Hi everyone! I want to tell you about something I am so excited about–
for the love of light, a book coming out in July 2008. Dreamt by dear
Jen, an incredibly talented photographer herself, this book will feature the Polaroid photography of twenty-five photographers from around the world, me included! I find myself in awe of my fellow fortheloveoflight photographers, and I really cannot wait to see the final copy.
Something I have been thinking about lately is why I love the Polaroid so much and why I am rather melancholy about the end of Polaroid film. So much of it has to do, I think, with what Edwin Land meant to do in the first place with the Polaroid– put easy-to-use, fast-working but excellent cameras in the hands of people who might not otherwise take snaps– mums, dads, little sisters, big brothers, friends– thus allowing even amateurs to capture memories with only the click of a button and the few moments it took for the little Polaroid square to reveal its magic.
At the end of TIME magazine’s 1972 article on Edwin Land, the TIME writer asks Mr Land of the invention of the sx-70, “Does that mean that amateur photography will always be a minor craft, an exercise in using ever simpler cameras to take ever more pictures of babies, barbecues and baseball games but little else?”
The article continues, ‘Edwin Land does not think so. “Every good picture we take —one that is taken with care—should make our lives that much bigger,” he says. “Photography is an illustration of the use of technology not to estrange, but to reveal and unite people.” ‘
You know what? I agree. And I think that above you have the long version of why I love the Polaroid. Not only is the magic of that little square something to behold, but I hope that anyone who has used a Polaroid camera knows that its true magic lies in its ability to bring people, no matter their photography skill level, together around the little square that changed the very face of photography.
And in doing so, maybe it has made our lives that much bigger. I’d like to think so.
PS: go to the book’s site to sign up for updates! thank you so much for supporting me and everyone else involved in this wonderful project.
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