instantphotography

Why I Built a Camera to Bring Back 20×24-Inch Instant Photography

During the long pandemic quarantine, I bought a laser cutter the size of a small Volkswagen to cut ventilator prototype parts, Brooklyn Film Camera Polaroid scan trays, and a number of other photographic equipment parts. I bought the largest cutter that I could fit in my shop, because I had been dreaming of the 20×24 Polaroid and Afghan box cameras since I was about 16 years old.

How to Make a Digital Polaroid Camera for Cheap Thermal Instant Photos

In this article, I'm going to tell you the story of my latest camera creation: a digital Polaroid camera that combines a receipt printer with a Raspberry Pi. To build it I took an old Polaroid Minute Maker camera, stripped out its guts, and replaced the innards with a digital camera, an E Ink display, a receipt printer, and an SNES controller to operate the camera.

Behind the Scenes: Shooting 8×10 Polaroids of Strangers

Film photographer and YouTuber Willem Verbeeck recently set out on a fun project that will appeal to portrait photographers, film lovers, Polaroid fans, and large format shooters alike. He teamed up with a camera store to shoot 8x10 polaroid portraits of strangers in Brooklyn.

The Story of Edwin Land, and the Rise and Fall of Polaroid

Photographer Todd Dominey recently inherited a piece of photo history from his parents: an original Polaroid SX-70. This camera sent Dominey down the rabbit hole of instant photography history, as he discovered the story behind this world-shaking camera, and the man who invented it, Edwin Land.

The NONS SL42 is an Interchangeable Lens Camera that Shoots Instax Film

A Hong Kong-based company called "NONS" has created a M42-mount ILC that can be used to shoot Fujifilm Instax Mini film. They're calling it the world's first M42 mount SLR instant camera, and it allows shooters to pair easy-to-find Fuji Instax film with much-beloved (and often very cheap) classic M42 lenses.

How Polaroid Pioneered the Instant Photography Revolution

Photography has never been faster to made and share than in our modern "insta" era, but over half a century ago, it was American scientist Edwin Land and his company Polaroid that helped the industry take a giant step forward in speed and ease. PBS NewsHour just aired this 5-minute segment that looks at Polaroid's history and influence.

How Kodak Ruined Christmas: Creepy Ads, Lawsuits, and Dead Film Formats

In an entertaining holiday-themed video that's part educational and part "bah humbug," YouTuber Azriel Knight explains how Kodak managed to ruin Christmas for two decades of photographers. It's a fascinating story of schmaltzy ads, dead film formats, and a huge patent lawsuit that cost them almost $1 billion.

This Classic Polaroid SX 70 Ad is a Blast from Photography’s Past

If you're a fan of instant photography, Polaroid, or you just like the history of photography, you'll love this Polaroid SX-70 Land Camera ad that resurfaced online over the weekend. The 11-minute ad gives an in-depth look at every aspect of this iconic, folding instant film camera that is still beloved today.

Polaroid Originals Announces the End of Spectra Instant Film

Polaroid Originals—the artist formerly known as The Impossible Project—made a sad announcement on its blog yesterday. After determining that the wide-format Polaroid Spectra cameras out in the wild "are now coming to the end of their useful lives," the company has decided to discontinue production of Spectra instant film.

The Polaroid Lab Transfers Your Digital Photos Onto Analog Instant Film

Polaroid Originals has released its latest product, and it's an instant printer... with a twist. Rather than just printing digital files, this so-called "miniature table top darkroom" actually turns digital files into analog prints by projecting your phone screen onto a piece of instant film.

I Built an Instax Drone for Aerial Instant Photos

Over the last 5 years, drones have consumed every part of my life. From using aerial systems to carry cameras as a service provider with Drone Dudes, to selling drones with Dronefly, or designing and making drones in China with Yuneec, I’ve been involved in all aspects of the drone industry.

openSX70: Teaching the Old Polaroid SX-70 New Tricks

Polaroid began to market the SX-70 camera in Florida in late 1972, about 46 years ago. The camera was a technology and design icon from day one, the brainchild of Dr. Edwin Land.

An Instax Camera with a Leica M Lens

Good photos have become commonplace. Smartphones have demystified camera technicalities in the past decade, and its pervasive adoption has democratized photography for mass consumers. Since the first known photograph was made in 1820, camera functions evolved significantly to compensate for human error.

Fuji Instax Dominates Holiday Sales on Amazon Yet Again

Instant photography is alive and well, and if you need proof, look no further than Amazon's top selling items in Camera & Photo. For the second year in a row, Fujifilm's Instax products dominated the category over the Holiday shopping season.

Intimate Objects – The LOMO’Instant Automat

With the proliferation of digital photography in today’s modern market, perfection has become the new normal. Photography is an art practiced through initial capture, modern shooters using their camera to anchor a moment in time with as many potential options as possible be it color, tone, exposure or even as technology marches on, focus and perspective.