exposures, our popular instant film Q&A series. This week, we are happy to bring you Italian photographer Alan Marcheselli…

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

I own more or less 200 Polaroid cameras, and depending on what I need, I choose the more useful, but my favourites are a silver One 600, an SX-70 Model 2 and a Spectra AF coming from a police CSI kit.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

I like it because of the size, the vintage/POP feelings, the different cameras and moreover I love the possibility to realize unrepeatable pictures.

3) What is your earliest memory of instant film?

I was three years old and my uncle shot some pictures of me with a Spirit 600 CL while on holiday. I fell in love with that system that gave the possibility to look immediately at the picture. Now, 37 years later, that pictures and that camera are still in my studio.

4) What’s your favorite Impossible film type?

AARRRGHH are you sure I have to choose only one?

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Welcome back to 8 Exposures, our popular instant film Q&A series. This entry focuses on Virginia photographer Caleb Jenkins…

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

As of now I have a single SX-70 Sears Special with the original skin, two 600 cameras, two Spectra cameras and one 420 Land Camera. Among those, my SX-70 is my favorite and most used. I love the history and pop culture behind the SX-70 camera and how vintage and iconic it is. I’m a big fan of the 70s, so my SX-70 is a perfect fit for me.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

Seeing as this question has been answered many times before me it’s quite hard to sum up an answer that isn’t anywhere near cliche. I guess I’ll have to go ahead and conform to all other answers, because instant photography is simply magical. I love that with each image I take, it’s the only image that will ever look that way. It’s truly a single edition. One main reason that I’ve been pulled into instant photography is that I feel it brings me back to reality.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Warmest greetings to you, Impossible friends! Welcome back to 8 Exposures, our instant film Q&A series. Our star this week is Los Angeles-based photographer Claire Oring…

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

I use a regular Polaroid 600 One Step and a Polaroid Spectra. I also just got an old Land Camera I’m refurbishing.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

I love watching all the colors and textures bloom in the palm of my hand.

3) What is your earliest memory of instant film?

I started using instant film when I was 15 and my dad gave me his old camera. I have a box under my bed with hundreds of Polaroids I took in high school.

4) What’s your favorite Impossible film type?

I love the PX 680 Gold Frame color shade because it’s fancy.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Hello again, friends, and welcome back to 8 Exposures, our popular instant film Q&A series. This week, we are happy to bring you marketing director and photographer Tim Logan…

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

Most of the time I use an SX-70 or SX-70 sonar. I have a variety of other Polaroid cameras and backs as well, though, and will often use one of those. It’s not uncommon to see me out with a Polaroid Spectra, Polaroid 250 or my Graflex Crown Graphic with a Polaroid 545 or 550 back. I enjoy shooting as many instant film formats as I can get my hands on so I tend to have a lot of different cameras with me at any given time.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

As strange as it may sound, one of the biggest reasons I enjoy instant photography is because of what it has taught me – Patience. Whether you are shooting with Impossible’s films or some the remaining expired Polaroid stock you really need to be much more mindful of how you work. It’s become very easy to shoot in excess because of digital technology, but, because I don’t want to waste a single frame of instant film I’ve really learned to slow down and take more into consideration before I release the shutter. Ultimately, I think that lesson has made me a better photographer regardless of the format I’m shooting.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Hi there, friends. Welcome back to 8 Exposures, our popular instant film Q&A series. This week, we’re happy to bring you creative wizard and all-arounnd nice guy Patrick Winfield…

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

I currently am using the Macro 5 SLR, Spectra and the SX-70.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

The “Thing-ness” of it. That the photo is a direct object of a memory – a tangible memory that can be held immediately and further manipulated as it develops or ‘lives on‘… that quality of being an instant artifact which can be further manipulated to play up the materiality of the medium is what attracts me to the film.

3) What is your earliest memory of instant film?

It was a picture of a dead man. Then the film was sucked back into the camera and the whole time I took pictures of things with my polaroid and tattooed myself to help figure out what happened in my life since I had some sort of amnesia…or was that the plot of Memento?

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Greetings from Impossible! Welcome back to 8 Exposures, our ongoing instant film Q&A series. This week, we’re happy to bring you Nebraska college professor and photographer Meghan Davidson…

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

Most often, I shoot with my SX-70. I love the depth of field that camera allows and the way you can really select the focus. I also love shooting with the Spectra for self-portraits and double exposures, and I have a Polaroid 250 that I need to spend more quality time with. And, I’m really hoping to get my hands on an SLR 680 some day.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

I have a special affection for film, especially instant film. I love when I put a pack in my Polaroid and close the film door, that the camera immediately comes to life, clicking and whirring and shooting out the dark slide. Instant film feels so timeless, so classic to me. There’s simply a magical quality about shooting with it. Because of the limited number of frames, each click of the shutter is special.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Welcome back to 8 Exposures, our popular instant film Q&A series. This week, we are happy to bring you Australian designer and photographer Amanda Mason…

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

I primarily use my folding SX-70 original and an SLR 680. If I was onboard a sinking ship and had to start throwing all my cameras overboard, I would go down with these two. I think they are design masterpieces capable of producing simply lovely images.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

I adore the dreamlike nature of the film. All instant film creates a nostalgic, other-worldly, soft toned patina. It is a dreamy little world that I want to live in all the time. Everytime I shoot instant film I am drawn into another dimension straight away. Everytime I see an instant photograph I feel like I am looking at a memory. Of course having the photograph in your hands in a matter of minutes is quite nice too.

3) What is your earliest memory of instant film?

My earliest memory of instant film is my grandmothers Polaroid camera. As kids we were absolutely fascinated by integral film, the magic of it all. She used that camera as her everyday camera, we still have those Polaroids in our family album. I bought my first Polaroid camera when I was 16.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Hello, instant film lovers, and welcome back to 8 Exposures, our popular analog Q&A series. This week the star is our good friend, Dustin Yager…

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

I have a decent collection of Polaroid cameras but my main cameras are an SX-70 (whichever one is working at the time) and a modified 450 Land Camera. I am currently working on a new pack film mod that i am looking forward to.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

Everyone who sees me shoot instant film asks me this question and I never have a standard answer for it. I love the uniqueness and individuality of every shot. I love that it’s not easily replicated and that your instant shot is a capture of that moment in time, whatever it may be. I love that there is an unknown element with every instant photography shot and there are no “do overs.” Digital photography just feels cold and too perfect to me sometimes and I love the softness and dreamlike quality that instant film has. I also feel that since i have been shooting instant film, it has made me a better photographer and made me think of the shot more before and during the process.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Hello, Impossible friends! Welcome back to 8 Exposures, our instant film Q&A series. This week, we bring you Minnesota artist and photographer Jessica Shimek…

1) What Polaroid cameras do you use?

A Polaroid SX-70, A Polaroid Spirit 600, a 240 Land Camera and a Polaroid back on my Hasselblad 501c/m.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

Every photography medium has a different feeling and portrays a different mood. I love the mood that instant photography gives me. It is warm and sometimes a bit faded…this will sound cheesy, but I feel like each image is a tangible bit of a memory.

3) What is your earliest memory of instant film?

I don’t know that I have an earliest memory that I can really remember. Polaroids and instant film were just always there. My parents had a Polaroid 600 camera and took tons of photos of me when I was younger. I grew up with it. It was never not a thing. I don’t remember the first time I watched an instant photo develop, but I remember that it was magical every time.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Ciao, Impossibles! Welcome back to 8 Exposures, our instant film question & answer series. This week’s entry focuses on Italian photographer Andrea Tonellotto…

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

By now, I’m making a collection!! I use three SX-70s, two of which are the original model (my favorite), an SLR 680, a Spectra system, a 1000 and, recently, I bought a 600 SE, with which I’m starting to become confident.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

At first the tones and colors made me mad for the Artistic TZ’s pastel tones, but now i’m in love with last impossible PX 70 12\11 batch’s colors, wonderful!! Secondly, for the fact that I have the result immediately, after a few minutes, and for an impatient man like me, it’s very important. Paradoxically, altough a dated method, it’s faster than digital photography. Dear old Edwin Land was really too “advanced.” Last, there is a “technical” reason…I like to take photos in balance between real life and an abstract world, with subjects born of imagination. Instant film is an absolutely real and tangible material.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Hello, friends! Welcome back to 8 Exposures, our popular instant film Q&A series. This week, we present to you South Carolina photographer Brian Green…

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

What I usually have on me at a basic shoot are two Mamiya RB67s with Polaroid pack film backs: one with a 180mm lens and one a 90mm, a Polaroid Colorpack, and an SX-70 Sonar. I have around 30 cameras in my collection but those are my main ones that get used daily.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

The instant aspect of course; I am a person who likes to put work out as it’s created so waiting on developing film would slow that down a little. Also in my opinion nothing comes close to the colors and feel the instant film gives.

3) What is your earliest memory of instant film?

My mom has always been artistic, from painting, to wood work to photography so she introduced me to it at an early age and it has always had a soft spot in my heart some of the only photos I have of my father are on Polaroid 600 film.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Welcome back to 8 Exposures, our popular instant film Q&A series. This week, we are happy to bring you DC-based photographer Rachel Carrier…

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

Almost always I am using an original model SX-70 that I picked up years ago at a thrift store. I also use an SX-70 model 2 from time to time and the Impulse camera for indoor/party shots where I’m not as worried about composing. I also have worked a lot on double exposures with my Spectra camera.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

I fell in love with Time Zero film a few years before it went out of production. I love the color contrast and saturation of the film and the fact that it often gave me unexpected results. I love Impossible film for the same reason. The colors are gorgeous and I actually love the light sensitivity of the film, it gives each shot its own aura.

3) What is your earliest memory of instant film?

Probably looking at photos in our family albums when I was a kid, so many of them were instant photos.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Greetings, instanteers, and welcome back to 8 Exposures, our instant film Q&A series. This week’s guest is a good friend of ours from the UK, all-around nice guy and brilliant photographer Benjamin Innocent…

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

I have a few instant cameras but have found that I gravitate to 3 that I use often: A Polaroid SLR 680, a Land 250 pack film camera (newly acquired) and an SX-70 Model 1. I find the SX-70 is my most frequently used camera; it was my first folding Polaroid and I adore it. Its design is genius, more a work of art.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

I am fairly new to instant film, however (and this may sound crass), I find this 40-50 year old technology absolutely blows my mind, it is magic! Taking each shot makes me a little giddy with a click, thud, whirr sound. I am very much self-taught/learnt from friends when it comes to taking photographs and I have found that instant photography is where I have settled; it resonates with how I approach making a picture. I love that it slows you down, when you press the shutter button you are committed; no deletes or retakes. The nervous wait to see the image and then you are left with the tangible element that is unique; physically holding an image, passing it round, sticking it up on a wall, giving that one copy away.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Welcome back to 8 Exposures, our instant film Q&A series. This week, we’re happy to bring you Texas photog Troy Bradford…

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

I have three working SX-70s, one 250 pack film camera, one modified 250 pack film camera with a Rodenstock 127mm lens added, one 100 pack film camera, two Spectra cameras, one 600 One Step Closeup and a 104 pack film camera converted to a pinhole camera.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

As most people will say, I like the fact that you get to hold the image immediately. In addition to that, I also like the fact that you get to watch the image come to life. The thrill of this process takes me back to my days in high school when I had my own darkroom and was able to watch film images develop before my eyes in the chemical bath. So that takes care of touch and sight, but I also like the smell of the peel-apart films. It is not like the smell is a pleasant one, it is just the fact that you can relate this smell to a developing picture…Now if you separate out just Impossible film and ask the same question, I would say that holding an Impossible image is like instantly holding a small piece of artwork.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Welcome back to 8 Exposures, kiddies. This week, our instant film Q&A series focuses on Fernanda Montoro…

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

The camera I love and use the most is the Polaroid SX-70. That’s the dream camera for me, the camera that has become the extension of my eyes. I often use a Polaroid 600 SE and Polaroid Spectra too. My little Polaroid camera collection also includes an SLR 680, a Mio, a couple of Miniportraits. And, of course, many SX-70s! I like to have them handy and to play with them from time to time, depending on the mood.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

I like absolutely everything about it!: Being able to watch the past become picture, in front of my eyes. Those whirring mechanical sounds that instant cameras make. Its distinctive painterly qualities, texture, saturation, ‘imperfections’. I even enjoy the limitation of having a limited number of shots! (Makes me respect the medium, compose more carefully, try my best in every frame). Also, thanks to instant photography I started to look at photography in a more serious way.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Welcome back to 8 Exposures, our instant film Q&A series. This week, we bring you German wonder Thomas Böttcher…

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

I have got three SX-70s (all without autofocus), a Spectra, several 600 cameras, two Landcameras: 320 and 330, and one 4×5 Polaback for my Sinar F 2. My favorite camera however is my SX-70 because it allows more room for creative work. I especially appreciate the aspect of the selective focus and the vintage charm of these cameras.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

Most people like instant photography because each photo is unique and can be looked at in a relatively short time. These are certainly also important aspects of instant photography for me, but I value even more the unique charm of the instant photography. It lives partly through its technical deficiency, its not being one hundred per cent perfect. A lot of photos today are defined exclusively through their technical perfection, so that the message of a picture often recedes into the background.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Allo, Guvna! Welcome back to 8 Exposures, our instant film Q&A series. This entry turns the spotlight on our friend from across the pond, Ian Fleming…

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

I have rather too many. The SX-70 is my favourite. I have a SX-70 Sonar, a 645 CL and a Polaroid 1000 ‘red button’. For pack film, I have a lovely 180, a Big Swinger, a Square Shooter (which I have 3 packs of Viva for), plus my Big Shot, an underestimated camera.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

The instant gratification. I think Dr Land new this; it’s highly addictive, having a real picture that has an ‘artistic’ feel to it. Oh, and it’s great fun.

3) What is your earliest memory of instant film?

We used Polaroids all the time in the Film and TV business for ID, Pack Shots, reference shots, etc. But I always found all the film and camera types very confusing; I’m not sure it helped Polaroid in the long term.

4) What’s your favorite Impossible film type?

Well, I have shot a ton of PX 680 First Flush in my SX-70 and got great results, but now it has to be PX 70 COOL, closely followed by PX 70 Nigo edition. For B&W I love PX 600 Black Frame, I bought a load of the Poor Pod film from last year; it’s a really easy film to use.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Welcome back to 8 Exposures, our instant film Q&A series. This week, we are happy to present to you our good friend, Arizona wonder Sol Exposure…

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

Although it seems like a good amount of my cameras are in an inoperable state, I tend to lean on my Polaroid SX-70 that I got refurbished from Unsaleable (Impossible’s predecessor), Hasseblad 503cw, Polaroid 450, Polaroid Spectra Pro and an Agfa Viking. I’ll usually throw one or two other ancient cameras in the bag, depending on what the shoot/trip is.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

Primarily, because of the unexpectedness of the film, especially if it’s expired. Every type of film has a learning curve and that’s fascinating to me. It’s wonderful to want, or to be told by a client, to achieve a certain look and to know what combination of camera and film will be able to create it. Also, I’m probably impatient.

Photo by Zia Khan

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Hello instanteers, and welcome back to 8 Exposures, our instant film Q&A series. This week, we’re happy to bring you Penny Felts, who has produced a series of diptychs, with each representing a different decade of the 20th century…

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

Most of the time I use SX-70s, an SLR 680, Land Camera 180 and a Holga with a Polaroid back. I also have a 600SE, Reporter, Polaroid Pinhole 80, Polaroid Pathfinder 110A and a Polaroid Big Shot that I use occasionally.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

What can I say, I love instant gratification with blur, softness, magic, and without pixels. It’s pure happiness.

3) What is your earliest memory of instant film?

When I was a kid, my parents bought one of the cheap plastic 600 model cameras, I’m not sure which one, but I remember the first time that I held a polaroid in my hand and watched it develop. I was hooked right then and there.

4) What’s your favorite Impossible film type?

Right now it is definitely the newest PX 70. I absolutely love the colors. It’s so versatile under different conditions. You can make them really bright, or soft and warm.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Greetings from 8 Exposures Land! It’s good to see you again! This week in our instant film Q&A series, we spoke with Balthazar Simões…

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

My favorite Polaroid cameras are my SX-70 (of course) and a Polaroid 350. I have a Spectra, too and a Polaroid Studio Express 484 that has 4 lenses and is quite fun.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

Because it’s an experience of true magic. Because it’s an instant tangible artifact. Because each image is one-of-a-kind and can’t be reproduced.

3) What is your earliest memory of instant film?

My Grandpa was always the one with the cameras when I was growing up. I can still remember the feeling of watching a polaroid develop when we went to visit my grandparents for Christmas. Most things become less magical as we grow older, but it persists with my experience of instant film. My Grandpa passed away two summers ago and I was recently given all of his cameras. Sadly, he no longer had his Polaroid cameras, but he had quite a few film cameras that I now cherish. One of the cameras still had some film in it, and I just had it developed last week. All the photos were of this vase of tulips.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Greetings, instanteers! Welcome back to 8 Exposures, our instant film Q&A series. This week, we bring you Arizona’s own Steve Maniscalco…

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

I won’t try to get an accurate count…something like 4 SX-70 Alphas, 2 autofocus Model 2 cameras, and 2 SLR 680s. Two of my SX-70 alphas have been converted to shoot 600 film by modifying the auto exposure circuitry. I have several Spectra cameras, including a Macro 5 SLR. Also, 2 Land 250s, a 195, a 180 and a 430. Oh, and a pack film back for a home-made pinhole camera.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

I tell people I haven’t got enough patience to wait for digital, and immediacy is certainly part of the equation. I love being able to share the results right away. I often take multiple shots so I can give away one. Putting a physical picture in a child’s hands and watching the reaction is priceless.

Instant photography feels very honest to me. When the picture is taken, you’re done. You can scan it and alter it if you like. You can share the altered version on line or in print…but somewhere, hidden in your attic…

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Welcome back to 8 Exposures, friends. This week in our popular instant film Q&A series, we’re happy to bring you California photographer Micaela Go…

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

Recently, I’ve been using an SLR 680 I’ve borrowed from a friend (I’ve gone through 3 already), but I also use my SX-70, ProPack and have picked up a Minolta Instant Pro and hope to use it more often.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

Right before all those little compact digital cameras became so ubiquitous, I picked up my first SLR 680. I loved it because it was instant – I could take a photo and have something tangible in my hands within seconds, then see the actual image within minutes. Now, Impossible Project film adds so many more qualities to instant photography that I love. I’m drawn to the unpredictability of the film, and every image is unique. The novelty of having this one image and it being the only one of its kind is remarkable. There’s also the aspect of how ephemeral the images are; watching each exposure develop and seeing how it continues to change after days, weeks, and months is something I find rather exciting.

3) What is your earliest memory of instant film?

I was probably around 12 years old when I found my dad’s old One Step (with film in it!) and I took it with me everywhere. I took pictures of my friends and family mostly (not much has changed since then).

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Hello, Impossible friends, and welcome back to 8 Exposures, our popular instant film Q&A series. This week, we are happy to present you with a special 8 Exposures featuring one of our biggest fans and greatest friends, Joep Gottemaker…

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

I mainly use my SX-70 original from 1972. I also own packfilm cameras, a Spectra and SLR 680 camera. I use the Spectra 1200 (with LCD screen) a lot too. The SX-70 goes everywhere with me. If it’s to Paris or just a dog walk, the SX-70 is in my pocket.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

I think the main reason is the fact that every Impossible is one of a kind. There is just that special quality to the pictures that no other medium has. Not 35mm or digital, the pictures just have that “magical” color to it.

And the fact that the pictures are instantly pushed in your hands. The sound of the motor, the picture coming out and the development. The thing with Impossible film is that you can’t predict what the picture will turn out like. With old fashioned Polaroid film, you could see the the picture develop before your eyes.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

G’day from Impossible, and welcome back to 8 Exposures! This week, we’re happy to bring you one of our favorite Aussies, graphic designer/photographer Kat White…

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

My favourite two cameras are my Automatic 180 and my SX-70 Original.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

The characteristics of expired film, and the fact that it’s permanent and tangible.

I love seeing the reaction of passersby, in awe of a seemingly old camera still getting used. And even better when someone stops you to tell you they had a camera just like it!

I also love how passionate the instant/polaroid community is. About the cameras, the film, and always willing to share and collaborate their tips.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Greetings, instamaniacs. Welcome back to 8 Exposures, our instant film Q&A series. This entry brings you Michigan photographer and good Impossible friend Kim Oberski…

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

I primarily use a Polaroid SX-70 original but have recently added a modified Polaroid 110a with integral and pack film backs. Also on the camera shelf: Mamiya RB67 with integral film back, Polaroid rainbow onestep (which was my Grandmother’s), Polaroid 210 (what my mom used 40-some years ago), a Spectra, and a variety of Polaroid 600s.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

I love how instant film has taught me to let go of trying to make an image “perfect.” Sure a divot shows up, one of the chemical pods streaks, or the image is slightly out of focus; it doesn’t matter because those can be the very imperfections which make the image perfect.

3) What is your earliest memory of instant film?

I don’t have an exact memory of when I first remember instant film, it seems instant film/cameras have always been around me somehow. Growing up, every time I looked in the coat closet, I remember seeing…

Portrait of Phillip, © Frenchcockpit 2011

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Welcome back to 8 Exposures, our popular instant film Q&A series. This week, we bring you French photographer and author Philippe Bourgoin…

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

The Polaroid cameras I most use are the SX-70 and the 600 SE.

In my usual rig, I also always carry a Hasselblad 503cx with a Pola back. My second best camera is a Holga with a Pola back, for specific projects, or to bring along at polameets at our usual waterhole in Paris.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

As a portraitist and a photographer of female nudes, I work on a one to one relationship with the models (no assistant, no MUA). Intimacy is a given.

When the first couple of test shots eject and develop, the idea of the picture I want to make becomes flesh, it can be touched, it’s alive: instant photography is all about sharing.

Trust rises: a “not so good” picture can be thrown right out the window, and I obviously can’t pretend that it’s going to look good when it comes back from the lab (and after two hours of Photoshop)…Flaws show right up…No lies, no disguise, we take it from there.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Hello, friends, and welcome back to 8 Exposures, our popular instant film Q&A series. This week, we’re happy to bring you a Midwest girl, Kelly Knaga…

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

I’ve collected a number of cameras mostly through garage sales, Goodwill stores and eBay, but I tend to use the same 4 over and over: my SX-70, my refurbished 340 Land Camera, a Spectra I got from a retired cop and my very first 600 that my grandmother gave me one summer when I was about 10.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

I love the moment just before, the one where I hold my breath, waiting for the film to develop. I love the imperfections and inconsistencies of instant film, which seems relevant to the constant fluctuations and vulnerabilities that occur in life. Experimental films, expired films, a scratched camera lens or vintage, barely working, taped together cameras all invite moments of exploration of space, color, time or the material composition of the film itself.

3) What is your earliest memory of instant film?

Someone taking a picture of my grandfather holding me on his lap while he is sitting on his tractor. I still have the photo.

4) What’s your favorite Impossible film type?

I love experimenting with them all. I think my favorite right now are the Spectra Cool films. My sincerest thanks to Impossible for helping keep instant film alive.

5) What are your favorite subjects to photograph?

I have always been drawn to natural landscapes and...Read All

Photo by Rommel Pecson

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Hello, Impossibles! We’re back with another entry in our instant film Q&A series, 8 Exposures. This week, we are happy to bring you LA-based Brit wonder Toby Hancock

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

I built an extensive collection of Polaroid cameras in the 1990s, which was a time when they could be bought dirt cheap at flea markets and on eBay. So, I regularly use two somewhat beaten up SLR 680s and two or three SX-70 Sonars. I usually have at least two on hand loaded with different types of film. I have turned my 680s into Frankenroids by swapping the film doors for SX-70 ones, which has resulted in fewer divots (not that there’s anything wrong with divots!). Impossible Project’s Dr “Frankenroid” Love has a very informative blog post about this simple transformation HERE.

2. Why do you like instant photography?:

As many before me have said, it’s magic in the palm of your hand. It’s unpredictable and often creates unexpected, but beautiful results. Undoubtedly, the more you shoot, the more predictable it becomes, but there’s always the potential for one of those perfect mistakes to be lurking around the next corner.

3 simple rules to shoot Impossible film by:

1. Always expect the unexpected and embrace the fact that it might give you some of your best images
2. There’s no such thing as a wasted Polaroid
3. Never throw any photograph away
4. There’s probably a fourth rule, but I can’t...Read All

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Hi there, Impossibles. Welcome back to 8 Exposures, our instant film Q&A series. This week, we’re happy to bring you one of the original members of the Save Polaroid movement, Justin Craigen…

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

SX-70 Alpha 1 Model 1, SX-70 Model 1 Sonar, Spectra, 450, and a pinhole camera with a packfilm back.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

It’s a variety of reasons. One that has been particularly important is the social aspect of the medium. Instant photos are, more than any other type, perfect for sharing with others. More importantly, getting involved with instant photography has brought me into contact with a large number of absolutely wonderful and inspiring people that otherwise, I would have likely never met. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting a handful of them in person, and so far all are as good, or better, in the flesh.

There’s also the element of unpredictability that comes with the medium. It forces the photographer into a zone where the varying degree of lack of control is embraced. And with Impossible’s in-house produced films, there has been a real effort required to get predictable results. It’s much less of a struggle now, but even so, I find that the emotional payoff of a successful image is significantly greater than with other types of film, or digital photography.

I also enjoy the manipulations that can be done—partly for aesthetics, and partly because once a manipulation is made, there’s no going back. The...Read All

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Welcome back to 8 Exposures, our instant film Q&A series. This week, our featured photographer is Daniel G. Fuster…

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

A great thing about instant photography is that cameras are usually easy to find and quite affordable. I have to admit to having many of them, but, at the end, I usually stick to an old SX-70 Sonar and a more recent SLR 690 camera. These last weeks I am also using a flashy blue Impulse.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

I like its colours, the texture, the frame, the way it captures light, but the fact that you can see – and touch – the result immediately is to me, the best thing about instant photography. I also enjoy the difficulties that this kind of photography has, in terms of need of light, limited capacity to use lens, etc. as I believe that this brings more simplicity and spontaneity to pictures. I also like the nostalgic feeling that this material often has, not to say the accidental trait that, time to time, does appear.

3) What is your earliest memory of instant film?

My grandmother bought a Polaroid camera in the early eighties, and she used to take pictures of both my sister and me in the summertime. Since then, I have always associated instant film with holidays…

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Welcome back to 8 Exposures, our instant film Q&A series. This week, we bring you California-based Laura Alice Watt…

Q1) What kind of Polaroid camera(s) do you use?

A: The workhorse is my trusty SLR 680, looking a bit worse for wear these days as it’s usually my travel Polaroid. It’s kept company by a tan SX-70 (such an elegant creation!), a Spectra and an Automatic 250, plus packfilm camera backs for the Hasselblad and, most recently, Crown Graphic. Plenty of fine cams to choose from!

Q2) Why do you like instant photography?

A: There’s of course the relatively-instant gratification (compared to regular film, not digital) of seeing them develop, and the sheer tangibility of a pola, that it’s both an image and an object; for me, the biggest allure is the way these cameras and films “see.” Light glows differently through instant film than through any other kind, there’s just nothing else like it—all those Pola-Droid apps are sad, sad imitations at best—real instant film provides a unique and characteristic view of the world, a way of seeing the subject that directly enhances and contributes to its beauty or intrigue. And I like that sense of interaction, not only between photographer and subject but also through the distinctive medium of the film—and of course the serendipity.

Q3) What is your earliest memory of instant film?

A: I’m perhaps a bit unusual among instant photographers, in that I don’t have any nostalgic memories of polaroids from the past; both of...Read All

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Hello again, 8 Exposures fans. This week, we are happy to bring you Canadian photographer Pierre Manning…

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

SX-70

2) Why do you like instant photography?

The suprise , the tones , the richness of colors.

3) What is your earliest memory of instant film?

I remember my mother gave me my first Polaroid and it was a revelation for me to see my images developing in front of my eyes.

4) What’s your favorite Impossible film type?

PX-70. I also liked Polaroid’s Fade To Black that Impossible sold.

5) What are your favorite subjects to photograph?

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Welcome back to 8 Exposures, our popular instant film Q&A series. This week, we turn our lens on Texas teacher and photographer Tyler Tyndell…

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

The truth is that by the time this interview runs, it will have changed. Realizing the potential for all Polaroid camera models to be useful, I acquire them readily. Of course, my SX-70 is with me at all times as well as two 250 Land Cameras. Being as it is, when my SX-70 needs troubleshooting, my father-in-law is kind enough to lend me one of his. Other cameras that are usually with me are an SX-70 Pronto and a Polaroid Spectra.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

Can I give a dissertation? In all seriousness, instant photography breathes creativity. For me it provides an avenue for creativity that I would have never been exposed to otherwise. I believe the addictive quality induced from instant photography is best explained by truly understanding the magnitude of what happens the moment you press the shutter. It could be everything or nothing that you imagined. The 35-year-old camera could false shoot and you may end up transferring the pack to another camera, just to harvest the image.

Photo by Nick and Dave Photography

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

It’s time for another foray into 8 Exposures territory. This entry revolves around California photographer Heather Polley

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

I have several folding SX-70s, as well as a plastic box-type Pronto SX-70. For pack film, I shoot an Automatic 104 Land Camera. My dad is conveniently a vintage camera dealer. He recently gave me three Spectra cameras that are so new to me, I haven’t had a chance to shoot them yet.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

Instant film breathed new life into my work. I’ve always been an analog photographer, and I work a lot with alternative print processes because the element of chance brings a freshness and beauty that you don’t often see in digital work. I like happy accidents and imperfections. I shot with 35mm film for many years, but I have found that shooting instant film adds a new layer of complexity to my compositions.

3) What is your earliest memory of instant film?

Most of the pictures my parents took of me as a child were with a Polaroid camera, probably a One Step. It was there for every milestone and event while I was growing up.