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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!

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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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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.

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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’

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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?

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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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).

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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.

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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…

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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

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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

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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

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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…

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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

Photo by Nick and Dave Photography

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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.

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Hello, Impossibles! Welcome back to 8 Exposures, our instant film Q&A series. This entry brings you photographic Frenchman Thomas Krauss…

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

A: From the moment I fell for instantaneous photographs I‘ve tried different ones, but mostly those that use 600 film. The very first one, the trigger, the Archduke of Austria, was the fruit of an exchange for a Holga. Lately I’ve mostly been using an SLR 680, a 690, and an instant Type 100 back for my 4×5 camera.

Q2) Why do you like instant photography?

A: I honestly don’t know, my banker is after me. My wife and him agree so much in restraining my buying frenzy that I’m beginning to think there’s something between them…My photographs lack perfection. I don’t master any of the parameters at shooting…

Q3) What is your earliest memory of instant film?

A: The one and only time during my childhood when I used a Polaroid was for Manu’s birthday. Manu was the little fair-haired boy who lived opposite us. (Since then he has grown and moved).
The boy I’ve always known.
The boy I cycled with.
The boy I watched the Tour de France with – the boy who made me hate the Tour de France.
The boy I played Monopoly with – the boy who made me hate Monopoly…So maybe he’s the one who made me hate birthdays and love Polaroid!

Q4) What’s your favorite Impossible film type?

A: Meat is my hobby-horse. The colour of meat. I’ve...Read All

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Welcome back to 8 Exposures, our instant film Q&A series! This week, we bring you polaroid portrait wizard Luciano Noble…

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

A: I use two Polaroid cameras, a Polaroid SLR 680 and an SX-70. I’ve got loads in my apartment, but they’re decorative more than anything else. I’ve gone through my packfilm period, my simple Polaroid period, used a Big Shot for a bit. But there’s just nothing like the SX-70 and its kin that fits me better, the amount of control I like, the quality I require, the form factor, hell, even the little noises the motors make in the SLR 680, that there is music to my ears.

Q2) Why do you like instant photography?

A: I love it because it’s utterly unique. Unique in the pictures that are created, in the interactions using such strange cameras creates between you and your subject, unique in the palette, in the creation of a physical artifact. I’ve been using Polaroid since 1996, it’s been with me for, well, for the majority of my life. Polaroid is responsible for my love of photography.

And it’s not really about film, it’s about Instant film. It’s about having it immediately, about creating this little piece of work that you made mere moments ago, and having it in your hands, showing the person you photographed what you saw, that this picture right here is how I see you.

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Hi there. Welcome back to 8 Exposures, our instant film Q & A series! This week, we bring to you Parisian photog Emilie Lefellic…

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

Mainly my 180 and my SX70 model 2, which are my two favorite cameras.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

What I love about instant photography is its completely unpredictable character, the whimsical suprises it creates whenever you click the button. I also love the fact that development takes place before your eyes and you can even influence it once you know the film. As the awesome 101 Impossible Ways Project shows, instant photography leaves infinite room for experimentation and creativity – before, while and after the picture is taken : you can decide to double-expose, use special filters, put your picture in the fridge, in the oven, write, draw, paint, stick stuff on it, create artifacts with it – I actually feel a bit like a craftswoman when I fiddle with my pictures, which is a great source of joy. But what I love above all in instant photography is the instant film itself : its colour, depth, painterly texture, its retro feel – it alters reality in a way that is surreal, dreamy and poetical to me. Somehow, it’s perfect in its many imperfections.

(More after the jump!)

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Hello, instanteers! Welcome back to 8 Exposures, our instant film Q & A series. This entry focuses on New York-based Maritza de la Vega…

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

Primarily I use an SX-70 Alpha, and an SLR 680 SE for integral film and a 440 for pack film. I recently acquired a Keystone 60 Second Everflash (a non-Polaroid pack film camera) that I really like to use and that is slowly replacing my 440. I have a few other Polaroid cameras but I don’t really use them very often.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

I like that it is instant, of course, but also that it’s tangible. It’s great to hold an image in my hand and admire it without the aid of a brightly lit screen!

3) What is your earliest memory of instant film?

??I don’t have specific early memories of instant film, but I do feel that it was a constant part of my world especially from the late seventies through the mid-nineties.

(More after the jump!)

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Hello, friends. We’re back again with another entry in our popular instant film Q & A series, 8 Exposures. This week, we bring you Ohio’s own Andy Jenkins…

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

I mainly use my SX-70 Sonar, 440, Graflex Crown Graphic and my 110a converted to take pack film. I also mix in several other SX-70s with their own quirks, a couple 250s, one600, Supercolor 635 CL, Big Swinger 3000, Polaroid Reporter, Square Shooter 2, and Holgaroid back.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

I like the artistic outlet instant photography provides. The nuances of each type of film and camera allows for so many creative options. I know some people would just give up on a film like Push!, but personally, taking the mundane and transforming it to something else is what makes it fun. I like Jack White’s quote regarding his guitars, “I wanna work and battle it and conquer it and make it express whatever attitude I have at that moment. I want it to be a struggle.”

3) What is your earliest memory of instant film?

I remember making Mother’s Day cards when I was probably 10 years old using my mom’s Supercolor 635 CL (which I still use currently). Neon shirts, parachute pants and Air Jordans really popped on old Polaroid 600 film.

(More after the jump!)

Welcome back, instant friends. This very special entry in the Viewfinder series chronicles one man’s epic journey through the music video production process. Our favorite Actor/Musician/Photog Adam Goldberg created a beautiful music video for Agnes Obel’s song, “Brother Sparrow” using only film. Here are his words:

“I was approached in late summer ’11 to submit a proposal for singer/songwriter Agnes Obel’s video. We shared the same record label (though her Platinum selling album eeks out slightly more revenue than my concurrently released Copper seller). Up until this point the only music videos I had directed were for my own songs. In fact I had wanted to do something like this—a video comprised solely or primarily of still photos—for my (Goldberg Sisters) “Skin of the Patriot” but once I heard Agnes’ song I was moved to throw my own music under the bus. Plus frankly I knew more people would see hers (or at least that’s what I thought at the time*).

After some back and forth with Agnes via the label she eventually chose my proposal—which was in essence to shoot the video entirely with instant films and a 16mm epilogue. I used Chris Marker’s film Le Jette, a film school favorite, as reference. It would be rather simple—an impressionistic piece featuring Agnes playing her protagonist wistfully biding her time by windows in her (our Brooklyn) apartment. There would be an underlying unease that would counterbalance the ostensible whimsy. By the time I was given the go-ahead,...Read All

Photo by Lou Noble

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Hello, again. Welcome back to 8 Exposures, our instant film interview series. This week, we bring you a lovely lady from the west coast, photographer Laura Taylor…

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

A: The SX-70 is my main camera, though I have a couple other Land cameras that I like to play around with.

2) Q: Why do you like instant photography?

A: It’s just magical to me. I love that the photo is tangible like a small treasure. The element of surprise is fun, too. You never know exactly what to expect because forces out of your control are at play. All of these aspects create a special experience, and beautiful photographs.

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

A: When I was in preschool, I had a Polaroid photo taken of me sticking my head through a big wooden cut out clown. I still have that Polaroid.

(More after the jump!)

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Hi friends, and welcome back to 8 Exposures, our weekly instant film Q & A series. This entry turns the spotlight on California-based photographer Matthew Fry

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

I have a Polaroid SX-70 Alpha 1 SE with a Polaroid Polatronic 2350 flash. I love it, and it looks as good as it shoots. I used to have a Onestep Closeup 600, but I gave that to Nettie Harris after a shoot. Actually, I guess I have two other 600s somewhere around here. That’s the great thing about Polaroids, someone always has one laying around from back in the day.

Q2) Why do you like instant photography?

I think most everyone would say that it gives them something tangible in a world consumed by digital. But I only shoot film, so instant is my version of digital. I don’t have to wait days to see it, I have it there in my hands the moment I shoot it. And I always love the anticipation as it turns from blue, slowly forming the shapes and colors. It’s like opening a christmas present for me.

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Just last night, we celebrated the opening reception of MOMENTUM at The Impossible Project NYC Space. To commemorate the event, we’re excited to begin a new series to the Impossible Blog, Artist in Residence! Every so often, we’ll feature an artist currently showcased in an exhibition in the NYC Space, delving deeper into their interpretation of the theme of the show and how they went about making the images included. This installment features the dreamy filter techniques of Clay Lipsky, who was kind enough to explain his techniques and experiences with the new PX70 Color Shade:

“When the Impossible Project invited me to shoot my interpretation of  “Momentum” I thought of a place full of life & movement…the beach. Having spent most of my life in Florida and California, beach culture is very close to my heart. I was inspired to capture the sunny spirit and frenetic energy set amongst the iconic palm trees and sea gulls. Additionally I wanted to do it in a style reminiscent of the classic poster art from “The Endless Summer.” The latest incarnation of Impossible’s PX 70 Color Shade was very stable and provided consistent exposures, so I decided to push it by utilizing colored filters to tint my exposures and make my images as graphic as possible…”

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Welcome, friends, to another foray into instant-filmdom, via our popular interview series 8 Exposures! This week, we turn the spotlight on Jarrod Renaud…

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

A Polaroid 195 and Polaroid SX-70 Alpha 1.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

It’s analog and it’s instant. I shoot a lot of 35mm film also, but have the hardest time being patient when it comes to waiting for development and scans. With Polaroid, it’s like Christmas morning with every shot. I love that I’ve got something physical in my hand at the end of a shoot. I also feel like you automatically capture a sense of nostalgia with the slight inconsistency of film and the general color palette.

3) What is your earliest memory of instant film?

Growing up, I never had a Polaroid stuck in my face, there was never one laying around, although my parents took a million photos. It was all point/shoot and SLR cameras. So my first real experience with one was a Polaroid Auto 100 that I found at a thrift shop…

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Hello, Impossibles! We’re happy to bring you another entry in our ever-popular question and answer series, 8 Exposures. In this episode, the man of the hour is George Weiss III, a photographer based in Philadelphia, specializing in weddings and portraits, with a love for analog photography…

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

A: I have a bunch, I’m a bit of a hoarder, er, I mean collector, but I primarily use a couple SX-70 Sonars, an SLR 680, and I have a 250 for packfilm.

2) Q: Why do you like instant photography?

A: Hmph, where do I start? I think the biggest reason is the fact that it has a life and a soul that can’t be found in any other medium. I love the feeling of anticipation I get when I’ve taken a photo and I’m waiting for it to develop or to peel it. It’s magic.

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

A: I have a lot of pictures of myself as a child (probably in the 3-year-old range) that were taken by my grandfather but I don’t actually remember them being taken. When I was a young child in the 80’s, Polaroid photos were so ubiquitous it was hard to avoid them.

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Hi there, friends! Welcome back to 8 Exposures, our instant film question & answer series. This week, we spoke with Phoenix, AZ-based Sean Rohde…

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

A: Loaded Question! I mostly use my 190 and 195, but I also have a 180, Fuji Fotorama FP-1, Mamiya Universal, Crown Graphic with Polaroid and Fuji backs, SX-70 Model 2 (white), SX-70 Alpha 1 Model 2 (black and modified for 600), Colorpack III, Big Swinger 3000, and some other stuff, plus things I have owned and sold in the past, like a Konica Instant Press and modified roll film cameras, as well as various plastic hard case and folder cameras. I would love to have a 185 to complete my collection, but they seemed to have gone up in value in the past two years to some ridiculous prices. I have to use my cameras, not just look at them on a shelf.

2) Q: Why do you like instant photography?

??A: Well, certainly the fact that it is instant is a draw. Though sometimes I don’t peel my 100 and 80 for six hours so I guess they aren’t always so instant. There is just a certain quality that instant films have that film doesn’t have. Color shifts, textures…it all kind of gives photos a vintage quality that I like.

This Thursday evening together with Polaroid, we are excited to host the opening of INSTANT REVOLUTION – the first in an upcoming series of artistic collaborations throughout 2012, celebrating the launch of the Polaroid Classic line.

For this unique exhibition, the artists provided us with feedback on their experiences using Polaroid cameras again with original Soft Tone Image film.

GARY BASEMAN
“I wanted to use the camera the way I originally used such a device in the 1970s and 80s…to capture an immediate memory. My art is about discovering one’s ‘True Self,’ and Polaroid cameras have been an important tool in assisting in this truthfinding and free expression.”

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Hello, Impossibles! Welcome back to 8 Exposures. This week, we spoke with Portland, OR-based photographer, illustrator and MAE student Jade Sheldon…

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

A: I have a small collection of Polaroid cameras that my grandparents have given me over the years. They love estate sales and whenever they come across a camera, they can’t resist getting it for me (you won’t catch me complaining). Not all of them are in working order, but they are beautiful to look at nonetheless. The main cameras I use for my instant film photography are my Sun 660 and Fuji Instax 210. I’m looking to add a Polaroid 195 to my modest collection.

2) Q: Why do you like instant photography?

A: I earned my BFA in illustration in 2009. That was four long years of sketches, thumbnails, roughs, color comps, second-guessing, finals, and critiques. Creating an illustration can take hours… days… even months. There is so much planning and so much preparation that goes into it. When I discovered instant film, I felt so free. With instant film, I could create a piece of original art in seconds.

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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, friends! We hereby present you with another entry in our instant film Q & A series, 8 Exposures. This week, we profiled California photographer Kristen Perman…

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

A: My favorite camera is my SLR 680. I actually have two of them, both in a delicate state from being dropped. I also love my Spectra camera, gifted to me by a good friend, who found it by her apartment dumpster in Philly. It’s clear, so you can see all the inner workings and it has proven to be a great conversation starter.

2) Q: Why do you like instant photography?

A: Instant photography taught me how to frame a photo and of course, to slow down. I’ve learned that the first shot is always the best, even if that first shot is not the best or your favorite.

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

A: We always had a Polaroid camera around. There are random family photos throughout my childhood proving its existence even though I don’t remember it much.

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Analog instant film has been an integral part of the fashion world for decades. For this installment of our “Viewfinder” series, our featured photographer Jorge Valle sheds light on how Impossible films can not only refresh a photographer’s attitude, but also help communicate a unique style in an industry so dominated by digital photography.

“I’m 29 and I live in Madrid, Spain, but I’m moving to London in a few months. I work as a graphic designer, but my big passion is photography. That’s the reason why I left my job in Madrid and moved to New York City, where I spent the last three months of 2011 taking some courses and workshops at the International Center of Photography. While I was in the Fashion Photography course I noticed that almost every picture was taken with digital cameras, and at that time I was a little bit tired of digital. I needed to make something different. So inspired by my teacher Andrea Blanch, who always wanted us to go further, I created for my last assignment a fashion editorial with pictures taken with Impossible Film. And the result was exactly what I wanted, something fresh, natural and with attitude. It’s funny how instant film is considered something refreshing now, when it was so common in the fashion industry not so long ago!

More after the jump…

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Hello again from 8 Exposures! This week, we’re highlighting Maryland Event Planner and photo genius Jessica Hibbard Elenstar!

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

A: My collection is always expanding, but my favorites are SX-70s, Spectra ProCams, and Super Shooters. I always have at least two of each in case one breaks, and multiple cameras also come in handy for shooting different film types at the same time.

2) Q: Why do you like instant photography?

A: I’m drawn to the beauty of vintage cameras, the warmth of film, and the uniquely imperfect nature of each image. Even “bad” polaroids are good, and a nice reminder for a control freak like myself to be open to surprises.

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

A: My grandmother’s Spectra camera. I still remember her opening the crinkly silver package of film. She insisted on taking a picture of the entire family at the dinner table when we were all together, so there are many vintage shots of me as a kid with food in my mouth.

(More after the jump!)

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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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Hi again, 8 Exposures fanatics! We’re happy to bring you a special Sunday entry in our series. This episode, the star of 8 Exposures is Seattle-based designer, project manager and mom Brooke Castro…

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

A: I have 12 Polaroid cameras (there is no such thing as too many cameras, right?), but the ones I use most are my SLR 680 SE, SX-70, and a Polaroid ColorPack II.

2) Q: Why do you like instant photography?

A: I love that it has proved time and time again that the most beautiful or interesting photos aren’t always the ones you planned for or expected.

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

A: When I was really young, my grandfather used to take family photos with a Polaroid camera. I can remember waiting, anxious for him to peel back the film and show my cousins and me the photo. (That Polaroid ColorPack II that I mentioned above? That was my grandpa’s camera.)

(More after the jump!)

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Hello, Impossibles! Welcome back to 8 Exposures. This week, we turned the spotlight on Long Beach, CA-based photographer Bradley Johnson:

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

A: I use them all!…or at least, as many as I can get my hands on! Each camera has its own charm, but there are a few that I prefer more than others. I think that the SX-70 is the quintessential Polaroid camera. It does everything you would want a camera to do, and it uses instant film! My runner up would be the Propack. I know that many of my photographer friends will make fun of me for this, but it produces nice photos, and is relatively compact. I use the close-up, and portrait lens attachments (meant for the Polaroid 250, 360, 450 land cameras) to make it even more versatile. Also, it never has the jamming problem associated with Fuji pack film.

2) Q: Why do you like instant photography?

A: First and foremost is the instant feedback. However, with the advent of digital, that isn’t such a novelty anymore. I suppose the real reason I love instant film so much is the fact that each photo is an original work of art. There is no negative. The print you hold in your hand is one of a kind. There will never be another. Sure, you could scan and print a copy, but it will never be the same.

(More after the jump!)

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Hello, 8 Exposures fans! This week, the star of 8 Exposures is Bay Area Dog Portrait Aficionado Jesse Freidin…

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

A: This is a dangerous question, because I am a collector. I own about 30 Polaroid cameras, all salvaged for around $5 from various yard sales over the past 10 years. Most of them are retired, littered throughout my apartment in some sort of display. But many of them work perfectly. My two favorites are the Spectra Image (which I now shoot exclusively with Impossible Film), and the Land Camera 103. They smell good, they feel good, they are like extensions of my body. If my house were burning down, I’d be the jerk with singed hair and 30 instant cameras around my neck.

2) Q: Why do you like instant photography?

A: Instant photography was my first love, and I fell hard. There is something so powerful about making the images in your head exist in the real world, and instant photography has always articulated my personal vision perfectly. As a photographer dedicated to analog means, I will never let go of the physical interaction I have with my cameras and film.

(More after the jump!)

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Hello friends, and welcome back to 8 Exposures! This week, we spoke with German photographic wizard Oliver Zelinski…

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

A: There is a Barilla pinhole and some old plate cameras with Polaroid backs, a Macro 3, a couple of 636s, an EE100, an Image Spectra, two SX-70 Alpha, a 340, two EE44 and something in the cellar

2) Q: Why do you like instant photography?

A: Because of its own limitation and in connection the results + the smell on x-posed in polanoid.

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

A: I remember my mum dissing grandpa’s Sun 660 and those unstable pictures with the boring frame.

4) Q: What’s your favorite Impossible Film type?

A: PX 100 FF and PX 680 beta.

5) Q: What are your favorite subjects to photograph?

A: Mr Giulio Stucchi but generally I am trying not to see the subjects as such but let them speak out. Then you can listen, looking at the picture…

(More after the jump!)

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Welcome back to 8 Exposures! This week, we spoke with the amazing Brad Elterman, who since the 1970s has been photographing celebrities and musicians such as Blondie, David Bowie, Michael Jackson and The Who!

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

A: Polaroid One.

2) Q: Why do you like instant photography?

A: It’s so sexy.

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

A: My mom was a painter and in the 70’s she went out and got an SX70. That was really something special. I still have it, somewhere.

4) Q: What’s your favorite impossible film type?

A: PX 680.

5) Q: What are your favorite subjects to photograph?

A: Modern Pop Culture

(More after the jump!)

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Welcome back to 8 Exposures! This week, we talked with LA photographer/sweetheart Jessica Reinhardt…

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

A: I consider myself extremely fortunate when it comes to my cameras. I have four Polaroid cameras that I use all the time…as well as an ever growing collection of wayward cameras rescued from various states of neglect. I have two Land Cameras…a 360 that belonged to my father. He won it as a college student—-a top of the line set with filters, self-timer, cable release, and portrait lens—-the works. When I was in college he had it reconditioned and gave it to me as a birthday gift. It was the camera that really solidified my love affair with Instant Film. My other Land Camera is a 320 I found languishing in the supply closet at work. It had not been touched pretty much since it was purchased. My boss was impressed with what the camera could do with a fresh battery and some film. My Polaroid cameras that I don’t leave home without are two original model SX-70s. My first SX-70 was a Swap Meet find, complete with a carrying case and manual.

(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 another thrilling episode of 8 Exposures, our new interview series highlighting interesting people using Impossible film. This week we talked with Oregon-based instant film magicians His & Hers (Dave Tuttle and Whitney Johnson)…

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

Hers: Between the two of us, we have a lot of cameras. We actually have an entire closet devoted to cameras, accessories and film.

His: The cameras are in various working conditions, of course. I think we probably have only 30-40 total. There are more than a few that could probably stand to be donated for parts.

Hers: Ha! Only 30 or 40.

His: Yeah, it is a bit ridiculous considering we really only use the same ones over and over again.

Hers: I love my SLR 680. It has a tiny hole in the bellows that I have to tape every few months, a burn mark on the sonar from where I attempted to dislodge a piece of stuck straw with a lighter (note to others: this is not a good idea) and the entire top cover melted off on a Caribbean cruise (seriously), but it still works like a champ. It is the best $75 I’ve ever spent.

(More after the jump!)

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Welcome to another episode of 8 Exposures, our new feature consisting of 8 photography and instant film-related questions, accompanied by 8 Impossible images from the featured artist. This week, we interviewed Chicago-based photographer, rabbit-lover and life-liver Azuree Wiitala

1) Q: What kind of Polaroid Cameras do you use?

A: My favorite Polaroid camera to use is the SLR 680. Sadly that camera died while my husband and I were visiting my family in Puerto Rico last year. Since then I’ve been shooting with three Sonar One Step SX-70 cameras. Yes, three. They each have different film in them although I have to admit that I can never remember which has what film, which turns out to be a fun surprise, for the most part.

2) Q: Why do you like instant photography?

A: I am drawn to instant photography because it is…instant. I do not prefer to shoot digitally and find that I drag my feet to develop 35mm (which I also love to shoot) so instant film just makes sense to me. I also love the perfect imperfections that come along with shooting instant film.

(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!)