My history with Polaroid goes like this:
The 60’s: My brother got a Polaroid camera. You had to use a tube of some sort of noxious chemical … and rollers, or brushes or something. But it was totally cool to have [nearly] immediate gratification.
The 70’s: I lusted after an SX70 – and finally purchased a Model 2, brand new.
The 80’s: What ever-lovin’ Gen W-er didn’t have a Polaroid or two of their girlfriend’s / boyfriends / or passing acquaintance’s nether regions stashed away in their sock drawer?
The 90’s : Nearly no one thought of Polaroid. But Polaroids were the staple of any office file cabinet storage drawer. But there was also a brief affair with the Polaroid transfer. I remember attending a workshop and making a transfer. Then … nothing.
The 2000’s : Polaroid discontinued instant film production. You couldn’t pay someone to take that Polaroid camera off your hands.
The 2000-somethings: The Impossible Project started knocking the cobwebs off of the Polaroid name.
2015’s or so: The Polaroid Originals appeared. Selling black and white Polaroid film for a tidy mint (with two fewer prints per pack, no less).
And in 2020: I poked around the Polaroid.com website and found refurbished SX70s selling for $386.00 … WHAT? Let me revisit my stash…
There’s some cool info on the ‘net regarding re-loading SX-70 film packs with exposed prints, strictly for testing cameras. So, I did that. The results? ….Drumroll….
It’s my lucky day!
Then there’s this next model:
Analog Things on YouTube has some great videos on SX70 image manipulation, etc.
I was fully expecting (with some trepidation?) some nether regions in the photo galleries.
Sean: Bah ha ha! Nah. If I come across some sexy vintage 80s Polaroid prints, I’ll post them for you. -Marcy