Lantern in the Window

Where have I been? On vacation. Turns out a much longer vacation than planned. Yes, I went to the little island off the coast of Maine in August (where I took this photograph and many others). When I got home prepared to scan pockets full of Polaroids, the little computer just refused to get back to work. Breathed its last.

Then, I got married (yes, married!). That was a little bit of a diversion, as you might imagine. Then Christmas in all its glory. Finally, with all that behind me, I made the long awaited call to the Apple hotline, and a new iMac (brand spankin' new!) arrived. With a monitor so big I can actually SEE my photographs.

It is now up and running, and so am I. My little experiment in living off-line turned into involuntary exile. There were things about it that I liked very much, thank you. But, in the end, I feel best when making photographs and writing about them. (yay!)

Lantern in the Window

Polaroid Chocolate Film Expired

Polaroid 250 Camera

Socket Set

Summer is for exploring. The beat-up Honda has kicked up dust in our local blueberry fields, baked in the sun at mini-golf, and waited patiently at the curb while we ate big bowls of noodles. Even though it's near 90 degrees most days, I'm hauling along a bag full of cameras. Trying to keep the little boy and the film cool is challenging, but Vietnamese iced coffee helps.

When I pulled out my old, leather Polaroid SX-70, there was an audible flutter among the noodle eaters. You can't be shy and shoot vintage Polaroids. (Luckily, I'm not.) And the golden glow of this DIY chandelier was worth a shot.

Impossible Project PX680 Cool Instant Film

Polaroid SX-70 Camera

Urban Outfitters Print Shop!

Today Urban Outfitters chose one of my Polaroid prints for inclusion in their Print Shop, a partnership with Society6. I couldn't be happier. What I like about this image is, well..., it's sexy. Buttery soft cotton sheets, still warm, with the early morning sun casting deep shadows in the folds. Makes you want to crawl back in. (Who knew an unmade bed could be a potential revenue stream!)

Impossible Project PX100 Silver Shade Instant Film

Polaroid SX-70 Camera

Shadow Play

With the first sign of spring (a good eight weeks early), I called my old friend who is keeper of the gardens at a beautiful historic site along the Hudson River. In my enthusiasm for the season, I packed the Polaroid cameras (too many of them) into a tote bag and headed off to visit the plants in the greenhouse and take my friend to lunch.

I jumped the gun. His greenhouse was warm, yes. And it was full of diffuse light, yes. But, it was not full of plants. More like seeds. Germinating. Germination is a wonder. But, it is not colorful. Little peat pots of dirt everywhere. Peat pots. Dirt.

Not to fear. I shall visit again. And next time hope something other than the shadow play on the heat grate catches my eye.

Winter, At Last

Is it January yet? Don't get me wrong. I do love all the glitz of December, but thank god it's almost over. There's just a little champagne to sip on New Year's Eve, and then a solid month of cold and quiet.  January does have its charms. (February, not so much).

Though I can't spend it pulled up to the cook stove in this little house on the cove, I will be there in spirit.

Hot mug of strong coffee in hand. Thoughts of the year's projects chugging away in the space between my ears. Peering out the window at the snow and thinking this might be the year for snow shoes.

A blank slate of a month. Brilliant.

Sweet Relief

It's getting a little too sweet around here. Here's something to wipe the taste of sugar out of your mouth.

(Because in this season of excess, there's more sweetness coming, of course.)

Peace

Today is the first day on the Advent calendar, and around here we have gleefully begun the countdown to Christmas (never mind that we're Buddhist). Someone smarter than me observed that Christmas is a holiday by women and for women. (Of course, we're talking about the secular holiday as celebrated in these whacked 50 states.) Truer words have never been spoken.

The wisdom I take away from this observation? Take it easy.

Don't invite 40 people to brunch (oh, but we had fun - didn't we?). Don't hand-make the gift wrap (did it). Don't build a gingerbread house more beautifully fitted out than your own home (also guilty). Hell, don't even bake.

Take it easy. Play Christmas carols every day. Eat chocolate. Really listen to the people you love. The rest will take care of itself.

This holiday month I wish you peace (and quiet).

Chocolate

The last five boxes of this lovely (out of production) Polaroid Chocolate film that I am ever likely to possess are stored neatly in my frig. This morning was the perfect day to open the wrapper on this little box of sweetness.

And who doesn't love a little Chocolate before lunch? Warm, luscious browns and soft, buttery tones. (Too bad I don't have any of the edible variety on hand. I'm workin' up an appetite.)

Fall Color

The new house is slowly revealing its charms to me. One of my favorite is the bittersweet vine which trails up the mulberry tree in the side yard.

I've known it was thriving there through a handful of seasons, but this fall with my little boy, my cabinet of cameras and my collection of hand-knit scarves all tucked away under the eaves, this bittersweet vine has seemed to bloom there just for me.

 

I love its little burnt orange seed heads. And the way they wear their bright yellow collars, looking like they just got caught in a stiff fall breeze.

So, why the exploration in shades of grey? Hmm...  I suppose it's like a cup of black coffee after a bowl of peaches and cream.

Reflected Pink

Been messin' around with mirrors lately. For the obligatory profile pic of self with camera.

"Why do I need one of these?" I keep askin' myself.  "Because you are building a following," I keep replyin.' "And you are gettin' ready to open a shop."

Painfully, I marshal on juggling mirrors, Polaroid, dark shields, timer, tripod and goofy expressions. Alas, nothin.'

Except this. Huh.... Could I substitute pink petals for a portrait?

Bumbling

As I get a little older, I am more willing to make mistakes and look goofy in broad daylight. Younger, I preferred to exude confidence and keep my mistakes hidden in the back of my closet. A few more years behind you, you know you're bluffing.

Strolling through my archives today, I found this little Polaroid gone wrong. Wrong but in an almost right kind of way.

Even though I horribly miscalculated the ambient temperature that morning and over-exposed this lovely bit of Impossible Project film, I'm happy to share my mistake. Put it right out there. Where you may perhaps find it inherently charming.

Stormy Weather

Yesterday the fast moving clouds of a rumbling August storm rolled over the house.

Just enough time before the big splashy drops started to fall to aim the Polaroid SX-70 skyward (without soaking it's beautiful leather skin).

Polaroid Week 2011. Thursday

Our garlic harvest is in. The big guy spent last evening hanging it in the garage to cure. The smell is great in that hot, dry building right now. Earthy with just a hint of garlic.

And a garlic plant has the most beautiful texture. Papery with a fringe of roots. Needless to say, a bundle of plants ended up in front of the lens for Polaroid Week (and the morning light in my bedroom window deserved a second take).

Polaroid Week 2011. Tuesday

Today was the perfect summer day.

An afternoon with my boy by the pool following a lazy morning.  Hot, yellow sunshine through the bedroom curtains and pj's until noon.

Captured with grace and elegance by Silver Shade instant film. When it's good, it's really good.

Polaroid Week 2011. Monday

It's Polaroid Week 2011 over on Flickr. Five days. Two shots a day. Fresh work. No dredging through the archives. How could you not?

Yesterday I rolled up my sleeves and gave it a go. Three types of film. Three cameras. No re-takes. 

(sometimes a little homework assignment is just the thing)

New Color

Spring has finally arrived in the Hudson Valley, and with it tons of new color.

I, alas, am completely out of film. It is killing me. I burned through this stock of expired chemical Polaroid in winter. I flew through a fresh supply of "new" color film with... um... lack-luster results. Yesterday, however, the next generation of The Impossible Project's color film hit the stands. It's in the mail, and it is capable of color. Lots of color. Deep reds and glowing oranges.

Thank. You. New color is on the way (if only that beautiful spring chartreuse will wait for me!).

Through a Mist

Experimental. That's what they call this new film. You can't really call it Polaroid, since that factory is long gone. But, experimental you can call it.

It's been a challenging week. Involving filters, lighting, a thermometer, a hot water bath, timing, shielding and mostly fumbling.

The result? This. And only this. 15 other shots. All squandered opportunities. And, even though it represents endless failures and near misses, this little shot is growing on me.

(Thank goodness there's a new color film recipe nearing it's launch date, cause this batch is not for the faint of heart.)

Almost Instant

I've been thinking lately about how I came to take photos (lots of photos).

I made a pinhole camera when I was little. And, I had a Kodak Instamatic in middle school. By college it was a Pentax K1000 (and endless pictures of friends drinking beer). As it happens, I got my first digital camera when I was living in Thailand AND having a baby. Plenty of material there.

Digital compressed the learning curve. No more film frugality. No more waiting weeks for prints (having forgotten why they came out well or horribly). But, digital is just too instant, too perfect. Too many.

Polaroid is like that pink stone up there. Right between film and digital. Almost instant. Imperfect. And a bit dear. At $3 a print there's no blasting away at a subject. You have to think about it. Look at it. Really look at it. Set it up and hope for the best. It's the most rewarding picture taking I've done. At last.

The Impossible Project

Many thanks to the folks at The Impossible Project for choosing this photograph as a fave over on Flickr. Bounce over there and have a look at the lovely photographic possibilities with their resurrected film.

The fragility of the colors and the ephemeral nature of these prints make working with Impossible's early versions of their films an adventure in analog photography.

Tearful Goodbye

 

 My very last pack (just 8 little prints) of expired Polaroid film. (sniff. sniff.) Yes, the boys at The Impossible Project are working away on lovely film made with fresh chemicals, but I have loved the surprises in the little turquoise box.