Monday, January 12, 2009

The New Face of Polaroid

Being a long and loyal lover of traditional Polaroids, I have mixed feelings about this new advancement.

Polaroid Digital Printer Camera Doohickey

I suppose it's better than nothing, but it still isn't the same as watching that magic rectangle develop in front of your eyes. I also believe that not having the ability to pick and edit Polaroids is half of their beauty.

Brace yourselves, I'm about to rant about digital photography for a moment. Digital photography in my opinion, has greatly facilitated vanity in human beings. Think about all of the little teeny boppers on Myspace and Facebook who take hundreds of pictures of themselves looking sexy. You know they delete 8 out of 10 pictures they take because they didn't look perfect. With a Polaroid you can't do that. A picture is an investment, both monetarily and artistically. You grow to appreciate the candid nature of these shots in a way you never can with a digital image.

But now with the LCD screen and editing options you are no longer stuck with the unflattering pictures. With the click of a button they can be simply erased. There will be no more strange Polaroid finds on the side of the road. What will Found Magazine have to print? FOUND Polaroids

No one will print the awkward shots. There's something about that that doesn't sit well with me. I like the idea of not being able to erase a moment- no matter how unflattering or awkward it may have been.

A Polaroid is a piece of physical evidence of a moment, which is what makes it so awesome in the first place.

Like I said, it's better than nothing, but it's still not the same. That film won't be compatible with my SX70. :(



R.I.P. little guy.