My Year in Film 24/366

Ripley Castle
Camera: Polaroid Supercolour 600 circa 1981
Film: Expired Impossible 600 Instant Film Colour (Silver Frame Edition)

Pretty pleased with this one. Taken on a dull, cold day with out-of-date film (not a good combination!)

From my Polaroid experience so far I've found the following, they either; don't turn out at all (totally blank...sometimes all white, sometimes all blue), they turn out but have large brown patches (which to me looks like the chemicals weren't evened out - seems to be mainly on the expired film though), they come out quite well but are blue wishy-washy (like this one) or they come out quite well but are red tinted (some of those to come at some point I have no doubt!). Occasionally, very occasionally, when all the planets are aligned correctly, the temperature is just right, the light is just right, and you manage to whip the picture away straight away and let it develop in darkness etc etc. you sometimes get a shot where you think, "That was almost worth the £2 I spent on this one picture." It's happened to me about twice and there was much rejoicing.

What I find more frustrating than anything is that Polaroid must have the technology to create the film (back how it was when it was far more reliable and cheaper) but will no longer make it and that Impossible are having to try and recreate that same technology which already exists. And there is a growing market for instant photography again... just look how popular Instax has become.

Why do I bother then? Because there is something special about Polaroid and I'm no Hipster, I remember it the first time round. Plus, I don't like to be beaten. I'm determined to have one film's worth that I'm happy with then the whole bloody lot can go back on eBay... that's if I haven't hoiked it into the canal first ;)