Thursday 4 March 2010

Your favourite Polaroid?


Blur magazine are the media sponsor of the Impossible Project. Recently they ran a Polaroid contest. Sadly, the witless judges didn't pick one of mine as a finalist but you can see their selection of 30 here

I wouldn't want to bias your voting, but I will anyway. Here's my favourite.

What I found incredibly disappointing is the massive bias in favour of integral shots, with mainly SX70 film predominating. Alright it's a beautiful film, and some of the photos are okay too, but there was no representation from some of Polaroid's historic classic films. Where was the 665? Where was the 669? Where was 59? Not even any of the recent beautiful chocos.

I presume this is a nod at Impossible's future being based around integral materials, but that doesn't mean this type of film fascism is particularly pleasant. It also doesn't give a very balanced view of Polaroid's broad brush. More it confines and reinforces the public's knowledge that Polaroids all look one shape and have a big white border.

Anyway. It doesn't matter. It's only a competition. But do run along and vote, won't you.

Polaroid by Zora Strangefields.

7 comments:

  1. really? those are the selections? I can't believe their choices! I agree with you fully about the importance of making a much more diverse selection to represent polaroids past and present history. I too submitted a shot, which obviously didn't make the cut.... I too agree with your choice for a vote...

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  2. Hello, yup shocking isn't it...?

    Not worth getting upset about though! But I hope the people at Impossible give Blur some stick about their clearly stifled imaginations.

    Sigh.

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  3. I don't even remember submitting, and not only did they add a border to my photo, but they flipped it upside-down :(

    So it's cool I made the cut, but...the photo I took, the border was upside-down, because I re-oriented the whole thing as part of the composition. They should have just asked me.

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  4. Dam. I hadn't even noticed yours was there Amalia. Sorry. Those thumbnails were quite small and I didn't enlarge them all.

    Congrats on making the cut - upside down or not!

    More packfilm needed though!

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  5. I agree. I love choco so much, I wish there were some in there!

    It's amazing how many are of girls. (Mine included, being myself.) A little diversity in both film and subject would have been nice/made it more difficult to choose a favorite when it crosses different genres.

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  6. Again, true... Hadn't really thought of that.

    Although complaining about too many photos of girls is not a philosophical position I find myself in too often...

    Well, apparently Impossible crew had nothing to do with the decision so you can both thank and scold Blur simultaneuosly. ;)

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  7. This was one of my faves too - but as you said 'where were the damn pack-film shots ?!

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