The above was taken sometime in 1980/81, when I was just a wee baby. (Such a cutie. What happened? ;)) At some point, my dad cut it to fit a square picture frame, and it’s sitting in his room.

Taken today. “How do you spell relief?” Today, I spell it “T-E-A”. Let’s just say it’s a certain time of the month. :(

Day three submissions for ‘Roid Week 2008

Part of this was originally posted on Flickr for the Save Polaroid group. My story has been modified slightly for this blog (and to reflect the present day).

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The very first picture of me was a Polaroid, shot with the same Onestep i’ve been using for the last year, when I was six hours old in my mum’s arms. Prophetic, perhaps?

The first two to three years of my life were captured with that Onestep as well–sleeping, bathing, me with my mum or dad, summer pictures, winter pictures…all that loveliness.

The camera wouldn’t get use again for another quarter-century. In that interim, virtually any photo of me my parents took was taken with a 35mm SLR; and while I do have an affinity for 35mm as well, instant photography continues to fascinate me. Image transfers, emulsion lifts, SX-70 manipulations…all made possible by Polaroid film and, ultimately, Dr. Edwin Land.

For a while I’ve been fearing that i came into the world of instant photography too late. A year before I started getting into it seriously, SX-70 and Time Zero film, which my Onestep (and the other varieties of SX-70 cameras) took, went bye-bye. But then the SX-70 blend film was commissioned by polanoid and unsaleable, not to mention 600 and 779 film were still around, so there was a light at the end of the viewfinder. ;) Then in February came the body blow: ALL Polaroid’s instant film was to say goodbye.

I’m a very stubborn woman sometimes. I don’t want to say goodbye to instant film forever. Did traditional painting die when photography or Photoshop and Painter were invented? Have 35mm, 120, 220, and (to a point) 110 photography died thanks to digital? NO. So why should those of us who shoot instant film have to give that up because of digital? I don’t want to give up using my Onestep or Spectra.

Before there was digital, there was Polaroid. Let’s keep instant film alive.

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Fujifilm has said they don’t intend to pick up 600 or Spectra film; instead, they’re going to focus on what instant film they already make: their peel-apart pack films (FP-100B, FP-100C, FP-3000B, et al) and their Instax line (film for their Instax 100 and 200 cameras; and the Instax Mini film, which works in Polaroid Mio cameras; this is sold outside North America).

On the other hand, Ilford has been in talks with Polaroid for some time. Chances are, if things work out, they may pick up the B&W peel-apart films; but perhaps, just perhaps, there may be a resurrection of B&W 600 film in the cards, too?