I first saw a Polaroid camera in the summer of 1983, when my father’s friend, who had emigrated to Austria in the late 1970s, returned to visit my parents in Czechoslovakia. He had with him a Polaroid camera, and he used it to snap a photograph of my mother. That very iconic square photograph appeared from the front of the camera and developed immediately in our hands. Years later, in 2014, I found that very same photograph of my mother, wearing a miniskirt and stepping elegantly from a car.

I had found that photograph at a time when I craved something creative to improve my work/life balance. At that time, I worked for a multinational financial group and found myself becoming burned out. After so many years, I suddenly remembered that astounding feeling of holding a fast-developing photographic print in my hand and I thought that instant photography could be what brings joy back into my life again.

After hours on the internet, my idea of getting my balance back in this creative manner lay in ruins. At first, I was suspicious that all Polaroid cameras were only available in second-hand stores. I eventually chased up the devastating information that the Polaroid Corporation had bankrupted many years before I discovered my mom's photograph in a family photo box. However, during my search, I came across references to The Impossible Project. It was somewhat confusing. And so, for the next few weeks, I plunged myself into the information depths of the internet even more intensively. For someone who grew up in Communist Czechoslovakia, and apart from one mediated experience with plastic Polaroids, I had no idea what an instant photographer meant. It was a fascinating dive.

I actually started from the end when I first discovered The Impossible Project (TIP), and with it the amazing fact that an integral instant film is still being made. At that time, of course, I didn't know that there were other kinds of instant film (but more about this later). Immediately the next day I borrowed a plastic Polaroid 600 Extreme from a small shop with a gallery inside, called Polagraph, and bought two boxes of film. It was mid-November. I did not know anything about the specific characteristics of instant film and even less about the unpredictability of the new TIP chemical formula. I used both packs of film on one frosty morning. I took pictures of people waiting for the bus and hoarfrost on the fence, trees, puddles. None of the sixteen photos came out. Despite this experience, when returning the loaned camera, I bought a $400 refurbished SX-70 Autofocus, a few dozen more boxes of film, and plunged myself again on the internet to "complete my education". But before I got to the practical information and manuals, Edwin Land's story completely devoured me. I decided to go through the fascinating story of instant photography from the beginning with cameras before I actually started shooting. And so, this is how my collection, which was originally not meant to be in the word’s true sense, was created.

Since it is very difficult to find historic Polaroid cameras in Europe, internet auctions have basically become my second home. The very beginning was the hardest because the first Polaroid cameras were designed for a roll film that was only produced until 1979. I finally managed to get one roll, Type 47, that expired in 1965, which was the truly first black and white film back then, because the original one had a sepia tint. The film was, of course, completely dry, but it was just an incredible experience to set it into the Polaroid J66 camera that was made between 1961-1963. No photos came out, yet I have enhanced this initial experience by opening the original edition of the New York Times newspaper from February 22, 1947.

Page 15 has a one column heading: "ONE-STEP CAMERA IS DEMONSTRATED" with subheads that include: "Process That Makes Finished Picture in Minute Is Work of Polaroid Company Head”, and more with a related two-column photo and small diagram of the new camera. I had found it at Timothy Hughes Rare Newspapers. 

Another camera on my journey through Polaroid history was the Polaroid Pathfinder 110B, manufactured from the early 1950s until 1964. It was a professional-market Polaroid camera, and unlike other Polaroid cameras, the Pathfinders were fully manual. Why did I not start my Polaroid journey with this camera, when this model was older than the J66? Thanks to the Pathfinder, I learned about the existence of packfilm, as at the time, I came across Matt Widmann from the 2nd Shot SX70 Service, based in New York. He was the one converting these roll film cameras into packfilm cameras. My time travel took place mainly in the USA, where I was buying not only cameras but also expired packfilm. I was seduced by their charms like probably any other Polaroid artist. I bought a lot of them at auctions and took pictures just for the enjoyment of the photo shooting process itself.

For the record, I had never taken a picture before, nor even digitally, and in fact, I totally skipped perfecting myself in photo shooting as such. I enjoyed the manipulation of the devices, the handling of the film, the sound of mechanical components, the smell of materials, and the chemistry of the films. While searching for resources not limiting myself to functional devices, I  also found manuals, books on Polaroid and Edwin Land (I think my bookcase covers almost everything that has been published since the 1960s), information, printed material of that period, and movies. I discovered Michael Raso's Film Photography Project, where I bought the Polaroid Big Shot portrait camera. One of the oddest Polaroid cameras and also one of the cheapest. It was produced from 1971 and you could get it for not even 20 dollars. You cannot do much with this awkward thing. No depth of field, proportions - not to mention compositions. You can just frame the face and upper torso and ask the subject to co-operate with the facial expression. Even still, I had a lot of fun with it. Andy Warhol would confirm, if he could really, as he'd bought dozens of these cameras after he learned in 1973 its  production would be discontinued. Maybe it is just an urban legend, who knows.

But, in addition to the cameras themselves, I wanted to try out as many techniques and accessories as possible that Polaroid users were able to experience in the last five decades. As an example, I soon bought the Polaroid Packfilm Copier model 240 from 1958. Equipped with a close-up lens, this beauty allowed the camera, which was inserted in the front, to take a negative of a Polaroid photo inserted in the back. The copy was then developed as usual within the camera. Also, the Vivitar Instant Slide Printer, which prints directly from a 35mm mounted slide onto a sheet of pack film. The Vivitar was produced from the beginning of the '80s and it was the lowest priced slide printer on the market at that time. It just feels so exciting to be still able to print my old family slides using a purely optical system.

I already knew about integral film thanks to the SX-70 and TIP, and little by little I managed to buy all types of SX-70 and SLR680/690 cameras, including the rarity of this series - the Model 3 - which is a SX-70, but still not, technically. In fact, it's a plain optical viewfinder camera in an SLR's body where you focus by estimating the distance and setting the focus dial. The Model 3 was produced between 1975-1978, and it was the only SX-70 that wasn't an SLR. It was also the least expensive SX-70. Polaroid probably wanted to make it affordable for people who could not pay the original retail price of $180, offering the Model 3 for less than $100. However, I think it was a marketing mistake, because it simply denies the genius of the original invention.

The Spectra system that was introduced by Polaroid in 1986 is a different story for me. These cameras are thought to take higher-quality pictures than a conventional 600 Polaroid camera, due to the camera's higher build quality and a proportionally larger print area. I don’t know why, but I had avoided this format for quite a long time. Perhaps it was because I was used to understanding the world around me through an “iconic frame”, which, at the same time, meant both a limit and an advantage to me. I didn't want to come back to the rectangular format. However; eventually, I had to try the Spectra. Over time, Polaroid has introduced many variants of the Spectra and I tried many of them, but for me, the best is Spectra 1200 with an LCD that I keep taking photos with even today, and some of the pictures taken by this camera I consider my best.

Regarding Spectra, I would like to mention one more item from my collection that occupies quite a lot of space on the shelf. It is the MACRO 5 SLR designed primarily for medical and forensic work. This camera looks like something that would keep you moving under the water rather than a photo camera. It looks sturdy yet very difficult to hold. Focusing can really wrap your head around. But if you are into macro photography and portraits you may enjoy this clumsy little giant a lot. Viewed with today's eyes, one of the sales arguments of Polaroid at that time will possibly conjure up a smile on your face: “Good macro photography with a digital still camera is difficult to achieve, results are not always sharp.”  Macro SLR cameras were the only non-folding models of Spectra-film camera manufactured and were officially discontinued at the end of 2006. The US list price was a staggering sum of $975.00.

But back to the square format. In addition to the high-end cameras of the SX-70 / SLR680/690 series, a vast landscape of various unfolding and plastic-bodied 600 series cameras opened in front of me on my journey through the history of instant photography. As time went by, I added all the basic types, but not their various variations, into my collection. That suggests I am actually not a collector in the true sense. I also tried devices from other manufacturers, such as Berkey Photo, which produced cameras under the Keystone brand. In the 1940s, this company imprudently refused to invest in Polaroid, so in 1973 it improved its appetite by introducing its instant packfilm camera. Unlike the Colorpack, produced by Polaroid, it had an integrated electronic flash. At that time Polaroid did not take any legal action against the company. The future belonged to the integral film, and Keystone used a packfilm that only Polaroid was producing. Later, Berkey launched another camera for the integral Polaroid film, Funshooter 2000, towards which Polaroid was not so generous. After a short trial, the camera was withdrawn from the market. Anyway, I really like this odd wannabe of the Polaroid Pronto.

And when it comes to another manufacturer of instant cameras - during my Polaroid pilgrimage, I, of course, couldn't miss the titanic Kodak vs. Polaroid battle. That's why I also bought several functional Kodak devices. However, it was no longer possible to get films for these cameras, as they stopped being produced in 1986 when a federal judge ordered the company to dissolve all production of its instant film and cameras. The company disappeared from the instant photography map forever. Yet, my desire to try these cameras brought me to the Fuji company, which, in the course of time, gave my travels yet another direction.

In fact, instant photography, represented by Polaroid and Kodak, was a different story in Japan by the '70s. The Japanese were not enchanted by the magic of the Polaroid picture, and I personally think that the reason lies in Japanese visual culture which, unlike the Western culture, does not distinguish between art and “non-art”. They just missed Dada and Pop Art; I believe. The Japan answer to all these issues was Fujifilm's line of instant photographic products introduced in 1981, branded as Fotorama, which is a blend of photo and panorama. This system greatly resembled the one from Kodak. That is why it was possible to use Kodak films in the first generation of Fuji cameras, despite the slight difference in terms of sensitivity, and vice versa. The cameras were basically a copy of Kodak’s device, however, for me, even these copied design cameras had a unique Japanese touch that gave a more sophisticated feeling than Kodak models. Thanks to this compatibility, I was able to take pictures with my old Kodak cameras. It is quite hard to get Fuji expired films as they were mostly available only in the Japanese market, but unlike Kodak, it's still possible if you know someone in Japan. In my case, it's the store owner of SakuraDo Camera (@sakuradocamera), who had always let me know when such a film appeared in an auction and bought it for me.

I have to admit that though the Polaroid format is much closer to me and I haven’t shot much on Fuji's integral material, I am very fond of a wide range of Fotorama cameras and their designs, and I’ve collected many of them. Namely, the Fotoroma FP-1 Professional, which is amongst my most favorite. It is light, because of its plastic body, and can be held very comfortably thanks to a left-hand grip with a vertical hand strap. Additionally, there is that little thing I especially love, the move and sound of the shutter which has to be cocked on top of the lens after each exposure. 

Speaking of other producers that have been inspired by Polaroid, I have to mention another big darling from my collection, the NPC 195. This camera is real escapism and delight. NPC was a photo product manufacturer based in Newton, Massachusetts, USA. Best known as a manufacturer of Polaroid backs for a variety of medium-format camera bodies which ceased its operations in 2000. Before they closed their doors, they made their tribute to the Polaroid Model 195. 

As I’ve already mentioned, I only bought cameras to get a tangible experience on the history of Polaroid. It was only later that I realized that I had made a collection of it. Nevertheless, I still have one purely collector’s dream – to get an Instant Camera Moment, which was launched in 1952 by the Soviet company GOMZ. Yes, not even this technology went unnoticed by the world power of the Soviet Union. It was a very successful copy of the Polaroid Model 95. But for the Soviet citizens, this camera was basically unavailable because of its astronomical price. By 1954, 9000 of these cameras were produced. In addition, it was hard to find film, whose quality was appalling. In 1969, another attempt took place in Ukraine which was a part of the Soviet Union, where KMZ began producing a cheaper plastic model, called the Foton. It used the same pack film format of the Monument film, but the back part was quite different from Polaroid’s. It must also be pointed out that it was more compact and comfortable. Although until 1976 there were at least three more improved versions of this camera, it eventually vanished without a trace. The company itself was renamed Lomo in the mid-1960s. But that’s a completely different story that certainly sounds familiar to most of you.

Lastly, I would like to share with you one thought. The Polaroid camera was not just a novel device back then. It smashed the barriers of creative photography for the average picture taker, including myself. Yet, it was quite big and not that easy to operate the camera, and the film had many limitations. You had to be very careful and constantly aware of many circumstances and possible problems, like loading film wrong, several tab pulling troubles, failures to coat, tab slot light leak, and that’s without even talking about focusing, exposure, etc.

Why am I talking about it? Edwin Land introduced instant roll film and the Model 95 Land camera in 1948, after decades of research. Ten years later instant photography still faced some difficulties, but people did not seem to be bothered, according to the sales numbers.

We should not forget about this when we sometimes complain about the quality or unavailability of the film. Polaroid Originals, now known once again as simply Polaroid, is capable of delivering an instant film, even though it only had a fraction of the time to develop when compared to its predecessor, and it still produces a modern instant film with a new chemical formula, using machines that are 40 years old. A few years ago, I visited the factory in Enschede. All those people who are involved in the production of this film, whether we want to perceive them as The Impossible Project, Polaroid Originals, or today's Polaroid, have my respect.

THE COLLECTION

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I bought my first Polaroid camera in 2014 and quickly became enthralled by the technical side of instant photography. The ability to experiment provided me with the freedom to create and photograph my own installations. Recently, I have turned to portraiture which had always been the genre of most interest to me. After shooting a number of random portraits, I decided to move forward creatively to combine a more conceptual, artistic approach with the technical aspects of instant photography.

I am not focusing on creative techniques with the photographic print that can be manipulated in many ways, or used in a mixed media artwork, but rather interested in the technical capabilities of the Polaroid camera and instant photography. The camera and film is, for me, just a medium for capturing what I design in front of the lens. All the creative work and effects must be done before I press the shutter.

You can find his work on his Instagram or Flickr!

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