Yay!
And I’ll say it again, Yay!
According to the UK’s Independent, Florian Kaps, the guy behind Polanoid.net, has stepped up to the plate to save the beloved film format. After Polaroid announced in June 2008 that they would cease production of the instant film, it seemed that it was doomed to the history books as another victim of the digital camera revolution.
Say it ain’t so, Joe!
Now, I don’t shoot film much, hardly at all actually, but like all true photographers, I have a deep respect and appreciation for it. And if you’re going to shoot film, you might as well make it worth it by shooting medium or large format.
And if you’re going to shoot large format, you’d be crazy to not shoot Polaroid. I don’t know how guys like Edward S. Curtis and others managed to carry around glass slides all over the un-conquered earth, but I don’t envy them. Even in a studio, Polaroid film for a large format camera would be essential for me to want to do it that way. And if Polaroid is gone? Well, then, I have a hard time seeing myself shooting large format film any time soon.
But thankfully, Kaps has stepped up to the plate to take over production through the Impossible Project, supported by my favorite film company, Ilford.
They basically bought the entire Polaroid factory in the Netherlands, and have started researching more cost effective ways to produce the film that has remained essentially unchanged for over 40 years. It’s not an easy task, so they are asking support to reach their goals.
Their website has a sign up form where you can volunteer whatever resources you might be interested in giving.
It’s totally worth it to help out, because Polaroid film, which I guess should be called by its technical name “Integral Film” now that Polaroid is out of the picture, is totally awesome.
Also check out these resources:
http://www.polapremium.com