Bid farewell to Polaroid film - GoFuckYourself.com

firecracker · 12-08-2008, 05:50 PM

(CNN) -- Every day for a year, Tacey Willis looked for an eye-catching photo subject -- a ballerina, a rocker dude in a bookstore or three older ladies from the Red Hat Society. She allowed herself one shot each day, with only one piece of instant film.
Tacey Willis' "Day By Day Polaroid" project contains 365 photos, movies, songs and quotes.

Tacey Willis' "Day By Day Polaroid" project contains 365 photos, movies, songs and quotes.

But halfway through that year, Willis abruptly took the money she'd saved for a down payment on a car and bought every piece of Polaroid film she could find. Why? Because the Polaroid Corp. announced it would stop making instant film. And without it her project, "Day by Day Polaroid," would never be complete.

Sixty years after Polaroid introduced its first instant camera, the company's iconic film is disappearing from stores.

Although Polaroid says the film should be available into 2009, this is the final month of its last production year.

Eclipsed by digital photography, Polaroid's white-bordered prints -- and the anticipation they created as their ghostly images gradually came into view -- will soon be things of the past.

From David Hockney's famous Polaroid art compositions, to the line, "Shake it like a Polaroid picture" from OutKast's hit "Hey Ya!", Polaroid instant film has embedded itself in popular culture.

The public's reaction to Polaroid's announcement reflects that. Blogs lament the loss. Polaroid-fan groups have formed on Facebook. On Amazon.com, a four-pack of 10 exposures is selling for $64 -- nearly $1.60 per photo.

The announcement hit Willis, an artist in Los Angeles, California, especially hard. She began her "Day by Day Polaroid" project in June 2007 and still had four months to finish. "I really freaked out when they came out with the memo," she said.

Her project -- a book manuscript waiting for a publisher -- contains 365 photos accompanied by related songs, movies and quotations.

So why did she choose Polaroid and not some other type of photo? Willis is simply in love with that little white rectangle.

"It always turns out completely different than it looks in the viewpoint," she said. "At first I felt frustrated. But then, as an artist, it made it more fun. You had to let it go. I like sitting down with each picture. It's like a baby. You put so much art and soul into it."
Don't Miss

Willis isn't alone in her devotion. Minneapolis, Minnesota, graphic designer Sean Tubridy founded SavePolaroid.com with some friends he met through a Polaroid Flickr group. The Web site's mission: to persuade another company to produce the instant film.

"For me, watching a Polaroid picture develop is like watching a memory form right before your eyes," Tubridy wrote on his Web site.

"With instant film, you don't get to make the choice of whether or not a picture is 'good enough' to make a print. You can't just hit delete because someone was making a weird face, or the framing wasn't quite right or in some way the image doesn't live up to the unattainable idea of perfection...

"It's life, and chances are, we'll find it in a box years later and be thankful that we have it -- dirty shorts, nervous smile and all."

SavePolaroid.com has about 4,000 members -- 573 of whom uploaded stories on why they think Polaroid instant film is worth keeping.

In a statement, Polaroid acknowledges its film's "loyal and passionate following," but says the company is looking to the future. Sales of all film types have plummeted this decade as digital photography became the norm. See how Polaroid's instant camera works »

Tubridy agrees that digital photography has its advantages, but he believes that instant film, and its 20th-century technology, still has a purpose.

"The biggest misconception is that digital is a perfect replacement for [instant film]," he said. "I don't use Polaroids to replace [digital], to take to parties and events. That's not really practical and I don't think anyone would argue that. It's just something special at times when you want something different."

For others, it's more about nostalgia and their Polaroid-snapshot memories, which make it harder to let go of their Instamatic past.

Sean Burns, of Columbia City, Oregon, fondly remembers the cross-country trips his family took every summer for more than 20 years. They traveled thousands of miles, covering practically every road west of the Mississippi, and almost every moment is documented on Polaroid film.

"Dad thought Polaroid was the greatest invention ever conceived and stubbornly remains loyal to the product to this day," Burns wrote on iReport.com. His father, Otis Burns, received his first Polaroid camera in elementary school in the 1940s.

"He was so intrigued and fascinated by the instant developed pictures that he became almost religiously devoted to Polaroid and refused to accept any other form of film," Burns said. iReport.com: Watch Burn's dad use his Polaroid camera
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Otis Burns still takes the same camera on his road trips today. At every motel where he spends the night, he takes a photo of the view from the room -- whether it's a pastoral landscape, a brick wall or the parking lot. And on the back of each photo he writes the details of the setting: the room number, the town and the date.

"Sometimes magic seems to happen and a deceptively simple picture outside a Motel 6 can say a thousand words," Sean Burns said of his father's collection. "Polaroid photos take [only] a minute to develop, but sometimes art takes decades."

Fresh · 12-08-2008, 05:53 PM

wtf, i thought they stopped making polaroid film years ago?

DeanCapture · 12-08-2008, 06:12 PM

Goodbye Polaroid. I've spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on you over the years. You helped me grow as a photographer and allowed me to use you on commercial shoots to test my lighting. You always gave me what I needed and for that I'll be forever grateful. May you rest in peace!

Barefootsies · 12-08-2008, 06:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fresh

wtf, i thought they stopped making polaroid film years ago?

RevengeBucks_Monica · 12-08-2008, 06:56 PM

ARG, am I the only photographer that has a bit of a sentimental heart and hurts a tiny bit with this?

BV · 12-08-2008, 06:59 PM

I just watched a piece on "How it works" or "Modern Marvels" on the evolution of the Polaroid camera.

Pretty interesting. Made millions.

Peaches · 12-08-2008, 07:08 PM

My mother has albums and albums of Polaroids taken while we were growing up. They manage to stay in incredibly good shape. They've kept their color a lot better than my developed film of the 80's.

Here's one scanned that's around 40 years old:

And for those of us old enough to remember wanting to take "naughty" pictures before digital, Polaroid just couldn't be beat.

spacedog · 12-08-2008, 07:12 PM

bye bye polaroid

Kevin Marx · 12-08-2008, 07:15 PM

OHHHHH the heartache!!!! Whatever will I do with my Hassy now??? I don't want it to become a paperweight!!!

tony286 · 12-08-2008, 07:21 PM

have great memories of polaroid

Bojangles · 12-08-2008, 08:12 PM

I shall miss you, Polaroid.

Profits of Doom · 12-08-2008, 08:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peaches

And for those of us old enough to remember wanting to take "naughty" pictures before digital, Polaroid just couldn't be beat.

I still have naked Polaroids of ex's floating around in boxes somewhere. RIP Polaroid

Doctor Dre · 12-08-2008, 10:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fresh

wtf, i thought they stopped making polaroid film years ago?

They did actually.

A guy from montreal who organises a yearly party for the very rich of this world (people who has seen it all), wanted to throw a 'last polariod picture' party.

To create demand and hype he bought all the leftover stocks EVERYWHERE. He started getting a lot of press about it. He even burned half of it to get more press. It ended up having so much demand, that a couple weeks before the party, polariod announced that they would restart the production... needless to say that the party never happened.

Blingbaby · 12-08-2008, 10:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RevengeBucks_Monica

ARG, am I the only photographer that has a bit of a sentimental heart and hurts a tiny bit with this?

Get over it. Are you going to cry about the Beta tape too?

slavdogg · 12-08-2008, 10:35 PM

here is the next generation of Polaroid type product

https://youtube.com/watch?v=QFOT3-hoooY&e
digital camera with instant printer

Paper is made by http://www.zink.com/
It was invented at Polaroid labs, but Zink is a stand alone company now

gleem · 12-08-2008, 10:38 PM

boooo, the first ever pic of a naked ex girlfriend of mine was on my trusty old polaroid..

cray to think people are growing up knowing nothing but digital and will never know how polaroids rescued us from days of waiting for our film to develope at like $10 a roll.

slavdogg · 12-08-2008, 10:40 PM

https://youtube.com/watch?v=UhcA8...eature=related

GatorB · 12-08-2008, 10:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gleem

boooo, the first ever pic of a naked ex girlfriend of mine was on my trusty old polaroid..

cray to think people are growing up knowing nothing but digital and will never know how polaroids rescued us from days of waiting for our film to develope at like $10 a roll.

booo? When was the last time you supported Polaroid and bought some film?

GatorB · 12-08-2008, 10:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by firecracker

(CNN) QUOTING REALLY REALLY LONG FUCKING STORY

hey firecracker here's a tip

(CNN) -- Every day for a year, Tacey Willis looked for an eye-catching photo subject -- a ballerina, a rocker dude in a bookstore or three older ladies from the Red Hat Society. She allowed herself one shot each day, with only one piece of instant film.

Tacey Willis' "Day By Day Polaroid" project contains 365 photos, movies, songs and quotes.

But halfway through that year, Willis abruptly took the money she'd saved for a down payment on a car and bought every piece of Polaroid film she could find. Why? Because the Polaroid Corp. announced it would stop making instant film. And without it her project, "Day by Day Polaroid," would never be complete.

Sixty years after Polaroid introduced its first instant camera, the company's iconic film is disappearing from stores.

Although Polaroid says the film should be available into 2009, this is the final month of its last production year.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/12/08/p...tml?eref=ib_us

see nice and short gets the point across and for those that want to read more they can simply click the link.

jmcb420 · 12-08-2008, 11:32 PM

I used one to document a garden I grew years ago way out in the woods. Every time I see those pics I smile.
Plus the naked ex's!! Those were the digital of the day!

PostWhore · 12-08-2008, 11:38 PM

that shit was dead to all of us years ago

WWC · 12-08-2008, 11:49 PM

Man i used to love these when i was a kid...taking pictures of upskirts lol

mikeyddddd · 12-09-2008, 12:01 AM

Rochard · 12-09-2008, 12:07 AM

One of my girlfriends would only let me take those "naughty" photos of her if we used Polaroid...... Little did she know that I've since scanned them in.

Her ass is mine online forever.

Sarah_Jayne · 12-09-2008, 05:30 AM

I don't even know anybody, that isn't a professional photographer, that even buys normal film these days.

HotMeghan_GL · 12-09-2008, 08:29 AM

you can still find polaroid film in small town wal-mart stores, because no one in those areas really buys it. a friend of mine needed it for a photography class and went to some backwoods town in pennsylvania and found a ton there.

firecracker · 12-09-2008, 05:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peaches

My mother has albums and albums of Polaroids taken while we were growing up. They manage to stay in incredibly good shape. They've kept their color a lot better than my developed film of the 80's.

Here's one scanned that's around 40 years old:

And for those of us old enough to remember wanting to take "naughty" pictures before digital, Polaroid just couldn't be beat.

Love the picture!

12-08-2008, 05:50 PM	#1
firecracker Confirmed User Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Sacramento ca Posts: 653	Bid farewell to Polaroid film (CNN) -- Every day for a year, Tacey Willis looked for an eye-catching photo subject -- a ballerina, a rocker dude in a bookstore or three older ladies from the Red Hat Society. She allowed herself one shot each day, with only one piece of instant film. Tacey Willis' "Day By Day Polaroid" project contains 365 photos, movies, songs and quotes. Tacey Willis' "Day By Day Polaroid" project contains 365 photos, movies, songs and quotes. But halfway through that year, Willis abruptly took the money she'd saved for a down payment on a car and bought every piece of Polaroid film she could find. Why? Because the Polaroid Corp. announced it would stop making instant film. And without it her project, "Day by Day Polaroid," would never be complete. Sixty years after Polaroid introduced its first instant camera, the company's iconic film is disappearing from stores. Although Polaroid says the film should be available into 2009, this is the final month of its last production year. Eclipsed by digital photography, Polaroid's white-bordered prints -- and the anticipation they created as their ghostly images gradually came into view -- will soon be things of the past. From David Hockney's famous Polaroid art compositions, to the line, "Shake it like a Polaroid picture" from OutKast's hit "Hey Ya!", Polaroid instant film has embedded itself in popular culture. The public's reaction to Polaroid's announcement reflects that. Blogs lament the loss. Polaroid-fan groups have formed on Facebook. On Amazon.com, a four-pack of 10 exposures is selling for $64 -- nearly $1.60 per photo. The announcement hit Willis, an artist in Los Angeles, California, especially hard. She began her "Day by Day Polaroid" project in June 2007 and still had four months to finish. "I really freaked out when they came out with the memo," she said. Her project -- a book manuscript waiting for a publisher -- contains 365 photos accompanied by related songs, movies and quotations. So why did she choose Polaroid and not some other type of photo? Willis is simply in love with that little white rectangle. "It always turns out completely different than it looks in the viewpoint," she said. "At first I felt frustrated. But then, as an artist, it made it more fun. You had to let it go. I like sitting down with each picture. It's like a baby. You put so much art and soul into it." Don't Miss Willis isn't alone in her devotion. Minneapolis, Minnesota, graphic designer Sean Tubridy founded SavePolaroid.com with some friends he met through a Polaroid Flickr group. The Web site's mission: to persuade another company to produce the instant film. "For me, watching a Polaroid picture develop is like watching a memory form right before your eyes," Tubridy wrote on his Web site. "With instant film, you don't get to make the choice of whether or not a picture is 'good enough' to make a print. You can't just hit delete because someone was making a weird face, or the framing wasn't quite right or in some way the image doesn't live up to the unattainable idea of perfection... "It's life, and chances are, we'll find it in a box years later and be thankful that we have it -- dirty shorts, nervous smile and all." SavePolaroid.com has about 4,000 members -- 573 of whom uploaded stories on why they think Polaroid instant film is worth keeping. In a statement, Polaroid acknowledges its film's "loyal and passionate following," but says the company is looking to the future. Sales of all film types have plummeted this decade as digital photography became the norm. See how Polaroid's instant camera works » Tubridy agrees that digital photography has its advantages, but he believes that instant film, and its 20th-century technology, still has a purpose. "The biggest misconception is that digital is a perfect replacement for [instant film]," he said. "I don't use Polaroids to replace [digital], to take to parties and events. That's not really practical and I don't think anyone would argue that. It's just something special at times when you want something different." For others, it's more about nostalgia and their Polaroid-snapshot memories, which make it harder to let go of their Instamatic past. Sean Burns, of Columbia City, Oregon, fondly remembers the cross-country trips his family took every summer for more than 20 years. They traveled thousands of miles, covering practically every road west of the Mississippi, and almost every moment is documented on Polaroid film. "Dad thought Polaroid was the greatest invention ever conceived and stubbornly remains loyal to the product to this day," Burns wrote on iReport.com. His father, Otis Burns, received his first Polaroid camera in elementary school in the 1940s. "He was so intrigued and fascinated by the instant developed pictures that he became almost religiously devoted to Polaroid and refused to accept any other form of film," Burns said. iReport.com: Watch Burn's dad use his Polaroid camera advertisement Otis Burns still takes the same camera on his road trips today. At every motel where he spends the night, he takes a photo of the view from the room -- whether it's a pastoral landscape, a brick wall or the parking lot. And on the back of each photo he writes the details of the setting: the room number, the town and the date. "Sometimes magic seems to happen and a deceptively simple picture outside a Motel 6 can say a thousand words," Sean Burns said of his father's collection. "Polaroid photos take [only] a minute to develop, but sometimes art takes decades." __________________ When choosing between two evils, I always like to try the one I’ve never tried before.

12-08-2008, 05:53 PM	#2
Fresh TubeClicks.com - First Tube Affiliate Program Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: LA Posts: 4,920	wtf, i thought they stopped making polaroid film years ago? __________________ Promote ONE Legal Tube Site, Collect Checks from 19 Sponsors Fresh Dave \| Email: [email protected] \| ICQ: 317160390

12-08-2008, 06:12 PM	#3
DeanCapture Haters & Trolls SUCK! Industry Role: Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 9,275	Goodbye Polaroid. I've spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on you over the years. You helped me grow as a photographer and allowed me to use you on commercial shoots to test my lighting. You always gave me what I needed and for that I'll be forever grateful. May you rest in peace! __________________ Twitter: @DeanCapture Instagram: @TheDeanCapture DeanCapture "at" Gmail.com

12-08-2008, 06:56 PM	#5
RevengeBucks_Monica Confirmed User Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 775	ARG, am I the only photographer that has a bit of a sentimental heart and hurts a tiny bit with this? __________________ The ORIGINAL & BEST CONVERTING EX-GIRLFRIEND REVENGE site! Revenge Bucks - Now with Morphing RSS Feeds! Email: monica @ revengebucks.com \| ICQ:138-027-662 \| AIM:RevengeMonica

12-08-2008, 07:15 PM	#9
Kevin Marx Confirmed User Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 1,888	OHHHHH the heartache!!!! Whatever will I do with my Hassy now??? I don't want it to become a paperweight!!! __________________ ICQ: 370 037 008

12-08-2008, 06:59 PM	#6
BV wtf Industry Role: Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Bikini State, FL USA Posts: 10,914	I just watched a piece on "How it works" or "Modern Marvels" on the evolution of the Polaroid camera. Pretty interesting. Made millions.

12-08-2008, 07:08 PM	#7
Peaches Old broad Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Away Posts: 13,933	My mother has albums and albums of Polaroids taken while we were growing up. They manage to stay in incredibly good shape. They've kept their color a lot better than my developed film of the 80's. Here's one scanned that's around 40 years old: And for those of us old enough to remember wanting to take "naughty" pictures before digital, Polaroid just couldn't be beat.

12-08-2008, 07:12 PM	#8
spacedog Yes that IS me. Bitch. Industry Role: Join Date: Nov 2001 Posts: 14,149	bye bye polaroid

12-08-2008, 07:21 PM	#10
tony286 lurker Industry Role: Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: atlanta Posts: 57,021	have great memories of polaroid

12-08-2008, 08:12 PM	#11
Bojangles Confirmed User Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 5,419	I shall miss you, Polaroid.

12-08-2008, 10:35 PM	#15
slavdogg Confirmed User Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 3,570	here is the next generation of Polaroid type product https://youtube.com/watch?v=QFOT3-hoooY&e digital camera with instant printer Paper is made by http://www.zink.com/ It was invented at Polaroid labs, but Zink is a stand alone company now __________________ Adult Traffic for Sale

12-08-2008, 10:38 PM	#16
gleem Confirmed User Industry Role: Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Sunny Land Posts: 5,593	boooo, the first ever pic of a naked ex girlfriend of mine was on my trusty old polaroid.. cray to think people are growing up knowing nothing but digital and will never know how polaroids rescued us from days of waiting for our film to develope at like $10 a roll. __________________ Contact me: \\// E: webmaster /at/ unprofessional.com

12-08-2008, 10:40 PM	#17
slavdogg Confirmed User Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 3,570	https://youtube.com/watch?v=UhcA8...eature=related __________________ Adult Traffic for Sale

12-08-2008, 11:32 PM	#20
jmcb420 So Fucking Drunk Industry Role: Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 2,155	I used one to document a garden I grew years ago way out in the woods. Every time I see those pics I smile. Plus the naked ex's!! Those were the digital of the day! __________________ I'm funner than AIDS, and easier to explain to your parents.

12-08-2008, 11:38 PM	#21
PostWhore Confirmed User Industry Role: Join Date: Jan 2003 Posts: 4,720	that shit was dead to all of us years ago __________________ Ask me how to monetize with adult traffic!

12-08-2008, 11:49 PM	#22
WWC #1 Adult Content Provider Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Glendale, Ca Posts: 11,577	Man i used to love these when i was a kid...taking pictures of upskirts lol __________________ [email protected] ICQ : 494-353-230 Follow WWC on Twitter CLICK HERE! " CONTENT PROVIDER OF THE YEAR! " ~ 2007 , 2008 & 2009 XBIZ AWARDS WINNER! .......www.WorldWideContent.com / www.WorldWideFeeds.com...... WWC Nominated " Content Licensor of The Year " 2010 XBiz Awards !!!

12-09-2008, 12:01 AM	#23
mikeyddddd Viva la vulva! Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: you can't please everyone, so you got to please yourself Posts: 16,557	__________________ AdultStarProfits AmbyaCash AnilosCash AzianiGold ColdHardCash FlashTheMoney IdolBucks MediumPimpin NSCash Nubiles PussyCash ScoreCash Sextronix SpunkyCash TubeTitans Twistys

12-09-2008, 12:07 AM	#24
Rochard Jägermeister Test Pilot Industry Role: Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: NORCAL Posts: 72,873	One of my girlfriends would only let me take those "naughty" photos of her if we used Polaroid...... Little did she know that I've since scanned them in. Her ass is mine online forever. __________________ “The choice is no longer between right or left. The choice is between normal and crazy.” - Sarah Huckabee Sanders YNOT MAIL \| THE BEST ADULT MAILING SOLUTION

12-09-2008, 05:30 AM	#25
Sarah_Jayne Now with more Jayne Industry Role: Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 40,077	I don't even know anybody, that isn't a professional photographer, that even buys normal film these days.

12-09-2008, 08:29 AM	#26
HotMeghan_GL Confirmed User Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Philadelphia Posts: 358	you can still find polaroid film in small town wal-mart stores, because no one in those areas really buys it. a friend of mine needed it for a photography class and went to some backwoods town in pennsylvania and found a ton there. __________________ Meghan [email protected] ICQ: 28478477 Find Me on AdultWho'sWho!