ISO 101

10 Reasons to Love Polaroid

2010-04-11T00:49:00.008-04:00

10 Lady Gaga???

Ok. So, was anyone else surprised by Polaroid's decision earlier this year to name Lady Gaga the company's CREATIVE DIRECTOR? I'm at least intrigued by the choice, and it will be interesting to see how her... um, unique... style is reflected at Polaroid.

9 The cameras

Who else made cameras that look like this:

Or this:

The bottom line is that Polaroid cameras are quite possibly the greatest (if not most ridiculous) things ever conceived by humanity.

8 600 series film...

...Which they discontinued. It was an icon. A legend. And now it can only be obtained for ungodly sums staggering enough to make even the most die hard Polaroid fans think twice about how much they want a white frame around their pictures. I thought twice ,still got me a Job Pro camera (see above).

7 Write on it!

That's what the frame is for!

6 Shake it like a Polaroid picture!

But don't really... It'll mess up the picture.

5 The Impossible Project

In 2008 Polaroid announced that it would no longer be manufacturing their iconic integral film. It wasn't much later that an old Polaroid factory in the Netherlands sprung to life in Wonka-esque fashion. Backed by Ilford, the Impossible Project has made it their goal to recreate the integral film once made by Polaroid. Recently, the venture saw some progress when they released a new film for the old SX-70 cameras. Hopefully, a 600 series is next.

4 Collector Status

I love to collect cameras, and any self respecting camera collector has to have at least one of these in their collection. Whether it's an SX-70, a camera from the famed 600 series, or one of the more rare roll film cameras Polaroid is a must have addition to any collection.

3 Cheap E-bay deals

What other fully functioning camera can you get for $6?

2 Retro look

Perhaps the greatest concomitant of the Polaroid equation is it's unapologetically retro aura. Polaroid film has entirely failed to keep up with modern picture standards. The colors fade quickly, the film damages easily, and it can't be reprinted. But it is this set of attributes that make the film so loved and desired.

and

1 Instant

The obvious. Polaroid invented instant.

Preeminent Provia: The green monster

2010-04-07T09:37:00.013-04:00

Cross processing is fun. Anyone who has ever deliberately defied the manufacturer's recommendation knows that the inherent civil disobedience is half the joy of dropping a roll of C-22 process film in a container filled to the brim with C-41 chemicals. The other half, however, is getting a good image, and that part isn't quite as easy. If it's your first time cross processing a certain type of film, then you don't really know what that particular type is going to yield, and that can be enough to make you consider sacrificing the enhanced aesthetic for the cold comfort of traditional chemistry. DO NOT fall into the trap of complacence. Cross processing isn't just the hipster photographer's method for hiding the fact that he isn't very good, it is a long standing tradition that has been used by such photographic authorities as National Geographic and Life magazine, one that can add an interesting lo-fi vibe to your film. So don't be afraid to experiment.

A good starting point for experimentation in cross processing is Fujichrome Provia 100F. This is a gorgeous slide film with fine grain and medium saturation and contrast, yielding nice, natural shots... when processed traditionally at least. Slide film usually requires C-22 or E-6 chemistry, and Provia is no exception, but what happens when you process THIS film in C-41? Well that all depends on how much you expose it. The chemistry behind this is rather complicated, so I won't go into it now (look it up), but the long and short of it all is that underexposed Provia 100F is almost unusable and saturated in red, slightly underexposed and normal shots turn green, and overexposed shots come closer to natural colors, but are still green tinted and somewhat washed out.

What to expect:

On the verge of being unusable, this shot was underexposed when my camera didn't sync my flash with the shutter speed (damn unpredictable Holgas). I like the vignette, and the color is interesting, but I had to do some retouching to make the shot remotely bright enough

Yes, this is the same picture I use as this page's main photo. I like it. It was exposed correctly according to what my Canon 50d said about the lighting in the room.

For this one, I had set my flash to full power, which called for about 25 feet between me and my target... not 5. It's a little washed out and slightly less green, but otherwise it looks a lot like the normal exposures.

In conclusion:
Expect green (or red) tinting. Provia is great film, and I highly recommend, but it isn't for the colorblind, or Christmas haters.

The Yashica 35-ME: an analogue point-and-shooter's dream come true

2010-04-04T19:58:00.020-04:00

This nifty little number was introduced in 1972 by Yashica, the Japanese company famous for its still popular line of medium format TLR's. The 35-ME, though, is a nice lesser known 35mm model that manages to blend a great deal of lo-fi charm with a certain degree of legitimacy. That is to say, that despite its soft, low contrast lens and simplistic focus, the 35-ME is no Holga. Two 1.5V batteries operate a light meter, auto shutter and auto aperture, which can be adjusted to compensate for film speeds between 45 and 800 ISO. This means that the camera is user friendly and versatile.

The camera doesn't, however, trade any performance for ease of use. While it is just a cheap little rangefinder (mine cost me about $10), and you DO get what you pay for, if you're looking for a cheap lo-fi point and shoot camera this is your answer. Don't shell out $250 for a Lomo LC-A+ (also a great camera, but a barely mechanical piece of plastic ever worth that much?), try the Yashica 35-ME instead.

Here's what you can expect:

This one was taken with out the batteries, so the camera was stuck on 1/60 sec. (hence the blurring).

Even indoors, the 35-ME produces interesting contrasts, and dreamlike lighting.

Taking the lens cap off

2010-03-29T12:27:00.000-04:00

I didn't really get into film photography until sometime last year, but in that short year I've made enough mistakes and wasted enough money on ruined film and bad shots to see exactly why more people don't play around with film: IT'S EXPENSIVE. At anywhere from $0.20 to $5 per shot people can't afford to not make every exposure golden, and as a beginner, seeing that money wasted on countless mediocre frames is downright depressing.

So that's why this is here. There's only so far the countless threads on flickr and Lomography can get you, and as far as i can tell, there isn't a consolidated source for techniques, tricks, and lessons learned through utter failure. So for now, this blog will be your weekly source for all things film!

Right now, the plan is to write a post every Monday night on cameras, film, and general photography tips, and to write every Thursday night on more specific methods.

Feel free to suggest some tricks of your own, too. I want this to be a forum and a launching point for a more comprehensive online database of tricks.