Exploring the unlikely intersections of walking, photography and making
To Use the Camera Shutter Button or the App Shutter Button, That is the Question? Ay, there’s the rub. Trying to hold the Polaroid Now+ in one hand and an iPhone with the Polaroid app in the other hand, all while composing a photo through the view finder with one eye and positioning a finger... Continue Reading →
NOTE: You will find the YouTube video version of Using Contrast Filters with Polaroid SX-70 Black and White Film at the end of this post. Polaroid Black and White integral film for SX-70 cameras has become a favourite of mine. I love the deep blacks and crisp whites of this contrasty film yet it still... Continue Reading →
It was late autumn 2020 when I made a set of colour SX-70 Polaroids on the wooded banks of nearby Omand’s Creek in Winnipeg. At the time, the trees were still dressed in majestic fall colour. A few weeks later, I returned to the same location to film my deck of Polaroids being dealt to... Continue Reading →
My two year—and counting—foray into the wild world of Polaroid SX-70 photography has taken me in various directions. Recently, I have been working with Polaroid Black and White 600 film and this has led to my current project at Camp Morton Provincial Park in Manitoba. Established as a Fresh Air Camp in 1921, the site... Continue Reading →
Note: There is a video version of Using the Zone System with Polaroid SX-70 Film, Part 1 at the bottom of this post. It would be nice to adjust exposures in ½ EV increments with my MiNT SLR670-S camera. Unfortunately, the camera can only make full shutter speed adjustments, one EV at a time; there... Continue Reading →
Note: There is a video version of Using the Zone System with Polaroid SX-70 Film, Part 1 at the bottom of this post. In Part 1, I explained the theory behind the Zone System, how I thought it might benefit today’s serious SX-70 photographer and I painstakingly outlined my process for taking the photos required... Continue Reading →
Note: There is a video version of Using the Zone System with Polaroid SX-70 Film, Part 1 at the bottom of this post. SX-70 film is a remarkable feat of engineering. To think that the entire photographic process—taking a photo, developing the negative, printing the negative, developing the print, framing the print—is all done in... Continue Reading →
The MiNT SLR670-S (right) and the original Polaroid Alpha 1 (left) One of the frustrations of working with the Polaroid SX-70 camera is its fully automatic exposure system. As a well-seasoned photographer, I am accustomed to being in full control of setting aperture f-stops and shutter speeds to determine the correct exposure for my pictures.... Continue Reading →
On a summer walk with Gail, 2020 It is hard to believe that one year ago today, in early March 2020, Gail and I were readying for a trip to France. We were to leave on March 30, arrive in Paris, make our way to the small city of Langres and continue our walk along... Continue Reading →
One of several limitations of the current crop of SX-70 films is their sensitivity to temperature. Taking a picture below 13°C could result in a dark, muddy image with a blue/green cast and lacking contrast. Technically, the developer “goo” that spreads across the image as it is ejected from the camera is, more likely than... Continue Reading →