Polaroid Week - Spring 2022: Our Top 20 Favorites!
Polaroid Week is a bi-annual celebration of instant film that is held on Flickr, Instagram, and Facebook that allows lovers of the medium to get together and share their newly created instant works. This year’s Fall Polaroid Week started on Sunday, April 24th, and lasted until Friday, April 29th, and we saw thousands of images being shared across the web. We watched the action unfold and have chosen 20 of our absolute favorites! These are just our picks and there are still thousands of amazing instant photographs to go see on Flickr, Instagram, and Facebook. So go check it out!
A Short description from Roid Week’s Group Pool on Flickr:
“We started POLAROID WEEK in 2006 to celebrate instant film. We also started it as a project – to see what new and interesting things we could do with instant film, and to challenge ourselves to produce some really great work.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Michael Behlen is an instant film addict and the founder and publisher of Analog Forever Magazine. For the last 6 years, Behlen has become an obsessive community organizer in the film photography world, including launching the independent publishing projects PRYME Magazine and PRYME Editions, two enterprises dedicated to the art of instant film. Through these endeavors, he has featured and published 200+ artists from around the globe via his print and online publications.
He has self-published two Polaroid photobooks -“Searching for Stillness, Vol. 1” and “I Was a Pioneer,” literally a boxed set of his instant film work. His latest book, Searching for Stillness Vol II was published in 2020 by Static Age. He has been published, been interviewed, and been reviewed in a quantity of magazines and online publications, from F-Stop and Blur Magazine to the Analog Talk Podcast. He loves the magic sensuality of instant film: its saturated, surreal colors; the unpredictability of the medium; it’s addictive qualities as you watch it develop. He spends his time shooting instant film and backpacking in the California wilderness, usually a combination of the two.
Connect with Michael Behlen on his Website and on Instagram!
RELATED ARTICLES
Chad Coombs’ "Portraits" series is an audacious foray into the unsettling terrain where identity, faith, and societal norms collide in his manipulated Polaroid collage series.
Yoav Friedländer’s "A Form of View" series offers a unique look at the intersection of American and Israeli cultures. Born in Israel but heavily influenced by American media, Friedländer uses photography to create simulated realities, exploring how the medium influences our understanding of the world and blurs the line between reality and fiction.
From raucous punk mosh pits to passionate street protests, Coulon's photography lays bare the raw, kinetic energy of cultural defiance. His images are more than snapshots; they are a powerful documentation of the resilience and spirited opposition within communities fighting for justice in New Orleans.
In an exclusive and inaugural discussion with Gary Ho of Mint Camera, we uncover the passion and ingenuity fueling their latest creation, the Rollei 35AF.
Analog Forever Magazine Edition 9 includes interviews with Mark Sink, David Ondrik, Niall O’Brien, and Norma Córdova, accompanied by portfolio features of Amanda Tinker, David Sokosh, Eduardo Almeida, Kriss Munsya, Matthew Santomarco, and Zara Carpenter.
These images are the AF Team's curation of the most stand-out must-see images produced in 2023. From career photographers to amateur hobbyists, these scenes and portraits made a huge impact this year!
Enter the realm of Lenny Gerard, a visionary artist who juxtaposes day and night shots of architectural marvels in an arresting critique of capitalism. Gerard's work, as captivating as it is contemplative, challenges the viewer to consider the implications of a system that values work over life, and productivity over creativity.
Analog Forever Magazine Edition 8 includes interviews with Mohd Azlan Mam, Rebecca Pavlenko, Nadezda Nikolova, and Dana Stirling, accompanied by portfolio features of Michael Anker, Kristin Anderson, Michael Ash Smith, Fred Johnsson, Francis Baker, and Ginger Fierstein.
Joseph R. Webb's series "Greater Philadelphia" shows a multifaceted portrait of Philadelphia's neighborhoods, skillfully presenting a juxtaposition of the grim realities of poverty and the undeniable spirit of community. His photographs resonate with the essence of North Philadelphia, not shying away from the unsettling scenes of hardship and decay but also celebrating the vibrancy of community togetherness. This delicate balance highlights the coexistence of extreme wealth and poverty, thereby challenging our perceptions and stereotypes about these neighborhoods.
Analog Forever Magazine Edition 10 includes interviews with Silke Seybold, Anne Berry, Chris Round, and Everett Kennedy Brown, accompanied by portfolio features of Nastya Gornaya, Harley Cowan, Bridget Conn, Ramona Zordini, David Emitt Adams, and Jessica Somers.