Category Archives: Instant Photography

Design Inspiration Instant Photography

I’m in Desperate Need of Polaroid Film

I thought it’s not enough that I twitted and posted a Facebook status message about my quest for Polaroid sheets in this third world country, so now I blog about it too. Again. Because I still can’t find Polaroid sheets for my One 600 (ever since I got it 4 months ago), and now that I have acquired a new toy — a Polaroid Spectra 1200FF which I won from an ebay auction, woot! — I’m even more desperate to find both Polaroid 600 and Polaroid Spectra packs.

Where in the Philippines can you get these stuff anyway? I heard there are stores in Hidalgo, Quaipo that sell them, I still have yet to check that. (But I also heard that finding polaroid film packs in Quiapo is unlikely, so yeah, I don’t know what to believe anymore).

In the meantime, I torture myself some more by browsing through pages after pages of Flickr photos such as these:

polaroid-lilacmoon

by Lilacmoon

Polaroid | Doyoumissmetoo

by Toni

polaroid-roidrage

by Lyptonvillage

Polaroid | Dreamincolour

by Dreamincolour

Polaroid | Lilylove

by Lilylove

Polaroid | Susannah

by Susannah Conway

Why issit raining Polaroids everywhere in the world BUT the Philippines? Is it wrong to sometimes wish I live in a different country because of this?? Haaaay.

Design Inspiration Instant Photography

Awesome Polaroid Photography: Polaroid Mosaics by SicoActiva

DAY NINETEEN. And this is why I have to find and order Polaroid films already. I still haven’t, and it’s been 3 months already since R got me my Polaroid One600 camera. It’s so difficult finding polaroid films in the Philippines. Stocks always run out, and ordering from US/UK/Canada may be easier but the shipping to Manila is too expensive.

So while I go on with my quest to acquire boxes of Polaroid films, I get myself inspired with people who are doing awesome Polaroid photography.

Check out SicoActiva‘s one-of-a-kind Polaroid mosaics, taken with SX-70.

Polaroid Photography | SicoActiva

Polaroid Photography | Sicoactiva

Polaroid Photography | SicoActiva

Polaroid Photography | SicoActiva

Polaroid Photography | SicoActiva

Polaroid Photography | SicoActiva

I have to get myself Polaroid 600 films!! I’ve been using a lot of Instax sheets with my Fuji Mini Instax, but nothing still beats the real creamy, soft-colored images that come out of a real Polaroid Camera. I’ve seen awesome images taken with SX-70 too, Susannah and Amanda are my favorite SX-70 photographers. I think an SX-70 is next on my list! :)

30 Days of Awesome, 19/30.

Instant Photography

Polaroid Cameras & Instant Photographs

DAY ONE. In real life, however, “polaroid” is different from “instax”, I just like using the word “polaroid” because it sounds so Audrey Hepburn ♥, while “instax” sounds so.. hi tech. Yes, Jody, that’s an instax photo you saw in the previous post. After drooling over it for months, I finally got myself a Fujifilm Instax Mini.

Fresh Box of Polaroid Sheets

1/30. Polaroid Cameras and Instant Photographs

As of Wednesday last week, I’m a proud owner of this baby. And as of today, I’ve consumed two boxes of instax films already, and have started using the last stack, albeit sparingly.

Some people ask me if it’s worth it, spending more than 30 PHP on a single instax photo (and about 50 PHP on polaroid, if you ever find one), in an era where digital cameras and phone cams are a way of life. But I say, I think the fact that you pay a certain amount to preserve a moment puts even more value to the photograph, right? Nod, I have a point. ;)

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a sucker for DSLRs and digital cameras, I can’t live without having one close to me wherever I go. But capturing moments through films and polaroids is special. With film, there’s that element of surprise — you’ll never know how your photos will turn out to be until you develop your rolls of film. With polaroid/instax, on the other hand, there’s that giddy excitement of watching the colors and images develop before your eyes.

It’s an expense that won’t give you ROI, alright, unless maybe you want to be like Jennie Castillo, who made a buy-and-sell business out of it; or Scott Hammond and Jenifer Altman, who are by far the best polaroid photographers I’ve seen online, who can get away with selling their polaroid shots at about $25 a piece. (Whew.)

As for me, I don’t mind being just Riz for now, wasting on polaroid sheets, just because they’re awesome. :x

P.S. A bunch of people asked me where I got the “R” pendant. I got it from a friend, Elaine of Artecrafts. She sells made-to-order charms and keychains just like mine. :)

30 Days of Awesome, 1/30.