I recently received an e-mail from Karin, who asked me if I had any tips about shooting with my Polaroid 660. I am so glad that she contacted me – I have planning on posting about this for a while now!
Disclaimer: I am by no means an expert – I am a complete newbie to polaroid. But I have a learned a few things that I keep in mind when I am behind my polaroid that I’ll share with you.
I’ll start off by saying that polaroid 600 film is not cheap. My cost was roughly $20 for 10 shots. And yes, that works out to be $2 a shot. As you can imagine, I certainly don’t take any shots lightly. With my DSLR, I take as many shots as I like, but with my polaroid 660, every shot is golden. There is no second chance.
That being said, I feel that there is no other feeling in the world that compares to the pressing of the shutter, the whirling and spinning of the camera, and the instant gratification of having a picture in my hand seconds later. And finally, the minute or two you wait while the film develops, and you are eager to see what you captured! Honestly, there is no other feeling like it.
Photography is truly about light. Even with my DSLR, I love natural light, I rarely use the flash. Same goes for my polaroid, I don’t use the flash, which means that I shoot only in broad daylight – the more light, the better. I even slide the exposure to slightly over expose the image, just to be sure.
Framing is also key. You must frame your subject perfectly, cropping is not an option. Take your time and really focus on getting the shot you want.
I love the grainy look and feel of my polaroids, how the image is slightly out of focus, but just perfectly so. The character and charm is unbeatable, in my opinion! I do not post process any of my polaroids. Other than cropping, what you see here are original shots, no digital alterations.
Don’t get me wrong, I have had my share of blurry, out of focus, polaroids – but I see the beauty in each one, despite all of the imperfections. Because really, isn’t it our imperfections that make us beautiful?
You can see my polaroids here and I have posted some on flickr as well. Also, be sure to check out my polaroids from my trip to Italy.
I’ll leave you with one of my favorite polaroids. It was taken at sunset on the Rialto Bridge, over the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy. I had to wait about 5 minutes for the other gondolas to exit the frame, but it was definitely worth the wait. I love the grain in this image and the way the sun is shining on the buildings in the background. The original is proudly displayed on my inspiration wall, and the instant I look at it, I am transported back to that very same day!
Here are some helpful links for anyone interested in shooting with polaroids and film:
- Jenifer’s Nectar & Light, the sweet life through a polaroid
- Amanda has a great post, So you want to buy a polaroid camera, on her blog, Mocking Bird, with tips on actually buying a polaroid camera. I bought my polaroid from e-bay.
- Tina has a beautiful collection of polaroids for more inspiration.
- The Polaroid group on flickr
- Also be sure to check out the Impossible Project
Any one have any other tips for shooting with a polaroid?
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