Getting Back To The Old Method, Polaroid

In this digital era, taking pictures is very easy. You can easily take it not only with your phones, but also with other unusual things like tablets, watches, and even glasses. Some may say that it’s creepy, knowing that some people may disturb your privacy by using the semi-paparazzi method, sneaking to some places and taking your pictures without realizing it. Then I wonder, what happened to the original function of those tiny cameras?

Polaroid photo

We may say that cameras are originally used as the easiest way to capture or record our memories. But in some aspects in this life, like fashion, cameras are one of the most important element in the industry. Photographers, people who have important job to recreate their classy imagination into reality, take a big responsibility to introduce those classy images to the fashion enthusiasts. Not to name the famous ones like Nick Knight, Patrick Demarchelier, Steven Klein and also the famous photographer couple Inez Van Lamswerde and Vinoodh Matadin, they all have their own bold character while capturing fashion images. Back in the 90’s, photographers like Inez and Vinoodh used a little bit different method from now. They used polaroid to take the picture of the models and icons (you can check their Instagram, it’s full of Polaroid-esque photos).

"The fact that everything is shot digitally now has freed up a lot of possibilities. Before we were shooting digitally, you were relying on Polaroids to see whether it was going okay, whether the light was correct. Now you see it right away on the screen, and you can react really fast. This speed of reaction now infuses the day, which is really exciting. I am personally not nostalgic about the loss of film. I feel the benefits of digital shooting are so great and the fact that there is an immediate result is so rewarding. Photography has, especially now with things like Tumblr and Instagram, become so democratic and I love that about it. When Vinoodh and I started out, it was much harder to get your work seen. On the other hand, the idea of the underground has completely gone away. Everyone is right away mainstream. I sometimes feel that younger photographers get thrown into working without really having the chance to discover who they are as an artist," explains Inez on her interview with TIME.



Polaroid was the thing, because it has its own way to process the image like the colors of it. It’s really simple because you can directly see the photo after taking it. It has its own ‘art’ if you want to produce a really good image. And recently, I’m into polaroid again. I realized how good the character that polaroid cameras have, the character that today’s kids don’t understand. Maybe we can find new products of polaroid cameras, but to be fair, 80’s and 90’s people have the true feeling of using it. Now grab your phone and process those image with certain apps and upload it to Instagram, or you can grab a polaroid camera, capture your moments,  be narcissistic and you can feel how it can give you a unique feel of the old times.

Tip: If you want to feel polaroid on your smartphone, there’s an universal app called Lo-Mob (for iOS and Windows Phone). It’s not free, but it’s worth it.