Bloggers should never apologise for being absent. Right?
Paper Cameras was on a little hiatus while I was getting my life together as I decided to move overseas with my love. The life still isn’t together but PC will be back soon hopefully.
I’m blogging on more of a creative, more personal level over at Mocking Bird for now.
Hope you enjoyed Roid Week!
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The Impossible Project has announced that Polaroid will now be making cameras. This is such great news! This is what they say:
We are pleased to herewith announce a history making cooperation between Polaroid and The Impossible Project:
As we have created quite some buzz about Analog Instant Photography over the past 12 months, the Polaroid licensee – The Summit Global Group – now can’t resist any longer and announced at a press conference on October 13th in Hongkong that they will re-launch some of the most famous Polaroid Instant Cameras.
Therefore they are commissioning The Impossible Project to develop and produce a limited edition of Polaroid branded Instant Films in the middle of 2010.
The Impossible Project is proud and excited that its ambitions and all the relentless work that has already been invested are now becoming the foundation for Polaroid’s comeback as a producer of Instant Cameras.
Large-scale production and worldwide sale of The Impossible Project’s new integral film materials under its own brand will already start in the beginning of 2010 – with a brand new and astonishing black and white Instant Film and the first colour films to follow in the course of the year.
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Starting today in the States and Canada, you will be able to purchase the last of the Polaroid packs from Urban Outfitters. All of the proceeds from the film and cameras sold will go towards helping The Impossible Project. This is what Urban Outfitters say:
We’ve partnered with The Impossible Project to help them on their mission to bring instant film photography back to life. When Polaroid ended instant film production in 2008, The Impossible Project picked up where they left off—purchasing a Polaroid factory and equipment in Holland. Now they’re on track to start producing their own instant film in early 2010. We’re proud to support them with exclusive Polaroid product and an exhibiton of Polaroid photography.
They are calling it Deadstock and you can purchase it from today! I hope there is some still there when I move to Vancouver in about 4 weeks!
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Welcome to another Paper Cameras interview with a fabulous Polaroid photographer.
This week we spoke to the fabulous Steph Parke about her love of Polaroid and photography.
Steph is a woman after my own heart as she owns 31, yes 31, cameras. Her photography speaks volumes about her outdoorsy life and she has had many exhibits in her home town of Utah. Steph is also the supervising editor for the very popular Light Leaks magazine, a definite read for any low fi camera loving photographer.
PC: What is your favourite thing about photography? What made you decide to have photography in your life?
Steph: I am a very sentimental person and little moments mean everything to me, and photography helps me remember it all. My grandpa loved photography too and I think the thing that got me hooked was when my grandma gave me his old Fujica AZ-1 SLR almost nine years ago. It was the camera he used to take a picture of me on my first day of Kindergarten. I was wearing pink overalls, two long, blonde pigtails, and a huge smile.
PC: When you shoot, what are your thoughts? What are you thinking while you are making the decisions you are?
Steph: Make it count! I don’t like to burn through film like it’s going out of style. I try to make every frame count. When I go out on adventures with other photographers, they’re always amazed at how little I shoot. I’ll shoot one roll of 120 to their four, one Polaroid to their five, etc. I slow way down and size up every situation (composition) before I actually shoot it. It probably drives people nuts.
PC: You are kidnapped by pirates but they are kind pirates who tell you that you can bring one camera to document your abduction. Which one do you grab?
Steph: I assume we’d be going to a tropical island, and Polaroid renders greens so beautifully, so I’d have to say my Polaroid SLR 680. I’m imagining an island with dense jungle cover and day-long soft, dappled light.
PC: Which one?
Dresses/skirts or pants: Always pants, preferably jeans.
Cupcakes or muffins: I love a good cupcake, but I’d have to say muffins because they remind me of lazy Sunday mornings in our pajamas and homemade muffins out on the deck.
Shopping or hiking: Ooh, this is a tough one. I love hiking but have a mean lazy streak. I’m not crazy about shopping but I’ve recently fallen for World Market and could walk through there daily, picking up new things for my kitchen. Maybe a morning hike and a trip to World Market?
Edward Cullen or Mr Darcy: I have no idea who Edward Cullen is and just had to Google him (Editor’s note: This is something to be proud of Steph lol), and sadly, I’ve never read (or watched) Pride and Prejudice. I know, I know. A girl with a degree in English should have read the classics. I skipped most of the classics and shy away from books on bestseller lists. I just like Edward Abbey. Does that count?
PC: Why Polaroid?
Steph: I’ve answered this question a lot lately. Polaroid is, quite simply, magic. I can’t shoot a piece of Polaroid film without smiling. The noise the camera makes when it ejects the film makes me smile, and it turns heads. On my first outing with my SLR 680, I was at Delicate Arch in Arches National Park one early morning in March. A beautiful red rock bowl surrounds the arch and it was still and quiet. I made a Polaroid of the arch and the noise echoed around the bowl and everyone looked, and most smiled. I couldn’t help but feel giddy. That’s why I use Polaroid.
PC: Thanks for doing the Paper Cameras interview, Steph! It is great having you here.
You can see Steph’s work on her website, blog and flickrstream.
Don’t forget to check out Light Leaks! The current feature is on Childhood and includes an interview with one of Paper Cameras’ favourite people, Alison Garnett.
She also has prints for sale in her etsy store.
From my first roll of Polaroid 669. I am in love! Damn, damn, damn, this film cannot die!
I am off to check out the fabulous 669 shots on Flickr for inspiration now!
The print store is open.
All photographs were printed on lustre matte paper in Sydney’s best professional lab, Pixel Perfect.
Please stop by. 
The Paper Cameras Print Store is opening early next week and to celebrate I am giving away a print.
All prints in the store will be prints made from original Polaroids taken with a Polaroid SX70 camera.
Read more about it on Mocking Bird and please leave a comment over here to go in the draw to win yourself a print.
My print store may have to wait a little while longer, as my beautiful Macbook decided to ‘maybe’ die on me today. I have to wait and see what the Genius Bar say (AKA my boyfriend and brother) tomorrow. Fingers crossed that the 3 months of photos I hadn’t gotten around to backing up yet aren’t gone forever.<–See! NEVER TRUST DIGITAL!
25 EXAMPLES OF WHY POLAROID FILM SHOULD BE SAVED, LISTED HERE IN THE PAPER CAMERAS LIST-A-THON.
+ 1 of my own below which is not on the list but showing how much I support and love Polaroid.
I hope you enjoyed this little list of mammothly talented people and please visit their links to see more of their amazing work. Encourage them to keep on shooting and tell The Impossible Project that you support them in their endeavours to save this wonderful piece of art.
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A new little paper camera photoblog has emerged under the piles of empty film cartridges called The Cloud Society. It’s pretty damn new but I’m sure it will be filled with lovely pictures from super blogger Tina who writes the lovely blog, The English Muse. Check out her Holga pics.
Paper Cameras wants you to shoot more film.
