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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!

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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.

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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.

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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

Photo by Bruno Haas

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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 Sol Allen came up with the menu for this week’s “Guest Chef” entry. Please enjoy these savory photos selected by Sol!

Photos come to us from Bruno Haas, Jerome Cimolai, David Sankey, Flore de Sermet and Lisa Duran, and were taken with the following film types: PX 70 Color Protection, PX 100 UV+, PX 680 Gold Frame and PX 600 Black Frame film.

Here are Sol’s thoughts about each photo…

Bruno Haas

I’m a complete sucker for reflections. Love the blue to yellow to blue shift as well. That red lil’ car? C’mon, too perfect! :)

Jerome Cimolai

A super creative, and well displayed triptych. Feel super bad for them about the accident, though!

David Sankey

I think this is perfect. The slight wonkiness, the couple of birds and of course, the delicious creams of the PX 100. Decadent.

Flore de Sermet

Charming, secret and inviting. So lush, I can only hope there are more photos from this.

Lisa Duran

Love vistas. I have found myself searching for wide open views for the last couple of years. Whenever there is a beautiful landscape in front of me, I instantly get drawn in.

Thanks so much to Sol for taking time to assemble this tasty bunch! Keep shooting, and be sure to submit...Read All

Photo by Katy Maziarz

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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 Toby Hancock came up with the menu for this week’s “Guest Chef” entry. Please enjoy these savory photos selected by Toby!

Photos come to us from Katy Maziarz, Kevin Scott Koepke, Ghee Dondlinger, Troy Bradford and Kim Oberski and were taken with the following film types: PX 680 Color Protection, PX 70 Cool, PX 600 Cool and PX 600 UV+ Black Frame.

Toby’s thoughts on each photo…

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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.

Photo by James McManus

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Happy Sunday, friends! Welcome back to Impossible’s Sunday Brunch, our weekly series in which we showcase 5 sharp images that caught our eye over the course of the week. Lately we’ve been singing the praises of our color film, so this week’s issue is dedicated to the beauty of our monochrome films. Please enjoy these stunning black and white Impossible photos…

Photos come to us from James McManus, Andreina Schoeberlein, Nicholas Misciagna, Laurene and Domink Werdoux and were taken with the following film types: PX 100 UV+, PX 100 Cool and PX 600 UV+ Black Frame.

Keep shooting, friends, and be sure to submit to the Impossible Gallery and the Impossible Flickr Group! Your Impossible moment may end up in a future edition of Sunday Brunch!

Photo by Andrea Jenkins

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Hello instanteers and welcome back to Sunday Brunch, where we share spectacular photos taken with Impossible film that have caught our eye over the course of the week.

This week’s issue is very special. We invited you to keep Polaroid Week 2012 alive for an extra week by submitting your favorite Impossible photos to our Roid Week Gallery. Our intention was to select our 5 favorite photos, with the winners receiving a special Impossible film package. Well, with so many fantastic submissions, we had a hard time deciding on just 5, so we chose 9!

Winning photos come from Andrea Jenkins, Linda Nielsen, Juli Werner, Nicholas Misciagna, Moko Chen, Heather Champ, Frank Zierenberg, Cromwell Schubarth and Matt Dicke using the following Impossible film types: PX 70 Cool, PX 680 Cool, PZ 680 Cool, PZ 600 UV+ Black Frame and PX 600 UV+ Grey Frame.

Congratulations to the winners and thank you to all of the wonderfully talented Impossible photographers out there who took part!

Photo by Annie Donovan

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Greetings, feathered friends! Welcome back to Impossible’s Sunday Brunch, our weekly series in which we showcase 5 images that caught our eye over the course of the week. This week’s issue is “for the birds.” Take flight with these beautiful Impossible photos of our neighbors in the sky…

Photos come to us from Annie Donovan, Amalia Sieber, The Kodachromer, Paula Roy and Joep Gottemaker with the following film types: PX 680 Cool, PX 70 Cool, PZ 600 Black Frame and our new 8×10 test film!

Keep shooting, instanteers! And be sure to submit to the Impossible Gallery and the Impossible Flickr Group! Your Impossible moment may end up in a future edition of Sunday Brunch!

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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.

Photo by Emilie Lefellic

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Hello again, Impossible fanatics. Welcome back to Impossible’s Sunday Brunch, our weekly series in which we showcase 5 tasty images that caught our eye over the course of the week.

This week’s images were taken by Emilie Lefellic, Vitalis Neufeld, Miguel Wan, Rommel Pecson and Ann Suckow McGarry…

…using the following film types: PX 70 Cool, PX 100 UV+ and PX 600 Black Frame

Keep shooting, friends! Your Impossible moment may end up in a future edition of Sunday Brunch!

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Welcome back, Viewfinder fans. This week, we’re happy to bring you photographer Patrick J. Clarke

If the heart of photography is the camera, then film is its soul. Finding that unique combination of the perfect camera and perfect film is often a long process, and my current project is no different.

Early on in my exploration of film photography I was drawn towards medium format. With tons of resolving power, large negatives and amazing depth of field compared to other film formats, medium format cameras were like some sort of nirvana for me. When I purchased one of the all time medium format icons, the Mamiya RB67, I thought I had struck gold. I shot a few rolls of 120 film and was amazed at how technically perfect the camera and its lenses were. I could control the depth of field, the shutter speed and aperture exactly like I wanted. My exposures were dead on, and the images were sharp as I could want, and looked “medium format”, but they were lacking something. I wracked my brain and asked myself what were my shots missing?

They were lacking “soul”.

During this time I had also been shooting The Impossible Project Silver Shade film. I had purchased an SX-70 and had been having fun experimenting with it and the film. I loved my SX-70, but after using a camera that I had total control over…

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Howdy, friends, and welcome back to Viewfinder, our blog series that highlights interesting projects involving Impossible film. This entry focuses on UK-based software engineer and photo-artist Martin Cartwright who has created beautiful photocollages in his “Gray’s Anatomy” series…

“This project came about pretty much by chance mid-way through 2011. I had been loving the look of the Impossible films I had, especially the Black Frame PX 600, but was struggling for a subject. I mostly shoot landscape stuff and the only integral film cameras I have are a Spirit 600 and a run down Sonar Autofocus 5000, which don’t really work for me in that role compared to my Bronica. I’d seen the newsletter, and a little video on the Impossible blog, about turning Black Frame shots into transparencies by peeling them, and it seemed like a fun thing to try – especially since I’d been having real trouble keeping my shots from turning orange with age – but I still didn’t have a subject.

??So then on one of my occasional Saturday circuits of the local charity shops on the look-out for cheap and fun old cameras I stumbled across a copy of a facsimile reprint of the first edition of Gray’s Anatomy.

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Hello again, Impossible friends! Our current entry turns our Viewfinder on NYC-based Brittany Hollis…

“My project is an ongoing one, there isn’t a set theme or thread running through it, just things that strike my interest and inspire me to snap a photo. I have a small but growing collection of Polaroid cameras, and I try to incorporate them into daily life as much as my digital camera. I’m really a pain to take pictures with, I normally go out with the digital, Polaroid, phone, and recently disposables as well.

I was born in the Midwest, raised on the East Coast, and travel constantly for work (I model). All the traveling gives me new places to go photo- and camera-hunting, which is great. My favorite place to take pictures though, is around my parents’ home in Berks County, Pa. Their house is surrounded by woods, horse farms, vineyards, and a small river – there’s always something interesting going on or some beautiful scene to capture.

I’ve always been very into instant photography, from the time my dad would snap pics of my sister and I as children, and then hand them to us so we could watch them develop. Back when I started modeling, the agents would take Polaroids of the girls to send out to clients, and casting directors would take snaps of models at castings as a reference to what we “really” look like. I got my first Polaroid camera in 2008 after goofing around in my NY agency’s office with my bookers — I was hooked!

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Hello again, 8 Exposures fanatics! We’re back with another splendid entry in our instant film interview series. This week, we spoke with Andrew Millar…

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

A: I have quite a few SX-70 cameras; some work better than others but I mostly tend to use my trusty old brown SX-70 Land Camera 2.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

A: It can be unpredictable and love it when you try to control or play with the outcome and end up with something unexpected and unique.

3) Q: What is your earliest memory of instant film?

No one in my family owned an instant camera so my earliest memory would be going to get my passport photos done when I was a child in an old-fashioned photo booth.

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Hello again, instanteers, and welcome back to 8 Exposures! This week, we spoke with Washington, DC-based Ben Shuster…

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

A: I have a couple SX-70s – the Original and the Sonar Onestep – and a Spectra for the current and past integral packs. For packfilm I go with either the Model 340 Land Camera or my Kiev 88 fitted with the Polaroid magazine. I also still have a fair amount of Type 80 series packfilm, and those go straight into my Holgaroid.

2) Q: Why do you like instant photography?

A: Like so many other people, I love its vintage coolness, nostalgia-soaked colors and analog unpredictability. It sets your shots apart from everything else out there. It can take a perfectly normal snapshot and make it perfectly unique. The variety of manipulation and lift techniques really make creative possibilities endless. AND! Name someone you know who doesn’t have a “make my photos look like instant film” app on their phone – you can’t do it. WE know what’s up. WE have the prints to prove it.

(More after the jump!)

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We’re happy to bring you another entry in our popular instant film question-and-answer series 8 Exposures! This week, we proudly feature UK-based photographer and digital artist Jake Messenger…

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

A: Many! My favourites are my dad’s old original SX-70, and the SX-70 Sonar which belonged to his business partner. I also use a hefty 600SE; the quality you can get from it is fantastic, but it is a beast to lug about. My lighter pack-film option is a Land Automatic 250. I have a few other cameras knocking about – a Super Shooter, a 600 P, an SX-70 3000. On my shelf there are a couple of beauties for show: I love the 800 roll-film camera. Oh, and I have a pack-film back for my Holga!

2) Q: Why do you like instant photography?

A: I love the ‘thingness’ of instant: how you compose your picture, take it, and within a few minutes you have the physical object in your hand. While I love all kinds of image-making, the immediacy of instant is just magical. I love the fact that the film is its own darkroom, that once the image is there, that’s it – there are no processing decisions to be made.

(More after the jump!)

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Hello again, friends, and welcome back to 8 Exposures! This week we spoke to Britta Hershman

1) Q: What kind of polaroid camera(s) do you use?

A: For most of my instant photography, I use my trusty green OneStep Express, aka, the Turtle. Actually, I’m mildly obsessed with all things Italian, so I call it by its Italian name, la Tartaruga. It’s cute, green, and round, and I found it in a thrift shop in Naples, Italy. It was my first instant camera, so it will always hold a special place in my heart. I also use a Spectra, a Polaroid 330 for Type 100 peel-apart film, and a Polaroid Land Camera 800 for Type 40 series roll film, nicknamed the Dino because of its impressive size and weight. And also, sadly, because film for it is nearly extinct. It’s difficult to find, and the few films that are left have been expired for decades and are often dried out. So the chances of ending up with actual photos are slim, but once in a while it does happen. And every time it does, I’m reminded of why I love instant photography.

2) Q: Why do you like instant photography?

A: It’s a thrill to create tiny but complete works of art with a camera.

(More after the jump!)

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This new feature is a sister project of “8 Exposures.” It provides an opportunity for interesting people in the Impossible film community to tell us about themselves and the projects they’re working on. This first edition focuses on NYC-based photography student Joe Western.

“I’m 25 years old, living here in NYC. During my teenage years I spent lots of time photographing friends, or concerts I attended, all of which I captured using disposable cameras. I eventually was able to take some photo classes during my time at college, where I became completely hooked after learning the dark room process. While learning more about the history of photography, and discovering different artists, I began finding my own unique subject matter. What I eventually discovered by looking at different artist’s images, was that I was able to relate the most to portraiture, representing a certain time and place… one example being Brassai’s photos of his fellow artists in Paris’ Montmartre district. Another example is Nan Goldin’s work, which is essentially a diary full of personal references. I decided to take a close look at my own environment, attempting to find if there was anything there worth capturing.

(more after the jump!…)

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Welcome to another exciting edition of 8 Exposures, our new interview series highlighting interesting people using Impossible film. This week we talked with UK-based photographic wizard Dan Ryan.

1) Q: What kind of polaroid camera(s) do you use?

A: I’ve got loads of Polaroids in various states of repair, but day-to-day I normally use a battered, brown SX-70 Alpha and a nice and shiny 180.

2) Q: Why do you like instant photography?

A: I don’t know…Why do you like breathing?

3) Q: What is your earliest memory of instant film?

A: I have a bit of a false memory of instant film which, as it turns out was taken on a Kodak. It was a family snap of a walk, with dad and a backpack. I rediscovered it a few years ago in an old album. My modern love affair with Polaroid came at a party about 6 or 7 years ago, when someone pulled out an old 330 or something – I was blown away with the simple beauty of it.

(More after the jump!…)

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Welcome to a new feature on the Impossible Blog: 8 Exposures. We’ll be asking artists and photographers 8 questions revolving around photography, especially instant photography. Also included will be 8 Impossible images submitted by the featured artist.

Our inaugural edition of 8 Exposures focuses on Charlie Wagers, an Ohio-based graphic designer, art director and illustrator, and a founding member of Three Bears Design.

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

A: I have a vintage folding SX-70 that I prefer to use, in addition to a bunch of old thrifted 600 cameras. I like the SX-70 because I can use 600 films in it, with a filter. And it folds up nicely, which makes it easy to carry around with me.

2) Q: Why do you like instant photography?

A: I always prefer analogue photography to digital. I most commonly photograph with 120 films in my Holga, so using instant cameras is a treat to see the photos within minutes. I especially appreciate the colors and new effects that come with using Impossible’s film types.

(More after the jump!)