You might be thinking, why would a professional photographer use a Polaroid camera? It's old, and we are in the digital age. Well, I am here to tell you it was the spark I needed after coming out of a pandemic. After going through the pandemic, my creativity plummeted!
along with my motivation. Personally, I never contracted the Corona Virus, but my wife did (4 times). So when the pandemic hit, we stayed home more, ate at home more, and traveled a lot less. My wife was actually hospitalized her first time; then, she was hospitalized after receiving the shot (due to other circumstances).
Businesses and magazines stopped buying photography, and some magazines and businesses I sold to went out of business. Family photo sessions came to a quick halt, along with senior photos, prom photos, and everything in-between. Even my favorite platform (YourShot) was bought by Disney and reduced to just an Instagram account. My motivation to produce new work completely stopped.
At the start of 2022, I decided to get back at it and not hold back anymore. Enough was enough, and I needed to create new work. So I have been hitting the roads, waterfalls, national parks, and anything else every chance I get now. And one thing I have added to my camera bag is the new Polaroid Now. I love the look of a vintage Polaroid shot, and I also love how selective I have to be. I have even started going out on some trips, using only the Polaroid camera. However, the one downside to the camera is the price of the film, at $16 a pack. That makes it $2 a shot!
One feature I have mainly fallen in love with is the double exposure feature. I do not know what made me want to get one; maybe it is the urge to do something a bit more creative; whatever the reason, I am so glad I did. My creativity is at an all-time high, and my desire to hit the road is also at a high. I document most of my trips now on my Youtube channel, and I am trying to grow that audience. I have decided to do some Polaroid adventure videos as another category for my channel. You can watch my first Polaroid outing here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4U-2XZFkaY&t=9s
My first set of images taken with Polaroid Now were all from within 5 miles of my house. I was so excited to give this a try that I shot an entire film pack within an hour. The first shot I took was of an old house on a farm with cows in the yard. I even took it to my daughter's gender reveal party the next day. The first double exposure I took was of my daughter as we walked around Laurel Run Park. Oddly, it is still my favorite double exposure I have taken. I took one shot of her; then I took one shot of the river.
Adding something familiar but still new honestly helped my creativity. It added a spark I didn't know I needed and has made me more excited than ever to create new work. Below you will find a small collection of some of my favorite Polaroid shots I have taken thus far this year.
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