The Plastic Lens ~ Words

Less than a month after the last of the Polaroid Integral Instant film cartridges passed their use by date wonderful news has been released by those luminous people at The Impossible Project. The Impossible Project who have been working tirelessly to keep the beloved instant film alive released an update stating that the Polaroid licensee – The Summit Global Group – announced at a press conference on October 13th in Hongkong that they will re-launch some of the most famous Polaroid Instant Cameras. The Impossible Project itself has been working with Harmon Kardon to produce a new integral B&W instant film which is to be released to the market in early 2010, followed by a new batch of integral instant colour film (in collaboration with a different European company) Read more press in the online British Journal of Photography.
Just a side note, I have included the Polaroid of Alex I took a few weeks ago at the last day party for the Ballarat International Foto Biennale ’09 because, well, one it’s a Polaroid and two, Alex became quite excited when he saw my SLR 680 was a ‘blue button’ edition camera and told me how (apparently) any owner of a blue button special edition Polaroid camera could, if unhappy with a shot taken with the camera, send it back to the company and get the film replaced for free, for the life of the camera. As he is obviously a Polaroid aficionado, I thought it only fitting to include his image captured on expired Polaroid integral film here, raising a toast to the good news!

Even though it’s late notice, it would be remiss of me to forget to remind everyone that WORLD TOY CAMERA DAY is THIS WEEKEND PEOPLE!! That is October 17, 2009
The following has been pinched & paraphrased from the flickr World Toy Camera Day Group –

Invented by Becky Ramotowski, who took the idea from World Pinhole Photography Day, World Toy Camera Day spawned a world wide annual event using toy cameras and shooting endless rolls of 120 and Polaroid film and even some crappy 35mm cameras too…and has been in circulation for nine years now. So on October 17, 2009 (this coming Saturday, remember) get your favourite plastic camera and take as many lo-fi exposures as you can! (and have FUN – that’s important!)