The return of the polaroid

Posted by admin on Nov 3, 2009 in Arts & Culture | 0 comments

Stop your violins! Polaroid film is making a comeback. In February 2008, the company shocked the world by announcing that they were ceasing production of all instant film in 2008/2009 to focus on their digital products. Enthusiasts lamented the end of palpable photography and as Adam Smith predicted, demand for the product rose dramatically.

The brand has come under new management since then and the new guys have determined that there is enough of a niche group interested in the analog instant cameras to keep production alive.
“I love the instant gratification of Polaroid film and that I never know how it’s going to turn out ,” says Haley Retka, a recent Trinity Western University business alumni and avid Polaroid user.

Crucial to the camera’s comeback was The Impossible Project. It consists of a group of fans, entrepreneurs and former Polaroid employees in the Netherlands, who have worked tirelessly for the past 12 months trying to convince Polaroid of the importance of photography beyond the digital realm. Despite the retrograde nature of their mission, they have made impressive progress. The company’s website said they will produce limited edition products under the Polaroid brand next year, as well as launch their own film line.

When Polaroid announced their discontinuation the price of film skyrocketed from $20 per pack to $40 and up. What is it about the grainy, ’70s style film that made the art world go so berserk at the prospect of its disappearance?

“You don’t get a second, third, or hundredth chance to make the photo turn out just right, so you have to know what you want and try your best to achieve that the first time. Also, the pressure involved makes the moments captured more vivid memories,” says Retka.

Details have yet to be released on how many cameras are being developed and how the design will change, but manufacturing is set to begin sometime this year and distribution is scheduled for 2010.
In a hard-to-believe coincidence, news of the camera’s return came only a few days after the last batch of film’s expiration date on Oct.9—I smell a marketing ploy.