It's that time of year when the temperature starts falling, bells begin ringing, and instant photographers hibernate for the winter because their film doesn't work in the cold—or is it just me.

That's right, it's time for the first Polagraphic Instant Film Swap.

What is a Film Swap?

The Instant Film Swap brings together photographers from around the world, to anonymously exchange instant photos during the holiday season. In a year where we've been so far apart, this is a great way for us to come together and share something special.

By registering for the swap, you will be randomly matched with another photographer for you to send an instant photo to. Each photographer that sends a photo will receive one in return.

The most exciting part is that each photographer doesn't know who, or where their photo will be coming from. You could be matched with someone 100km or 1000km away.

If this is your first holiday gift swap, here's how it works:

Step 1: Register

Registration to this year's swap has closed, see you next year!
The deadline to register was Nov. 30, 2020.

By registering, you're joining a list of other photographers that you will be randomly matched with. You will be required to submit your mailing address so that you can receive a gift too, it will only be shared with your match so they know where to send their photo.

Step 2: Get your match

Matches will be randomly selected on Dec 1, 2020. Once the matches are generated, you will receive an email with information on where to send your photo to.

Step 3: Prepare your photo

Acceptable formats include:

• Polaroid
• Instax
• Peel-apart
• Instant transfers
• any other photo that involves instant film.

The simplest way to deliver your photo is by using a standard sized envelope.

To protect the photo from bending in transit, place a piece of card stock in the envelope and write "Do not bend" on the outside of the envelope.

If you'd like to connect with your match virtually, it's recommended you share a message that includes your instagram username in the envelope as well.

Step 4: Mailing your photo

You will receive an email with the address of your match, please address the card correctly to ensure everyone receives their photo. Please mail you photo as soon as you can to ensure it is delivered in time.

It is important to include your return mailing address in case your photo gets lost in the mail.

Please note: Each sender is responsible for their own shipping cost. By mailing a standard sized envelope, you can keep the cost to a minimum by sending it via Standard Lettermail.

Step 5: Wait for your photo to arrive!

Once you've mailed your photo, you're done!

You'll be receiving a photo from another randomly selected photographer from around the world.

Given the high volumes of mail delivered during the holiday season, you may not receive your photo before the end of the year. If you haven't received your photo by Jan. 29, 2021 please contact us.

As you receive your photos, use #instantswap20 on Instagram to share the work with the rest of us participating in the swap.

The Instant Film Swap is a great way to make new friends with others from around the world, despite everything that's happened in 2020.

If you have any questions regarding this year's film swap, please contact us!

Hope you all can stay inside and have a safe, fun holiday season.

Polagraphic is a community-driven publication with the goal of spreading knowledge and bringing us together around analog photography.

How can you be involved?

You can engage with us and share your work using the hashtag #polagraphic on IG & Twitter, or if you have more to say - you can submit your own articles to be published on our blog.

If you have an idea for an article or topic that you would like to see in our print edition, please Contact Us!

Earlier this year I posted a Call for Entry—requesting the community to submit their work to be published in the first print edition of the Polagraphic Magazine. Like the theme of 2020, progress came to halt as other priorities took place.

We've all been stuck inside this past year, producing some incredible work in despite the times. Given the circumstances, I'm excited to reopen the Call for Entry for those who weren't able to submit during the spring and also to allow for submissions of the fantastic work I've seen this created year. I hope we'll be able to commemorate 2020 with a special first issue of Polagraphic.

An update on the magazine will be posted soon, but pre-orders for the first issue will begin early 2021 and ship shortly after.

About Polagraphic

Polagraphic is a bi-annual magazine driven by the community with the goal of sharing knowledge and bringing us together around analog photography. Featuring colour and B&W instant photography, submissions are curated and published in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

We want to see work created by the individuals who share our love for instant film. Submissions are open internationally, no submission fee required.

To enter, please submit 1–2 series of work, with a total of no more than 30 photographs, a brief description of each series is required. Individual photo submissions will also be considered. All instant film photos, manipulations, mixed mediums and mosaics are accepted (Polaroid, Instax, Peel-apart, 8x10, etc). The only requirement is that the original medium is a physical instant photograph.

If you submitted this spring, there is no need to submit those images again.These submissions are still eligible and will be considered for our first issue.

If submitted in the spring and would like to submit new images, please follow the submission guidelines below.

Submission Deadline: December 31st 2020

Send submissions to polagraphicbrand@gmail.com (read specs below)

Submission Guidelines:

Image Specifications:

1. Submit up to 30 images.
2. Images must be at least 1500px on the shortest side, and contain no reflections. (Flatbed scans are recommended)
3. Cropped polaroids, fake/photo-shopped frames or images with watermarks will not be accepted. (Writing on the frames will be accepted)

If your images are selected, you will be required to submit high-resolution scans of your work.

Text Specifications:

1. Submit an artist biography (100 word minimum). Please include where you are from, how you started with instant photography, your influences, where you studied(if applicable), what your career is, etc.
2. Submit a description of the works (100 word minimum). Please include what you are attempting to achieve with your analog work, what drives you to shoot instant photography, and a technical specs of each photo (Camera, film, shutter speed if applicable, etc).

Note: Do to the large amount of submissions we receive, you may not receive a response. We try our best to respond to everyone, but do not guarantee a response.

Email Specifications:

1. The subject line of your email should state: “Submission: Fall 2020 - Polagraphic Magazine”
2. Please attach your images to the email. (Google drive, dropbox links and .zip files are acceptable. Please name your folder/zip file: “Submission-Polagraphic Magazine-Your Name Here”)
3. Please put all information into the body of the email:

• Your name, as you would like it to appear.
• Location (City, State/Province, Country)
• Title of each of photograph submitted, as you would like it to appear.
• Website Address and Social Media Links if available.

Send your submission to polagraphicbrand@gmail.com

Article Submissions

Have an idea for an article or topic that you would like to see in Polagraphic Magazine?

Please submit a PDF of your text to polagraphicbrand@gmail.com

Subject line of your email should state: “Article Submission: Polagraphic Magazine”.

All authors retain copyright to their text. If selected, we'll work with you to have your piece posted and printed in the magazine.

Copyright Information:

By submitting photos, you must own copyright to these photographs or have permission from the copyright holder to submit these photographs. All submitting artists retain copyright to their images.

You are granting Polagraphic Magazine a non-exclusive license to use the photograph in its submitted form, subject to re-sizing to fit the magazine format. Images may be placed on the Polagraphic Magazine website or social media accounts, artist recognition is provided with any use. Should you request your photographs to be removed from the website, we will make every effort to do so. However, please note also that third parties such as search engines or individuals may download, save, store or archive this (or any other) website with or without our knowledge. Polagraphic Magazine will have no control over such downloading and subsequent use and therefore cannot accept responsibility for any such use.

If you have any questions about the call for entry, please Contact Us!

Polagraphic is a community-driven publication with the goal of spreading knowledge and bringing us together around analog photography.

How can you be involved?

You can engage with us and share your work using the hashtag #polagraphicon IG & Twitter, or if you have more to say - you can submit your own articles to be published on our blog.

If you have an idea for an article or topic that you would like to see in our print edition, please Contact Us!

Quite a bit has changed since last August. It’s been over a year since Polagraphic launched, and what a year it’s been. What started as a simple instagram feed to post personal my Polaroid work, quickly grew to be a much larger piece of the community.

Since everything started, it’s exceeded almost all of my expectations when launching a niche community from scratch. I’m incredibly humbled and thankful for everyone who’s noticed, participated, and engaged with us over the past year. It hasn’t been easy to keep up, but it’s because of everyone in the instant community that makes this all happen.

I’ll spare you the epic memoir about the past year, but I wanted to provide a short update on the things we’ve covered and what’s planned for the future.

Website

You’ve probably noticed but if not; there’s a brand new website! Everything has been hand coded from the ground up, built to serve the current and future needs for Polagraphic.

I’ve wanted to give Polagraphic a proper overhaul since everything started, so this one has been in the works for a while.

Until now Polagraphic has been pieced together as needed, based on the different ideas that have come up. This has lead to inconsistent experiences and made it difficult to plan out which content to produce. Now that there are few moving parts, there needs to be a consistent visual direction for Polagraphic.

With a new website, comes a few new features:

• More dynamic reading experience
• Optimized Images for speed
• Ability to search posts
• Light/Dark mode for your viewing pleasure (coming soon)
• Misc. small updates to enhance reading experience

After working with different templates and hacking code together, I knew it only would get things so far. I decided that it would be best to create something new that was unique to Polagraphic. Everything has been hand coded and designed from the ground up to look, feel, and function how the website should. If you find any errors in the website or bugs to squash, let us know! There are still a few new pages being worked on that will launch as things roll out, so stay tuned for new updates!

Instagram

Polagraphic was originally a simple place to share my Instant work with the community on Instagram and see what other artists were out there. Little did I realize, there are a lot of you interested in doing the same! You’ve grown the community to over 1700 people and I’m blown away by the fantastic work that exists and the support you’ve given. Polagraphic will continue to engage and support the community, as well as provide opportunities to bring us together.

The Blog

When the blog launched, I set a personal goal to produce high quality content to share within the community and that each topic covered would be comprehensive. There are a bunch of exciting articles to share with you over the coming months:

• Instant film scanning
• Shooting with expired film
• SX-70 repair guides
• Polaroids in Japan
• MiNT SLR670-X review
• Lomography Instant Square review
• Shooting peel-apart film
• and many others

On top of all of that stay tuned for brand new artist series called “8 frames with,” where instant artists from around the world can share their favourite 8 frames and the stories that come with those photos.

The Magazine

Earlier this year I posted a Call for Entry—requesting the community to submit their work to be published in the first print edition of the Polagraphic Magazine. Like the theme of this article, progress came to halt as other priorities took place.

We've all been stuck inside this past year, producing some incredible work in despite the times. Given the circumstances, I'm excited to reopen the Call for Entry for those who weren't able to submit during the spring and also to allow for submissions of the fantastic work I've seen this created year. I hope we'll be able to commemorate 2020 with a special first issue of Polagraphic.

An update on the magazine will be posted soon, but pre-orders for the first issue will begin early 2021 and ship shortly after.

Podcast

We’ve teased, we’ve posted, we’ve streamed - but the podcast is finally here. Starting next week, you’ll be able to listen to The Polagraphic Podcast wherever you listen to podcasts. I’ll be sitting down with members of the instant photo community to bring you interesting conversations, share opinions on the industry, and learn about inspirations. Hopefully you’ll be able to learn something new, hear from others in the community, and be inspired to get out and shoot.

We kick things off with two of the most influential characters in our community—past and present: Dave Bias(prev. of The Impossible Project US), and Ben Fraternale of In an Instant.

YouTube

As I'll get to, COVID-19 hit pretty hard for most of us. It also hit at the same time I was expanding Polagraphic to other platforms, one being YouTube. While we in Winnipeg didn’t see the early lockdowns that other cities had, it seemed that the world was going on pause and continuing to venture outside in hopes of finding a following on YouTube felt like the wrong thing to do.

While it seems that we'll settle in to this new reality before it changes again, It's time to relaunch what I originally hoped would fill a small void on YouTube. Much of the content that will be uploaded will relate closely to the topics covered, as well as clips from the podcast.

Joining the likes of In an Instant, Matt Day, Willem Verbeeck and more—I can't wait to bring you even more instant film content at an exciting time in the photography industry.

Black Lives Matter

Since the murder of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and over 150 other black individuals in the US, we’ve seen thousands of people from around the world come together to demand justice, condemn racism, and speak out against police brutality.

Polagraphic has fallen short and not properly responded to the situation we find ourselves in. This is unacceptable and in no way aligns with the values of the community we’ve built, which I am responsible for and am sorry. This topic has remained relatively quiet throughout the Instant Film communities. Polagraphic will strive to keep this top of mind, continuing to seek out BIPOC artists and offer our platform to share their voice.

I and Polagraphic explicitly support the Black Lives Matter movement and will continue to strive to be a better ally. I'm committed to ensuring that BIPOC voices are heard, their work is seen, and Polagraphic channels display a diverse representation of the world we live in.

One Man Band

2020 got the best of us, me included. What started out as an exciting year, heading in with high hopes of launching a video series, starting a podcast, traveling and connecting with each of you—quickly got turned upside down. I’m not alone in saying that the implications of COVID-19 had me taking a step back and reorganizing day-to-day priorities.

While the instant community is thousands strong, the operations of Polagraphic are carried out by a team of one. Working a full time job, freelancing on the side, while keeping up with a community isn’t easy. I’d love to do it all, but time to time something has to be put on hold to make way for bigger things—and unfortunately that’s been Polagraphic.

Over the past few months, I’ve been working towards the day where Polagraphic is back action. I’m hoping that going forward we’ll be able to keep a constant schedule and connect with more of you soon.

Thank you

I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again - without the support from the instant community, Polagraphic really wouldn’t be what it is today. I hope I'll be able to virtually connect with you all soon.

Polagraphic is a community-driven publication with the goal of spreading knowledge and bringing us together around analog photography.

How can you be involved?

You can engage with us and share your work using the hashtag #polagraphicon IG & Twitter, or if you have more to say - you can submit your own articles to be published on our blog.

If you have an idea for an article or topic that you would like to see in our print edition, please Contact Us!

We’ve heard it for weeks - Stay home, Keep your distance, Wash your hands. We recommend all of these tips, none of them appear particularly challenging. However, for a creative during self-isolation it can be hard to stay creative and inspired within the walls of your home.

It can be even more difficult to find ways to use instant film in your home when it feels like you’ve already photographed it all.

In this article, we want to give you 9 different ways to remain creative and inspired while at home during your coronavirus quarantine.

No. 1 - Photograph everyday items

While it may seem that at one point or another we’ve photographed every possible object in our homes, there’s always a way we can take our everyday objects and capture them in new and interesting ways.

One way we can take ordinary objects and bring new interest to them is to experiment with light that we have available and observe how light can fall onto those objects. While we don’t all have the opportunity to use professional lighting equipment, we do have the ability to play with the light we have available to us. Desk lamps, flashlights, and windows are fantastic sources of light that give us the ability to add interest to otherwise boring objects.

Ted Forbes from the Art of Photography YouTube channel, posted a video at the beginning of quarantine challenging us to do just that. In his first photo assignment, he asked us to take a moment and document how light falls through the windows you may have in your home at various times throughout the day. Take note of when the light is diffused, when it is direct, and the brightness of light you receive throughout the day. This will give you an excellent point of reference for when to photograph particular objects depending on the type of light you’re looking for. Once you have found out the kinds of light you have available to you, use it to create different scenes based on the light.

Bright, direct light can create high contrast images that can be dramatic, serious, and high intensity. Soft, diffuse light can illuminate objects evenly and create pleasing portraits. Lastly low light can be intriguing, moody, or help bring attention to the brighter objects in the scene.

If you’re not sure what type of objects to photograph, great places to start are:

• Plants and flowers
• Glass
• Musical Instruments
• Patterns, Texture, or Colour
• Spaces in your home

While there are infinite amount of objects you can capture in unique ways, these are just a few.

Experiment with different objects, different types of light, and different compositions to create images that you might not have thought of before.

No. 2 - Mix Mediums

As we all know, the beauty of instant photography is that you recieve the physical print of the photo right away. This lends you the opportunity to create and explore using as many techniques as you'd like right away.

If you have an interest in DIY or arts and crafts - by lending materials from other your other hobbies to add to your instant photos, you can transform your instant photos to the next level and create incredible pieces of art.

While this list doesn't cover all of the different materials you can combine with instant photos, these are just a few examples of work from fantastic artists we’ve been following:

Paint

Embroidery

Markers

Metal Staples

No. 3 - Emulsion lifts

Emulsion lifts are a cool technique you can do at home to give your instant photos a new life by removing the emulsion layer from the photo and transferring it to a different surface, like paper.

Note - This does require you to deconstuct the photo and manipulate the fragile emulsion layer in a container of water. This process can't be undone, so it's recommended you start with a photo you're not attached to in case something happens.

Both Matt Day and Analog Things on YouTube have fantastic videos on how to create your own emulsion lifts that we recommend taking a look at before you begin.

It is important to know emulsion lifts are only possible with Polaroid film, as the composition of Instax photos are different and makes it incredibly difficult to separate the photo like you can with Polaroid.

The process does require a few steps and materials, but we recommend either of those videos to walk you though it.

Here are some great examples we’ve found:

No. 4 - Shoot a mosaic

Mosaics are a unique way to create larger pieces of work using instant film, but they can become pricey to make depending on how large of a mosaic you create.

There are multiple ways to create a mosaic using instant film:

1. Use an instant film printer (like the Polaroid Lab or the Instax SP-3)
2. Creating mosaics in camera

Creating mosaics with instant film printers nowadays are quite simple, as most of them have an app that includes presets for mosaics. However, if you’re looking for a challenge - creating a mosaic in-camera might be for you.

Requiring nothing but your camera, film, and a keen eye for alignment - you can create wonderful pieces that have a lot of character.

Here are some examples from excellent artists:

No. 5 - Deconstruction

Another photo manipulation technique is to deconstruct the instant photo by means of temperature, chemicals, blades or scissors.

The beautiful thing about deconstructing an instant photo, is that the results are often random and you release some of the creative control and let the manipulation technique take over. This creates another level of uniqueness(on top of the already one of a kind photo).

We encourage you to exercise caution when manipulating instant photographs using these techniques, however when done safely - it can produce amazing results.

Adding heat

Microwave

Cutting photos

Chemicals

Removing the frame

No. 6 - Learning new photographic techniques

While learning and experimenting with light like in No. 1 is great, we thought this one deserved its own bullet as there are many other ways to introduce creative constraints when photographing subjects.

We won’t be able to cover all of these means of adding interest to your photographs, consider:

1. Shooting with filters
2. Adding fog or smoke to create atmosphere
3. Shooting in low light
4. Removing distractions to create minimal photos
5. Using artificial light in creative ways(Lasers, flashlights, TV/Monitor displays, etc)
6. Using Flash/Strobes to add light
7. Shooting at night
8. Using long exposures to capture streaks of light

Here are a few great examples using a few of the above creatively:

No. 7 - Photo Books

While it’s not a technique you can introduce to your photography, photo books are one of the best sources of inspiration for all photographers no matter what skill level.

The best part is that there are photo books for almost everyone depending on what you’re looking for. You could study a particular photographer’s style, you could study the theory of light, composition, and colour, or maybe you just want to enjoy a collection of curated photographs.

Some of our favourite instant photography books are:
1. Polaroid SX-70 by William Eggleston
2. Instant Stories by Wim Wenders
3. The Polaroid Book by Barbara Hitchcock, Steve Crist

These can be found at most book retailers. Photo books can be quite personal as each person has their own style and interest, however these are some of our favourites.

No. 8 - Display your work

It's one thing to take instant photos, but it's another thing to put those on display for others to see. It could be as simple as hanging your photos on your wall, or having a photo professionally framed and mounted. The act of prepping your work for display is a great step to take to give you a new perspective on your work.

Here are just a few different ways you can display your work. While we're all stuck inside so some of these may be out of the question, we can prepare work now so that when the time comes - we're ready.

1. Stick your photos to your wall
2. Share or sell your prints to others to hang in their spaces
3. Scan and share your photos in an online portfolio or personal website
4. Apply to different galleries or publications to have your work on display
5. Rent out a space to share your work
6. Find a unique space and request to have your work shown (ex. coffee shops, libraries, lobbies, etc)
7. Use instant photos like personal business cards and share with others
8. Hide instant photos in public places with information to online portfolios

No. 9 - Organize your work

While talking about cleaning and organizing isn't always "sexy," it's something that we can all be better at and often put off for other more interesting things - which is exactly why it's our last tip.

Depending on how many photos you take wether digital or film, you need some way to store your photos. The best way to store your photos is with some kind of system to organize them in a way so you can find and reference them later on.

For instant photos, the preferred way to store them is often in shoeboxes or other cardboard photoboxes - but we don't all store them the same.

We can all fall guilty of coming home from taking instant photos and leaving them scattered around on tables, desks, or in a stack somewhere - me included. But depending on your level of "OCD," there's nothing more satisfying than going through your old instant photos and organizing them in a neat and tidy way.

Bonus Round: No. 10 - Look for other Polaroid Photographers to inspire you

One of the fantastic things about the internet and social media, is we now have access to thousands of images from photographers across the globe available to us to appreciate, reference, and inspire us.

A fantastic place to start is on our own curated instagram feed, where you can discover a wide range of instant photographers young and old, that shoot in all different styles.

What may be our favourite instant photographers may not be your favourite instant photographers, so here are a few other places to find inspiration:

1. In an Instant on YouTube
2. Analog Resurgence on YouTube
3. Matt Day on YouTube
4. Analog Things on YouTube
5. Polaroid Week on Flickr/Instagram
6. Polaroid Community on Instagram
7. Polazine on Instagram
8. Polaroiders on Instagram
9. Polaroid Festival
10. Analog Forever Magazine

Polagraphic is a community-driven publication with the goal of spreading knowledge and bringing us together around analog photography.

How can you be involved?

You can engage with us and share your work using the hashtag #polagraphic on IG & Twitter, or if you have more to say - you can submit your own articles to be published on our blog.

If you have an idea for an article or topic that you would like to see in our print edition, please Contact Us!

Polaroid week is a celebration dedicated to Polaroid and instant film that started in 2006, with the goal of sharing old photos that you may have stored away that have never been seen or posted online.

It started as a way to see what new and interesting things we could do with instant film; and to challenge ourselves to produce some really great work.

Originally based on Flickr, it now has expanded to other social media platforms using the #polaroidweek hashtag - however the main “event” is still based on Flickr.

How can I participate?

Polaroid Week runs from April 19-24 2020.

Based in a Flickr group, you can find out everything you need to know here: https://www.flickr.com/groups/roidweek2020

Rules are as follows: (copied from the Polaroid Week Flickr group)

1. Only photos you HAVE NOT posted on Flickr before are welcome. Give us something new. We delete all photos posted before the start date.
2. You get only (2) TWO photos a day. See Rule #1. (PS: In Flickr-world, a day = 24 hours. The Flickr clock resets itself at 8 pm EST)
3. It’s six days, Sun - Fri. We realize a week is actually seven days, but we chose Sun - Fri because it’s easier for us to manage as Administrators & Moderators.
4. Though we call it “Polaroid Week” ANY instant film is fine.
5. If you don’t have a scanner, you can take a digital photo of your polaroid, but crop out everything but the instant photo, please.
6. No Faux-laroids. This is a FILM ONLY group, good people.
7. Please participate, as much as your schedule allows, in looking at and commenting on other people’s postings, including adding your favorites to the discussion threads each day. The point is to look at as much instant-film work as possible for a week, and to keep our sense of community going, not just to show off!

If you’re not a Flickr member, you can still participate in all the fun on social media using the #polaroidweek hashtag! We’ll be looking at all photos submitted and picking a handful to share everyday on our feeds in honour of the celebration.

Other hashtags you can submit to are:
#polaroidweek2020
#roidweek

If this is the first time you’ve heard of Polaroid Week and are interested in seeing what has happened in past years, they’ve kept all of the groups around for your viewing pleasure!

Here are the links below for your inspiration:
www.flickr.com/groups/roidweek2019/
www.flickr.com/groups/roidweek2018/
www.flickr.com/groups/roidweek2017/
www.flickr.com/groups/roidweek2016/
www.flickr.com/groups/roidweek2015/
www.flickr.com/groups/roidweek2104part2  (Fall)
www.flickr.com/groups/roidweek2014  (Spring)
www.flickr.com/groups/polaroidweek2013
www.flickr.com/groups/polaroidweek2012
www.flickr.com/groups/polaroidweek2011
www.flickr.com/groups/polaroidweek2010
www.flickr.com/groups/polaroidweek2009
www.flickr.com/groups/polaroidweek2008
www.flickr.com/groups/polaroidweek2007
www.flickr.com/groups/roidweek06

We can’t wait to see what you have to share, stay safe out there!

Polagraphic is a community-driven publication with the goal of spreading knowledge and bringing us together around analog photography.

How can you be involved?

You can engage with us and share your work using the hashtag #polagraphic on IG & Twitter, or if you have more to say - you can submit your own articles to be published on our blog.

If you have an idea for an article or topic that you would like to see in our print edition, please Contact Us!

Send submissions to polagraphicbrand@gmail.com (read specs below)

Polagraphic is a bi-annual magazine driven by the community with the goal of spreading knowledge and bringing us together around analog photography. Featuring colour and B&W instant photography, submissions are curated and published in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

We want to see work created by the individuals who share our love for instant film. Submissions are open internationally, no submission fee required.

To enter, please submit 1–2 series of work, with a total of no more than 30 photographs, a brief description of each series is required. Individual photo submissions will also be considered. All instant film photos, manipulations, mixed mediums and mosaics are accepted (Polaroid, Instax, Peel-apart, 8x10, etc). The only requirement is that the original medium is a physical instant photograph.

Submission Guidelines:

Image Specifications:

1. Submit up to 30 images.
2. Images must be at least 1500px on the shortest side, and contain no reflections. (Flatbed scans are recommended)
3. Cropped polaroids, fake/photo-shopped frames or images with watermarks will not be accepted. (Writing on the frames will be accepted)

If your images are selected, you will be required to submit high-resolution scans of your work.

Text Specifications:

1. Submit an artist biography (100 word minimum). Please include where you are from, how you started with instant photography, your influences, where you studied(if applicable), what your career is, etc.
2. Submit a description of the works (100 word minimum). Please include what you are attempting to achieve with your analog work, what drives you to shoot instant photography, and a technical specs of each photo (Camera, film, shutter speed if applicable, etc).

Note: Do to the large amount of submissions we receive, you may not receive a response. We try our best to respond to everyone, but do not guarantee a response.

Email Specifications:

1. The subject line of your email should state: “Submission: Polagraphic Magazine”
2. Please attach your images to the email. (Google drive, dropbox links and .zip files are acceptable. Please name your folder/zip file: “Submission-Polagraphic Magazine-Your Name Here”)
3. Please put all information into the body of the email:

• Your name, as you would like it to appear.
• Location (City, State/Province, Country)
• Title of each of photograph submitted, as you would like it to appear.
• Website Address and Social Media Links if available.

Send your submission to polagraphicbrand@gmail.com

Article Submissions

Have an idea for an article or topic that you would like to see in Polagraphic Magazine?

Please submit a PDF of your text to polagraphicbrand@gmail.com
Subject line of your email should state: “Article Submission: Polagraphic Magazine”.

All authors retain copyright to their text. If selected, we'll work with you to have your piece posted and printed in the magazine.

Copyright Information:

By submitting photos, you must own copyright to these photographs or have permission from the copyright holder to submit these photographs. All submitting artists retain copyright to their images.

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Polagraphic is a community-driven publication with the goal of spreading knowledge and bringing us together around analog photography.

How can you be involved?

You can engage with us and share your work using the hashtag #polagraphic on IG & Twitter, or if you have more to say - you can submit your own articles to be published on our blog.

If you have an idea for an article or topic that you would like to see on our print edition, please Contact Us!

Note: This article will be live updated with information and sample photos as they come in. Updates are listed at the end of the article.

“Polaroid” (un-launched rebrand of Polaroid Originals) is rumoured to be releasing a set of new instant camera named the “Polaroid Now”on March 26th 2020 in a full range of colours.

Multiple users on Reddit and Imgur have reported the camera were available ahead of a release at their local Target(US).

While a few were able to purchase, some were denied at the till - told that they would be available on March 26th 2020.

The camera is described as an “Autofocus i-Type Instant Camera,” key word being “Autofocus.”

While no information can be found on Polaroid's website or other retailer’s, the URLs on the box also aren't active yet.

The following information is seen on the outside of the box:

• 35-40mm f/11 lens
• Autofocus
• 15-pack Battery Life*
• Double Exposure
• Self-timer
• Accurate Flash
• Uses both i-Type and 600 film.

*based on typical usage

Contents:

• Polaroid Now camera
• USB charging cable
• Neck strap
• Quick Start Guide

While at first glance this appears to be just another iteration of a Polaroid camera(albeit “cuter”), there are a few key things that stick out for us about this camera:

• New flash design
• Autofocus
• In-camera double exposure
• $99USD price point

Brad Stein was able to provide some closer images of the camera; which reveal that the camera uses the same battery system as the OneStep2/+ versions, also the lack of a tripod mount that has been replaced with a Edwin Land quote: "An essential aspect of creativity is not being afraid to fail."

We don’t have access to the camera yet, but reports say the new rounded flash design produces improved results compared to the OneStep2/Onestep+. We are still waiting to view sample photos, but will update accordingly.

The biggest new feature of the camera is the inclusion of autofocus. Most Polaroid cameras have fixed focus lenses, meaning that there are no adjustments available and they are designed to render most of a scene in focus.

With the Polaroid Now, there is speculation that the addition of the dotted section below the viewfinder may be connected to a new autofocus system. Other users suspect that the autofocus is a 2 zone focus system that would be an improvement upon the OneStep+, or possibly a 5 zone focus system like seen in the Impossible I-1. It can also be seen that the camera features a 35-40mm lens, which may also be in correlation to a true moving lens autofocus.

With a 35-40mm lens, this would be one of Polaroid’s widest lens cameras to date.
OneStep2/Onestep+: 106mm lens
SX-70: 116mm
Impulse Series: 116mm
Sun 600/660/etc:116mm
One600: 100mm

Another feature not seen on previous cameras is the double exposure mode.
With the OneStep+, double exposure can only be activated by using the bluetooth connection to the app - which controls the camera. On the Polaroid Now, there is no indication that it will offer bluetooth which leads you to believe it will be offered in-camera.

The Polaroid Now will be listed for $99.99 USD, which comes in at the same price as the OneStep2, and under the OneStep+ that sells for $139.99 USD.

The Polaroid Now Everything Box will be listed for $129.99 USD and will come in black.

In addition to the possible release of a new camera, it is rumoured that Polaroid Originals will be rebranding under the original name “Polaroid.”

Polaroid Rebrand

This update comes as no surprise, as many people have considered the “Polaroid Originals” name to be confusing. Originally designed to possibly distance the brand from all of the other rebranded Polaroid products that exist, most consumers refer to it as “Polaroid” anyway.

This can be seen on the new camera and film packaging.
Reports also say Amazon USA has begun selling Polaroid film with this new packaging as well.

While there appears to be no updates to the film itself, Polaroid film is routinely receives minor improvements in different production runs.

Polaroid Go

In addition to the Camera and branding updates, there appears to be another camera on the horizon named the "Polaroid Go"

Found on trademarkia.com; Polaroid has recently registered trademarks for "Polaroid Now" and "Polaroid Go." We don't have any further information on the "Polaroid Go," but it is worth mentioning.

As we receive new information, we will up the article accordingly!

UPDATE 03/16/20: (Anonymous) was able to provide us with some closer images of the camera seen above.

UPDATE 03/19/20: One user reported that there is also a Polaroid Now Advanced that will be released at the same time on March 26th 2020 for $129.99 USD in black.

UPDATE 03/24/20: We previously reported that users claimed there was a black "Advanced" version of the Polaroid Now - We have debunked this. The black Polaroid Now is a "Everything Box" that contains film with the camera. Photos are above. We also discovered that Polaroid will be releasing a set of coloured Polaroid Now cameras. Also, we found information about a "Polaroid Go" trademark that has been registered by Polaroid (via trademarkia.com)

Polagraphic is a community-driven publication with the goal of spreading knowledge and bringing us together around analog photography.

How can you be involved?

You can engage with us and share your work using the hashtag #polagraphic on IG & Twitter, or if you have more to say - you can submit your own articles to be published on our blog.

If you have an idea for an article or topic that you would like to see in our print edition, please Contact Us!

Every couple of weeks, we want to share some extra work from incredible photographers that we've come across in the instant community.

There is truly some amazing work out there across all different platforms that unless you hunt for it, you may not see it in your feed.

This week, we want to feature Polaroid photographers that we’ve found recently who’s work is definitely worth following.

Michael Behlen | @michaelbehlen

Nate Forest | @knatez_film

Sol | @solexposure

@ozo_came

Mark Francis Fenning | @markfrancisfenning

Jesse Wisdom | @analogwisdom

Tatiana | @patron.tatiana

Joep Gottemaker | @joeppolaroidphotography

SONATORE | @sonatore_

We can't show everything from these amazing feeds, but we definitely recommend you check out the rest of their work.

If you would like to be featured in an upcoming article, you can share your work using the hashtag #polagraphic on IG & Twitter.

Polagraphic is a community-driven publication with the goal of spreading knowledge and bringing us together around analog photography.

How can you be involved?

You can engage with us and share your work using the hashtag #polagraphic on IG & Twitter, or if you have more to say - you can submit your own articles to be published on our blog.

If you have an idea for an article or topic that you would like to see in our print edition, please Contact Us!

Seven years after The Impossible Project’s “Instant Lab” - The Polaroid Lab is released, and we’ve been putting it to the test to see if it’s a valuable tool to add to a photographer’s kit.

What is the Polaroid Lab?

The Polaroid Lab is a photo printer that turns digital images from your phone into instant prints.

Unlike other printers that connect to your phone via bluetooth, the Polaroid Lab uses a 3-lens system that captures a photo of your smartphone display. This is a unique way to get the photo from your device to the film, one that has advantages and disadvantages over other printers - with the main topics being the size of the device, quality of the prints, and speed of development.

History of the Polaroid Lab

Although the Polaroid Lab was released this year, it isn’t a new concept by any means.

In 2012, The Impossible Project (now Polaroid Originals) - had developed a device called the Instant Lab that was successfully funded on Kickstarter. When you compare the devices side by side, they are very similar. The Polaroid Lab brings a new design, and also addresses some of the concerns many had with the Instant lab.

We won't cover the Instant Lab in this review, but many of the concerns - battery life, reliability, build quality, and the design - that people had with the Instant Lab have been worked on and improved with the new Polaroid Lab.

Overview

Part of us is still torn on the idea of turning digital photos into instant photos, as if it were a sin to film photography. It blurs the lines of what is and what isn’t truly analog.

The act of turning a digital photo into an instant print is still very fun, and similar to the experience of using an instant camera, if you've used one before - but how you use the Polaroid Lab will be different for everybody.

For the purposes of this review, we’ll be taking a look at how the Polaroid Lab can fit into your photography workflow as a tool - rather than focusing on it as a device to turn your digital memories, analog.

We’ll be covering the following topics:

• Design of the Polaroid Lab
• Polaroid duplication quality
• Overall print quality
• Mosaic tests
• Lowest quality source image
• Augmented Reality feature
• Printing BW Images on Colour film
• Printing Double Exposures "in-lab"
• PO App/Overall Process

Polaroid Lab Design

The design of the Polaroid Lab is sleek, sharp, and modern. It's also quite unique as a display piece that is sure to spark conversation.

One thing about the new design is that it is still very large when closed - in comparison to the previous Instant Lab or other smartphone printers. While possible, the Polaroid Lab isn't an item you can easily travel with or pack in a backpack.

Another downside we noticed is that there is no way to attach the protective cover that prevents dust and scratches from attacking the Lab. The cover is made of a flexible rubber that simply rests on top of the Lab with gravity. There is no way to click or friction-fit the cover to the Lab, the only solution we found would be to use a rubber band or tape one side of the cover to the Lab like a hinge.

One of the few buttons on the Polaroid Lab is the large red button used to operate the Lab. It’s very reminiscent of the distinct red button often found on Polaroid cameras, used to capture the photo.

Turning on the lab is simple, with the press of the power button it automatically pops up and prepares itself to make a print. Closing the lab when finished requires a firm press downward on the lab - it feels similar to pushing down on a light stand with air support.

Polaroid Duplication Quality

The first test will be the duplication quality - how accurately can you create a duplicate Polaroid of one existing (most likely taken with Polaroid Camera).
This was one of the main reasons we purchased the Polaroid Lab, to see how well we could create multiples of Polaroids that we've shot to share with others but still own the original.

We tested this multiple ways, using different quality source images.

Test 1 - Polaroid app scan

In this first test, we used an image from the scanner in the Polaroid app to see what the quality would be like.

Scanning through the app is the fastest way to turn your instant prints into shareable images for social media, although it can be pretty tricky to get a sharp scan.

The first thing we noticed was the colour difference compared to the original.

The Polaroid Lab did an okay job however the sharpness isn’t there, the alignment of the photo is slightly different, and the colour is way off(mostly due to the iPhone scan). We encounter some of these same issues in the other tests later in this article.

If you are scanning with the Polaroid Originals app and your phone, it's good to keep in mind that the environment that you scan the Polaroid in will impact the scan (ex. if the lighting in your environment is warm, the scan will be warm). We can see this in the different scans below in other tests.

While the photo looks okay on it’s own - if you’re looking to create accurate duplicates of photos to share or sell, this process isn’t going to yield an acceptable result.

Test 2 - Flatbed scanner scan

To see if the quality of the source image makes a difference, we wanted to compare the iPhone scan to a flatbed scan. After all, the Polaroid Lab is capturing a photo of a 2in sq. section of your phone screen.. how high quality of an image could you need?

Right off the bat, the Flatbed scan is far better than the iPhone scan - both in colour accuracy, sharpness, and exposure. When compared to the original Polaroid, it's not perfect but it's the closest we could get.

Comparing the original scan to the duplicate, we can quickly see that the two are very different.

The duplicate has a slight cropping to it that occured while exposing the print, there is a noticeable vignette around all four edges, and the colour is far less vibrant. The colour change could be from printing on a different batch of film (Color i-Type 10/19), but the others weren't intentional and didn't appear in the preview before printing.

Overall Quality/Lowest Quality Source Image

After testing the duplication quality, we wanted to dissect the files and the quality of the source images we print from.

Sharpness

Here you can see that even when you use a high quality source image, the resulting print will be noticably softer. If you are trying to duplicate a Polaroid, you may be disappointed in the quality. However if you are printing from a digital image, the print may be acceptable.

Colour Shift

Of all the Polaroids we've printed using the Lab, they all have encountered some colour shifts that weren't intentional.

Some of this is the nature of the film chemistry and it's ability to reproduce colours, but there is a colour that is inherently produced by the Polaroid Lab/phone that isn't obvious in Polaroids from a camera.

If you look into the shadows of the prints that come from the Lab, you'll find a tint of green. One theory is that the cast is introduced from the display on the phone, which is emitting artificial light - made up of RGB - that is causing some of the cast. However this tint can be seen in the shadows of many of PO films.

Later on in the article, we test printing BW images on colour film where the shift in colours become extremely obvious.

We mentioned this above, but if you are scanning with the Polaroid Originals app and your phone, it's good to keep in mind that the environment that you scan the Polaroid in will impact the scan (ex. if the lighting in your environment is warm, the scan will be warm).

Inconsistent Exposure

On most of our Polaroid Lab prints, we noticed a consitent "hot spot" in the middle of the exposures.

We've drawn a square in the same spot on three frames from our tests to illustrate the issue. You'll notice on the photos above that there is a centre portion of the frame that is brighter(and often overexposed), and then near the edges it begins to get darker. On the BW and the double exposure, you can see added pink tones beginning on the sides of the frames as well.

Source Image

Here we’ll be comparing the iPhone scan to the flatbed scan:

After testing, it’s hard to say if you’d want to use an image of lesser quality than the flatbed scan for duplication. Main reasons being the colour accuracy, and sharpness. With a lower quality scan, you’re beginning to sacrifice a lot of sharpness and the tones of the images will begin to suffer.

Lowest quality image

As an extreme test of sharpness and duplication, let’s take a screenshot of an image found through google images - replicating a situation where someone could potentially steal an image of yours and print it out at home.

The image we printed from was screenshotted from a MacBook Pro at 144ppi, 956x956px, and 1.5MB.

Colour shift aside, the over all sharpness of the image was acceptable. If we compare it to the source image, the print is softer - but the print would hold up well if compared to another Polaroid image.

If you're concerned about others stealing your Polaroid images that you post online - even though you may post a low quality image, it would be possible to create an acceptable replica if you didn't have the original to compare it to.

While no different than digital prints, the only true attempt in "protecting" your work is by adding watermarks if you choose.

Results

Taking a look at the tests above, we can gather a few key take-aways:

1. The Polaroid Lab introduces a noticable vignette on most prints
2. The Lab/phone intoduces inconsistent exposure changes
3. The Lab introduces some alignment issues. On average, the centre of the photo is shifted to the left, as well as cropped slightly. At least 3mm off of all sides. (Ex. This is shown well in the GIF comparison above)
4. Most highlights are overexposed, regardles of soft or hard highlights.
5. The phone introduces a bit of a green cast, which could be a result of the artificial light coming from the smartphone
6. You can use a surprising low-quality image, and still recieve an acceptable result

The most important note on quality, is that you need to treat the surface of your phone like a lens in the process. The quality of the print will depend on the quality of your screen. You’ll want to ensure that your screen is clean, free of cracks or smudges.

Polaroid Originals recommends that you use your phone without a screen protector as it can effect the focus of the image. In addition, you’ll need to remove any cases that you have on your phone in order to place it properly on the Lab properly.

Mosaic Test

Next up, is the mosaic feature in the Polaroid Originals app. It allows you to create a wide range of mosaic arrangements, directly in the app without the need to divide the images yourself. The app allows you to split up a single image across a maximum of 9 instant frames. Keep in mind, this feature can be quite expensive as the frames add up - Polaroid film isn’t cheap.

For these tests, we’ll be looking at the following:

• Alignment from frame-to-frame
• Colour consistency across the mosaic
• Creating custom frame ratios

Test 1 - Two frame mosaic

Starting small, we tested splitting an image across two frames using the Polaroid Originals app.

We were pretty happy how the mosaic came out. Everything was aligned correctly between prints, colour was consistent between prints. It was shockingly easy to produce the mosaic - the process with the app was smooth and they give you a ton of built in arrangements for two frames up to 9 frames (however there was no built in arrangement for 8 frames - one full pack of film).

Test 2 - Four frame mosaic using a HQ flatbed Polaroid scan

Next, we wanted to see what it would look like to take a polaroid scan and enlarge it across multiple polaroids. Because we knew we were going to enlarge an image taken with a Polaroid Camera, we chose to scan the original at a high quality to ensure we hold on to as much detail as possible.

Obviously, there isn't a way around having the white borders/seams in the mosaics - but they should be considered part of the picture when creating mosaics with Polaroids.

After taking a closer look at the mosaic, you can tell that the app took advantage of the higher quality file and used the full quality across all four frames. While we only tested it across a 2x2 mosaic, you would be able to notice the difference with larger mosaics.

Test 3 - Custom mosaic ratios

If you’re looking for custom mosaic shapes and have a knowledge of photo editing software, you can divide the image yourself and use the app to print the images individually.

We didn’t want to create something too complex, so we’ll be using a combination of photoshop and the mosaic feature in the app to create a mosaic that is 4x2 frames in size. This will make a wider photo that uses one single pack of film.

Like the other mosaics, this was easy and quick to produce.

We produced this mosaic by printing out two, 2x2 mosaics - using the PO app to crop a 2:1 source image.

As we were cropping the image in the app we did notice that the app doesn't crop a perfect sqare image, and uses an image that is slightly taller than it is wide to expose the film. As a result in the 4x2 mosaic above, we did lose some information in a strip down the middle of the image so the alignment isn't perfect (this mosaic is abstract so it isn't as obvious).

Results

Taking a look at all three tests we're very happy with how the mosaic feature in the app works, and the results it produces. When you create a mosaic, you're essentially turning a digital image into a printed piece of art using Polaroids as the medium - which is pretty cool.

The alignment between frames is accurate, and knowing that the app does take advantage of higher quality images when creating mosaics helps when creating larger pieces.

It should come without saying, but do keep in mind that you will need to find a way to attach all of the prints together if you want to keep the mosic together as one piece.

Other Tests

After the Mosaics, we tested a few other aspects of the Polaroid Lab that many would encounter.

Newton's Rings - Will they appear?

Newton's Rings is a phenomenon in which an interference pattern is created by the reflection of light between two surfaces - in this case, the glossy surface of the Polaroid and an adjacent touching flat surface (the glass of the flatbed scanner).

Most of the faint Newton's Rings that appear in the original scan, disappear in the duplicate - due to the lack of sharpness and exposure inconsistencies while using the Polaroid Lab.

Augmented Reality Feature

One of the more "novelty" features of the Polaroid Lab is the AR feature.

AR(Augmented-Reality) is acheived by using technology(usually smartphones) to superimpose information — sounds, images and text — on the world we see.

The whole point of the AR feature is to reveal video moments as if they were on the Polaroid - "Harry Potter" Style.

For the Polaroid Lab, this is made possible by the barcode that is printed on the photo in the bottom right corner.

Using your phone and the AR Viewer in the Polaroid Originals app, you can bring Polaroid photos to life by simply having the Polaroid in the frame. (Try scanning the Polaroid above!)

The process to create a AR Polaroid is more complex that it needs to be(with hidden menus and multiple ways to access), but once figured out it is relatively easy.

Here is a short video from Polaroid Originals on the AR Feature:

Note - While we didn't have any film with special frames, the manual does state that the AR function only works with classic white frame film.

Printing BW photo on Colour Film

Taking a look at these, we can obviously see that there is some extra colour being introduced somewhere in the process. This could be from the digital display of the phone, the lens on the Polaroid Lab, or possibly the chemistry in the film.

As a result, there isn't a way to print pure BW images on colour film using the Polaroid Lab.

Printing a double-exposure photo "in-lab"

While producing a double exposure in photo editing software before you print it is possible, we wanted to test if it were possible to create double exposures "in-lab."

It's a simple process, but it can be tricky to achieve - with any mistakes resulting in wasted film.

1. Prepare your first print using the app like you would normally.
2. Place your smartphone onto the Polaroid Lab and wait for it to ready.
3. Click the red shutter button and keep your finger pressed on the shutter, listen for the click of the shutter. (If you let go, the Polaroid will eject from the Lab - we don't want this)
4. With your finger is still on the shutter button, use your other hand to flip the film door open.
5. After the film door is open, let go of the shutter and the film will not eject. Wait for 10 seconds, and the Lab will turn off.
6. After the lights on the front of the Lab turn off, close the film door and reset the unit by puching the neck back in and pressing the power button on again.
7. Prepare your next print, and use the Lab as normal.

After the print ejects and is fully developed, you'll see that you have captured two(or more) images in one!

This process is very similar to the film door trick used for double exposures on other Polaroid Cameras that don't have a double exposure feature built in.

Other prints using the Polaroid Lab

Polaroid Lab Process/App thoughts

After using the Polaroid Lab through all of the tests, the process to go from digital to analog can happen pretty quick with everything being intuitiveand seamless.

The app works well and we never experienced any serious issues with the app itself. However we did crash the app a few times when loading some large file sizes to print from. We were able to re-open the app and sucessfully print the photo, but it was a slight annoyance.

When you open the app, it gives you multiple options available in the app at the bottom of the screen. When you click the Polaroid Lab option, it will display a menu to choose how many frames you want to print on. From there, everything has annotations and instructions to assist you in making your print.

Here is a video of a quick walkthrough of the Polaroid Lab Process:

Summary

Overall, we’re pretty happy with the Polaroid Lab. It maintains an experience very similar to using a Polaroid camera, and it’s pretty fun to use.

At the end of the day, it’s not perfect - with the colour, exposure, and alignment inconsistencies being the main cons. It's hard to tell which are due to the lab, or the PO film. For some, that may be a huge deal breaker as after all it is a photo printer. For us, we haven’t found it to be enough that we wouldn’t recommend the Polaroid Lab.

Pros

• Quick, fun, and seamless process to go from digital to analog
• Acceptable results for most prints
• About as sharp as most Polaroid Cameras
• Lots of mosaic arrangements (however no 8 photo mosaics available in-app)

Cons

• Strong vignette on prints
• Inconsistent exposure
• Cropping error that happens when exposing the film
• Green cast introduced in shadows on some prints
• On the film itself - colour reproduction is poor compared to other printers, like Instax
• Can use up film very quickly without thinking about it, which can get expensive

If you do purchase one, you should keep some things to keep in mind:

• Upon arrival, it came with very little charge out of the box - only got one print.
• Sometimes the audio cues from the device/app don’t always sound, however the visual cues on the Lab itself are good enough.

If you would like to purchase the Polaroid Lab, it is available from Polaroid Originals Website and most Big-Box retailers or camera shops for $129 USD.

Is there anything we missed in the review that you would like to see? Let us know in the comments below!

Polagraphic is a community-driven publication with the goal of spreading knowledge and bringing us together around analog photography.

How can you be involved?

You can engage with us and share your work using the hashtag #polagraphic on IG & Twitter, or if you have more to say - you can submit your own articles to be published on our blog.

If you have an idea for an article or topic that you would like to see in our print edition, please Contact Us!

It’s that time of year - when you’re struggling to find a gift for the instant photographer in your life, or you're looking for excuses to purchase that one new thing that you "must" have.

To make things a little easier, we’ve compiled a list of things that we absolutely love, or things we've placed on our wish-list for this year.

Instant Film

There’s one thing an instant photographer can’t get enough of, instant film. As we near the holiday season some retailers might have sales that you can watch out for, however the best place to find instant film is directly from the source.

Instant Film from Polaroid Originals

Photo Albums

After you’ve shot all of the film, you need somewhere to store it - and these new albums from Polaroid Originals are perfect. They come in two different sizes, large(160 photos) and small(40 photos).

Photo Albums from Polaroid Originals

MiNT SX-70 Flash Bar

If that special someone(or yourself) owns an SX-70, the flash bar by MiNT is a must to improve the quality of images.

Most box box style cameras from Polaroid come with a built in flash, but when you look at the original SX-70 it lacks the ability to add extra light to low light situations.

In the past, you would be required to use disposable flash bars that only give you 10 uses. This flash bar replaces the need for vintage disposable flash bars, by using replaceable batteries, which will last for many packs of film.

Some people have even found that you can use the flash bar to trick your camera into shooting at a faster exposure, allowing you to shoot 600 film in an SX-70 camera.

MiNT Flash Bar from Polaroid Originals

Polaroid Originals OneStep+

If you’re looking to take advantage of the cheaper I-Type film or gain more control over your camera, the new OneStep+ by Polaroid Originals is worth looking into.

Styled like the original OneStep box camera, this newer model takes advantage of a Bluetooth connection with your smartphone to enable and extra level of control that you can’t get with the regular OneStep or OneStep 2.

OneStep+ from Polaroid Originals

Fujifilm Instax SQ6

If you're looking for a cheaper budget option, but still want to remain in the square Polaroid format - the Fujifilm Instax SQ6 might be the way to go.

It comes in a few different colours, and the camera and film is available at most retailers and some big box stores.

The instant photos this camera produces are noticeably smaller than a normal square Polaroid photo, however the film does come in at almost half the cost of what Polaroid Originals film retails.

While this is the cheaper option, this camera does lack some of the quality and features that the next item - the Lomo’Instant Square Glass Combo - does better.

Fujifilm Instax SQ6 from Amazon

Lomo’Instant Square Glass Combo

If you're looking to cut costs by going to an Instax camera, and you've decided on the square format - the Lomo’Instant Square Glass Combo is one of the best Instax kits out there.

The biggest feature, being the glass lens is a massive improvement over the SQ6 - other features like the ability to shoot both Instax square and Instax Mini, manual focus, built in portrait distance focusing, and other signature Lomography features make this camera superb.

For us that are farther north than others, where our winters get cold and Polaroid Originals no longer work correctly - this is a great reliable alternative during the winter months.

Lomo’Instant Square Glass Combo from Lomography

Polaroid Lab

Photographer or not, the Polaroid Lab is a fantastic item those interested in Polaroids.

The Polaroid Lab is a photo printer that turns digital images from your phone into instant prints using their device.

Wether you're replicating your own polaroids, or turning your digital photos analog - the Polaroid Lab is a lot of fun, which makes it a great buy for 2019.

Polaroid Lab from Polaroid Originals

Peak Design Leash Camera Strap

We recently upgraded all of our straps to the peak design system, and the only thing we wish is that we would have sooner.

Peak design has a range of straps as well as other products focused on design and travel. Our favourite strap for Polaroid cameras is the lighter Leash model.

Leash Camera Strap from Peak Design

Polaroid Pins

If you’re interested in Polaroid Swag, Official Exclusive has a ton of different enamel pins of a range of cameras and film stocks - They even have a few Polaroid pins.

Camera Pins from Official Exclusive

Although if you’re looking for something a bit more unique, these sellers on Etsy might have what you’re after:
Etsy Send Nudes Pin
Camping Pin

Polaroid T-Shirt

If you’re interested in clothing, Polaroid Originals has fantastic shirts in a few different styles. We can vouch that these are made high quality and very comfortable.

Polaroid Shirt from Polaroid Originals

Photo Books

Last on the list is a collection of Polaroid photo books that we’re really interested in.

The Polaroid Book from Amazon
Andy Warhol Polaroids from Amazon
Wim Wenders: Instant Stories from Amazon (Hard to find)

We hope this guide helps you find the perfect gift for someone interested in instant photography. If you have any other recommendations that we can add to the list, let us know!

Happy Holidays!

Polagraphic is a community-driven publication with the goal of spreading knowledge and bringing us together around analog photography.

How can you be involved?

You can engage with us and share your work using the hashtag #polagraphic on IG & Twitter, or if you have more to say - you can submit your own articles to be published on our blog.

If you have an idea for an article or topic that you would like to see in our print edition, please Contact Us!

Every couple of weeks, we want to share some extra work from incredible photographers that we've come across in the instant community.

There is truly some amazing work out there across all different platforms that unless you hunt for it, you may not see it in your feed.

This week, we want to feature polaroid photographers that we’ve found recently who’s work is definitely worth following.

Rachael Baez // @rachaelbpolaroids

Vincent Gabriel // @vincentxgabriel

Anojan // @anojon

Amanda Mason // @_amamason

Austen Leathers // @austenleathers

Lincera // @lincera

Sofia Rasmussen // @s_wolthers

Adam Dresden // @polaroid.only

谢予鑫 // @belial707

We can't show everything from these amazing feeds, but we definitely recommend you check out the rest of their work.

If you would like to be featured in an upcoming article, you can share your work using the hashtag #polagraphic on IG & Twitter.

Polagraphic is a community-driven publication with the goal of spreading knowledge and bringing us together around analog photography.

How can you be involved?

You can engage with us and share your work using the hashtag #polagraphic on IG & Twitter, or if you have more to say - you can submit your own articles to be published on our blog.

If you have an idea for an article or topic that you would like to see in our print edition, please Contact Us!

If you’re travelling with unprocessed film - Polaroid or not, beware of new airport scanners as you pass through security.

Airports around the United States are installing new CT/CAT scanners into the security screening process, that all carry on luggage will pass through.
If unprocessed film passes through the scanners, the film will be completely fogged with a single scan.

With the new scanners, it’s absolutely necessary to ask about having your film hand-checked in order to prevent it from being fogged as you go through security.

Currently, only 15 units are deployed in various airports across the US, but TSA plans to have more than 145 units operating at airports by the end of the fiscal year.

“The system applies sophisticated algorithms for the detection of explosives and creates a 3-D image that can be viewed and rotated on three axes for thorough visual image analysis by a TSA officer. - Checkpoint CT technology should result in fewer bag checks. In the future, passengers may also be able to leave laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags.” (TSA, July 30, 2018)

In a video by Mercury News that summarizes the changes, you can see some of the 3D visuals that the TSA now can achieve with the CT scanners - which look very cool.

While the new scanners can damage your film, the previous x-ray scanners still had the potential of fogging unprocessed film.

In an article from Kosmofoto.com, the TSA made a statement saying “Most x-ray machines used to screen carry-on bags should not damage undeveloped film under ASA\ISO 800. There are a limited number of screening checkpoints that use x-ray equipment that may damage undeveloped film.”

It has always been recommended that you ask security to hand-check film as you pass through security to avoid issues. This is very common and there should be no issues by doing so.

Traveling to #PhotoPlusExpo w/ #film? Watch out for these NEW machines at the airports. It’s a CAT Scan and will absolutely destroy any film in a second. The equivalent of putting your film through the old scanners about a thousand times. Lead bags won’t save you. The nice #TSA agents at #LAX had no problem with a handcheck and seemed to be informed that this is no joke.

A post shared by Freestyle Photo Supplies (@freestylephoto1) on Oct 18, 2019 at 8:43pm PDT

So the next time you plan on flying with film, it’s recommended that you have your film packed neatly in a container or in a clear plastic bag and request a hand inspection as you pass through security to avoid having your film ruined before you get to your destination.

- Taylor Sheppard

Polagraphic is a community-driven publication with the goal of spreading knowledge and bringing us together around analog photography.

How can you be involved?

You can engage with us and share your work using the hashtag #polagraphic on IG & Twitter, or if you have more to say - you can submit your own articles to be published on our blog.

If you have an idea for an article or topic that you would like to see in our print edition, please Contact Us!

On Oct 2nd, Polaroid Originals released a sad statement announcing the end of production for Spectra film after determining that the “wide format cameras are now coming to the end of their useful lives.”

According to Polaroid Originals’ CEO Oskar Smolokowski, “Jamming and frequent breakdowns are now affecting the majority of these cameras, and unfortunately, this is not something we can influence with our film.”

While this came as a surprise to most, in a Polaroid Originals CEO Q&A published in 2018 with Oskar & Pierre — Spectra’s fate was alluded to.

“Spectra film is part of that family, and we are trying to nurse it through some difficult times. Last summer we started to notice that the film wasn’t always ejecting correctly from some Spectra cameras. This was brought to our attention by feedback from the community. We asked our quality assurance team to start an extensive investigation into the film and the cameras. The initial results were troubling, as we could see no differences in the thickness of the film or the size of the film. It just made no sense. We tried to adjust the shape of the cartridge to allow more room for the film to be ejected, and tried multiple other things to make it easier on the ageing cameras,” writes Oskar & Pierre.

Since the announcement, Spectra users have contradicted the statement; saying that the film produced today is at fault and not the ageing cameras.

One theory that is causing the jamming could be the thickness of the new film. Reddit user thnikkamax posted photos comparing the thickness of Spectra film c.1996 vs today. The film from 1996 was 0.33mm, whereas the film produced by Polaroid Originals comes in at 0.53mm. However, others have done similar tests with other thicknesses of the film without issue (How To Load Instax Square into Polaroid Spectra Camera), so there is no conclusive answer.

Many in the community have taken to social media to express their disapproval of the announcement and praise in the format but despite the plea, Polaroid Originals has stated they plan to fully decommission the machines used for Spectra film with no intention of reviving the film in the future.

While there is no evidence that production of the other formats would cease as well, it does make you question the future of instant photography — we have seen announcements like this in the past.

If you own a Spectra camera that’s fully working, there’s still time to stock up. The last batch is available online at the Polaroid Originals website — but when it’s gone, it’s gone.

If you’d like to read the full statement from Polaroid Originals, see the blog here.

- Taylor Sheppard

Polagraphic is a community-driven publication with the goal of spreading knowledge and bringing us together around analog photography.

How can you be involved?

You can engage with us and share your work using the hashtag #polagraphic on IG & Twitter, or if you have more to say - you can submit your own articles to be published on our blog.

If you have an idea for an article or topic that you would like to see in our print edition, please Contact Us!

Years ago in 2016, Leica had released a limited edition camera designed in collaboration with artist and photographer — Rolf Sachs. Ever since then I’ve been in love with the black and red design, and the use of an unconventional material — like table tennis rubber on a camera. It serves both form and function, adding an aesthetic unlike any other and providing a highly functional easy-to-grip surface to hold.

Shortly after it was released, I knew I wanted to cover my own camera in table tennis rubber, and I knew the Polaroid SX-70 would be perfect.

One of the first polaroid cameras I had purchased was a Polaroid SX-70 Alpha 1 Model 2, and I had taken off the crumbling skin and re-covered it in black leather to create an all-black “Vader” SX-70. It has been one of the best Polaroid cameras I’ve shot with, being the most consistent and hassle-free.

Polaroid SX-70 Alpha 1 Model 2 specs:

Released on 8th June, 1977 — The Polaroid SX-70 Alpha 1 Model 2 features several upgrades from the original SX-70 model:

• Flash fill capability — the ability to use flash fill in daylight shadow conditions
• 4-element glass lens, 116 mm, f/8-f/22
• Manual distance setting
• Split screen range finder circle
• 10.4-inch (26 cm) minimum focusing distance
• Lighten / darken control setting possibility
• Neck strap connectors and tripod mount

Buying old Polaroid cameras

Buying used cameras can sometimes feel like a lottery. With the age of some of the cameras and the countless number of models, you never know which ones to go for. Once you’ve found one you’re interested in, it’s hard to know if it will work 100%.

Whenever possible, I always recommend testing out the camera before buying with a spare or empty cartridge. Some things to look for are:

• Does the camera eject the dark slide?
• How do the motors sound?
• Is there any mold or fungus in the viewfinder/lens element?
• Any cosmetic damage or holes in bellows (if SX-70)?

Sometimes you aren’t able to test out the camera beforehand, which you have to take a risk on purchasing. While I don’t recommend this, if you purchase a camera that hasn’t been tested and is listed as “as-is,” you can sometimes get a deal on the camera if it does work.

My recommended places to purchase cameras are:

• Local Classifieds (Kijiji, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist)
• Ebay
• Thrift Stores
• Garage Sales

Re-skinning the Polaroid SX-70

Before you start, you’ll need some tools:

• Paint Scraper
• Hairdryer
• Goo Gone
• Paper Towel
• Xacto Knife
• Sharpie — Thin
• Printable Cardstock

I’ll be recovering my camera in table tennis rubber, and it doesn’t come applied with adhesive so I had to pick up some adhesive sheets from Michaels also. I chose adhesive sheets vs a spray or liquid to avoid filling the different holes on the body, and if I ever had to remove the covering the layer of adhesive would be easier to remove than a spray or liquid adhesive. Adhesion may be sacrificed based on what you use, but the sheets are working okay for now.

Step 1 — Removing the leather

Using the hair dryer on the high setting, heat up the leather one section at a time. Next, using the paint scraper at a low angle scrape pieces away. If the leather is still in decent condition, you may be able to lift and pull it off in one piece.

Once you have one section removed, wet the paper towel with the Goo Gone and rub the remaining residue off the camera.

*Note — NEVER use acetone to remove the residue, as it will eat the plastic finish on the camera. “Goo Gone” works best for removing this adhesive for some reason.

As you remove the leather, you may find chalk marks on the body of the camera. These were written on the pieces during the manufacturing process.

Once you get to the back, things will have gotten quite messy. Depending on the blog you read, some will tell you to tape up all the seams and holes of the camera to avoid getting dust and grim inside the camera. I haven’t found it super necessary as long as you’re careful. After I started, I did tape up the back seam when I was removing the thick hard layer of yellowed glue on the back part.

Once you have all the leather off from both sides, give it one more once over with the Goo Gone and Rubbing Alcohol to clean up the last of the mess.

Step 2 — Tracing the pattern

Thanks to sdzn.ch of polaroid-passion.com for producing the fantastic pattern that I used to trace out on the rubber.

Once downloaded, print out the pattern on some cardstock at 100% and then use an Xacto knife to cut out the pattern.

Then, take the cut pieces and trace it onto the material you’ll be using.

With the table tennis rubber, I tried tracing it onto the back but it was too hard to cut out — so I flipped it over and traced it on the front pips.

Once all the pieces are traced, it’s time to cut them out with the Xacto knife.

Depending on what material you’re using it may be easier or hard to cut out, the table tennis rubber was quite hard to cut and you had to go quite slow to get a nice straight trim.

Test fitting one of the cut pieces

Sept 3 — Sticking the rubber to the camera

This is where you’ll need the adhesive sheets. I had purchased some at Michaels that were a bit smaller than I would have liked, so I had to use a couple sheets to fit all the pieces.

In hindsight, I should have stuck the adhesive sheets to the rubber before I cut the pieces out, but I was able to cut pretty close to the rubber so it turned out okay.

Once all the pieces are cut out, give the camera body a once-over with rubbing alcohol to remove any oils from your hands that may be on the camera.

Piece by piece, remove the backing on the adhesive sheet and carefully place the pieces on the camera. There’s no tips for this process, take it slow and make sure to line up the edges.

And that’s it! You’ll have a fresh new skin on your Polaroid SX-70 of whatever material you used.

Overall, I’m happy with how the table tennis rubber looks and feels. It took a long time to locate some long pips-out rubber online at a low cost (since I’m only covering a camera with it), but it’s been well worth the wait.

I can’t wait to get out with this camera.

Happy shooting!

Polagraphic is a community-driven publication with the goal of spreading knowledge and bringing us together around analog photography.

How can you be involved?

You can engage with us and share your work using the hashtag #polagraphic on IG & Twitter, or if you have more to say - you can submit your own articles to be published on our blog.

If you have an idea for an article or topic that you would like to see in our print edition, please Contact Us!

On August 1st, Polaroid Originals put out a call for those interested in beta testing some of their new film chemistry.

About once per year, Polaroid Originals will put out a call to an exclusive group of members offering a pre-release batch of film at a discounted price to beta test, and request your feedback on the film.

Betafilm is part of their development process, where they receive feedback on new formulas before they fine-tune the final chemistry, and release a new batch of instant film.

Typically offered only to their most loyal customers, If you would like to join their beta program and receive exclusive access to Beta film at a specially discounted trial price - follow the link below.
https://us.polaroidoriginals.com/collections/beta-film

Polagraphic is a community-driven publication with the goal of spreading knowledge and bringing us together around analog photography.

How can you be involved?

You can engage with us and share your work using the hashtag #polagraphic on IG & Twitter, or if you have more to say - you can submit your own articles to be published on our blog.

If you have an idea for an article or topic that you would like to see in our print edition, please Contact Us!