Friday, January 23, 2009

R.I.P. Polaroid. Barroooo!!!

RIP On my way to work I heard on NPR that Polaroid has discontinued most if not all of their film/analog productions. I mentioned this to a co-worker and they were in the know about this... maybe I'm behind or something.. but the news was shocking. I know there have been cut backs but didn't realize that Polaroid is actually extinct (other than their digital line). If you would like more info on the products that Polaroid has discontinued, you can find it here: Polaroid. An article about Polaroid leaving us is here at CNN.


What is happening to our art and to us? Have we lost our way and become overcome in a digital world? Are we going to digress by relying heavily on technology and less on basic human communication? I wonder if we will lose our ability to relate and be in the physical presence. Don't get me wrong.. I love my tech gear just as anyone else does, but we need to remember our roots. In the past 5 years I have watched many old styles of art become something of a memory or dying art. I'm so sad to see our world change in the ways it is.

Now with any photography it is extremely hard to find the film and almost double to triple the price. Eeeee-Gads!! You have to be a millionaire to even afford being creative. I would hate to see all the techniques of our past get lost in our world of cyber growth.
so sad.

I have to take a minute and reflect on my young days with my many Polaroid cameras. In my late teens I started to collect Polaroid cameras from the 1960's and on. I even had a cool one that had a crank on the side and produced small black and white pictures out of the top. Many, many of my teenage angst filled journals are full of manipulated Polaroids. They were carefully pasted on the pages next to stories about old lovers, my angry rage, happy moments, and tears. Barrroooooo.... (sniffling and wiping tears).

I actually had this camera below. It was a cold clamp Polaroid camera and it was the coolest!


No comments:

Post a Comment