Instant cameras live up to their name - they are instant. By that, I mean they create a positive image print, immediately after capturing a scene. Digital use printers, analogue needs hand printing and/or scanning. Instant cameras don’t need the same hassle.
Polaroid, a company famous for sunglasses, ushered in this technology over 70 years ago. There are plenty of other companies that played around with the technology; some of them profitted, others not so much. Here is our instant guide to instant photography.
(Cover photo by Appie Spratt)
What is Instant Photography?
In 1948, scientist Edwin Land released the first instant film after 5 years of research. The film was a negative and a positive sheet sandwiching chemicals for development. These allowed the silver halide grains to transfer, creating the image. This liquid spread during the pull-out action of the Polaroid film, and took a few minutes to work. The first version was sepia toned, black and white 2 years later.
Early on, the films came on rolls. They were later adapted into packs of either 8 or 10 sheets for specific cameras. There are single sheet models for large format cameras using an instant camera back. Some medium format cameras, such as the Hasselblad 500c/m had an option for polaroid camera backs. With these, the photographer could switch between film and polaroid.
There was a brief period where Polaroid appointed Lady Gaga as the Creative Director. She was new face of the company from 2010 to 2014
Every photography field could benefit from instant film, instant cameras or instant photography. At their peak, they were mainly used throughout fashion and portrait photography. The reason being its speedy results showing flaws in composition, color and light. Now, the self-developing film have hundreds of applications; one of them being experimentation.
Polaroid back on Fuji GX680III
Benefits and Drawbacks of Instant Film Photography
Instant film has very clear benefits. The main one being that you get a physical image after only a few minutes of capture. It’s an analog film that doesn’t need developing and printing. The tangible image fits into so many different applications. It's a way to ensure you recorded a scene, used as personal postcard, or a way to check makeup when lacking a mirror (old Instax advert). In my experience, they were great ways to test light for analogue film cameras. This way, photographers were confident and didn't need to bracket shots.
These iconic squares were a great reference before digital devices. Before mobile phones, these allowed the user to capture colors and scenes to use as in look-books. Or for collages and similar references. The cameras and processes are exciting, and takes away the perfectionist side of photography. Polaroids get printed, so you have something to show others instead of them sitting in the cloud, collecting digital dust.
The biggest benefit for me are the possible experimentations that Polaroid images offer. First of all, you can create Polaroid lifts. Lifting the image from the backing lets the user collect the image on a physical object, like mug or glass plate. The images can be souped (placed in destructive chemicals), frozen, buried or even played with while developing.
Polaroid Soup - experimentation by shootitwithfilm.com
The drawbacks of Polaroid are also obvious, the main one being the lack of a negative. That shot is the only shot there will be, and no true replication exists (unless you use a digital Polaroid camera). Depending on the instant camera, the lens is most likely fixed, and gives you a soft focus. There is a definite non-removable and non-fixable look to Polaroid images (hazy, colour cast, faded).
The film is comparatively expensive, costing upwards of $1 per shot. It doesn’t sound that expensive when you imagine that 5,000 chemical reactions are taking place within the darkroom of the film pack. Not all of the older, much cooler cameras have modern equivalent film – I have a Polaroid Land Camera 450 which is now a decorative (photo) paper weight.
Like all other film photography cameras, you can’t check the scene before it captures. The more modern cameras have features and even LCD screens that help expose correctly. Also, handing the responsibility of developing to an uninitiated user could mean bubbles on the Polaroid due to shaking. You shouldn't do that with modern instant film.
The square ratio influenced the founding and design of Instagram in 2010.
Like all other film photography cameras, you can’t check the scene before it captures. The more modern cameras have features and even LCD screens that help expose correctly. Also, handing the responsibility of developing to an uninitiated user could mean bubbles on the Polaroid due to shaking. You shouldn't do that with modern instant film.
Jennifer Trausch, Lady Gaga, and John Reuter infront of a 20x24 Polaroid prototype camera
Instant History and Devices
Polaroid (and Impossible Project)
The company originally manufactured polarizing lenses for sunglasses. Instead, they became famous for something else entirely. 1948 saw the films creation, with black and white film. After several changes, color film was made available in 1968. The first camera was the Land Model 95, named after its inventor; Edwin Land. He ran the company until 1981, after creating other cameras such as the SX-70 and OneStep. Polaroid Corporation filed for bankruptcy in 2001 due to competition with a new technology - digital photography.
This is where it gets tricky. In 2002, OEP Imaging bought the brand and assets. The name changed to Polaroid Holding Company (New Polaroid), and Primary PDC inc. became the new name for old Polaroid. Unfortunately, new Polaroid fell into the same bankruptcy hole as old Polaroid, and ceased production. In 2008, the Impossible Project bought the last remaining Dutch factory to keep the process alive.
Washington Square Park, shot on modern Polaroid 600 film by TFSyndicate
Between 2009 and 2012 was an interesting time for new inventions and marketing ideas. The Polaroid Two came in 2009 with a 5MP digital camera, allowing the photographer to select images for printing. A year later, Lady Gaga became the artistic director for 4 years to help create new products. One was the Polaroid Pogo – a Bluetooth instant film printer for mobile phones. If you can’t beat them, then you need to join them.
In 2017, the Impossible Project’s largest shareholder acquired the Polaroid corporation. They had been making waves (and film) in the Instant photography world for the last 9 years. The company returned as Polaroid Originals, and 2 years later released newly branded cameras, films and other items. In 2020, the brand came full circle by rebranding themselves respectfully and simply; Polaroid.
Developmental stages of Polaroid film Piercetheorganist
Kodak
When Land released the first camera, companies such as Minolta and Konica started to develop compatible films. Kodak started with the Kodamatic and EK series in the mid 70’s. The film and cameras were like the iconic SX-70 from Polaroid. One difference was how to expose the film. As the light came from the back, the diffusion flowed to the front rather than vice versa, improving on Polaroid’s design.
Although slightly different, Polaroid filed a patent lawsuit. It was the best chance to stop Kodak from continuing down the instant photography route. The lawsuit took ten years for the coursts to side with Polaroid. In 1986, they paid damages of almost $1B, halting any further development or involvement from Kodak - allowing Fujifilm to flourish.
EK100 by Oxfordian Kissuth
Fujifilm
Kodak was the original competitor of Polaroid, yet now, you’re more likely to see Fujifilm instant cameras and film than any other company. Instax is the moniker that Fujifilm sells its instant photography under, which started in 1998 with the Instax Mini (46 x 62 mm) and Mini 10. A wider film (99 x 26 mm) and camera were released a year later, but it wasn’t until 2017 that they released a square film (62 x 62 mm).
Getting started, Fujifilm looked at Polaroid’s SX-70 camera, and Kodak’s instant film from the 70’s and 80’s to improve the process of instant photography. Color balance and tonal range where the main areas, but also exposing the film from behind, instead of from the front with a mirror. The biggest change was to incorporate batteries and springs into the camera, reducing the cost of the films.
‘Shake it like a Polaroid picture’ – Outcast (You shouldn’t do this ever)
Fujifilm continued to make instant films and cameras even though Kodak ceased in 1986. The catch stopped them from supplying the US until the original patents expired. Luckily for Fujifilm, Polaroid ceased production in 2008. This allowed 2 years of growth as they were the only integral instant film system. In 2015, 5 million Instax cameras were sold.
Instax Mini Evo
Lomography
Lomography are the experimental company who based their production on an ‘out-of-print’ soviet camera by ЛОМО – the LC-A. They have created some interesting cameras that use the Instax instant photography film. The Lomo’Instant range has been going since 2014 (not counting the Instant Diana back in 2009). A Kickstarter campaign brought the company over $1M, making it possible.
Gongkan and Instant Automat have 27 mm and 21 mm wide angle lenses respectively, using Instax mini. Square instant film comes from the Lomo'Instant Square, a camera with a 95 mm focal length. For those looking for an Instant/Polaroid back, the LomoGraflok 4×5 uses wide film on any large format film camera that accepts the Graflox system
Lomo'Instant Square Glass Black
MiNT
First founded as an online store in 2009, now develops and manufactures cameras and instant photography items. They partnered with the Impossible Project, and released their first camera in 2015 – the InstantFlex TL70. This model uses Fuji Instax mini film, where as their rangefinder model use the Instax square or wide film.
Instantkon RF70 instant camera