Abandoned Land
On February 21, 1947 Edwin Land demonstrated his Polaroid Land Camera which produced almost instant photos. Now, just shy of the 60 year mark, Polaroid has announced the end of the technology and is closing the last factories that were still producing the products.
When Polaroid users pulled a picture out of their cameras, an image would slowly appear before their eyes. Now, like the process in reverse, the image of the Polaroid instant camera — dimming for years — has finally gone black.
Polaroid, based in Waltham, Mass., is shutting down factories in the United States and abroad as the company abandons the technology that made the instant photo possible, the Boston Globe reported yesterday. The company will cease production of its film by next year.
The artsy, instantly gratifying Polaroid images, reeking of processing chemicals, have finally been done in by endless Flickr Web pages full of digital images, flawlessly produced by cameras that do not require film, emulsion or anything bigger than a shirt pocket to carry them around.
Polaroid introduced its instant camera in 1948, perfect timing to catch the mad tricycle rides of the first baby boomers, zipping around the new American suburbia. With its finely machined stainless steel body and black bellows, the Polaroid Land Camera looked anything but modern. Its instant film came in roll.
Polaroid moved to cartridge film in 1963 with its 100-series camera, which became a staple of professional photographers. They used the rugged Polaroid to take test photos, instantly checking lighting and composition before committing an image to negative.
Here's the Wikipedia entry on the Polaroid Land camera. Somewhere around here I have an old model 800 camera and another one from the 1980s - I think it is a Time Zero. I havent looked at either of them in years now. Not many people have, hence the end of production.
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And Still I Persist » Blog Archive » Death of the Polaroid camera — Saturday, 9 February , 2008 @ 9:17 am
By feeblemind, Saturday, 9 February , 2008 @ 8:41 am
The end of the Polaroid is yet another mile marker in life reminding me I am getting old. It goes the way of the typewriter, the dial telephone, b&w TV, the slide rule…. and on and on.
By Uncle Pinky, Saturday, 9 February , 2008 @ 8:42 pm
What will Wegman’s wiemerauners whilemolely want withal?
He used a big Polaroid for his Man Ray work. Amazing, the difference between the home and studio models. I’m sorry to see it go.