The Story of Polaroid
“With a little imagination, it is possible to see Land’s idea of instant photography as an early precursor to image-sharing networks such as Pinterest and Flickr”
In this digital world, we’re so used to shooting photos on our phones and getting results instantly. But most of these photos are easily lost on our endless camera rolls, full of pictures or images we’re saving “for the next time, for the right moment.” We often forget that this concept of “Instant photography” began long before smartphones were invented, at the time, it allowed photography lovers and artists to hold a captured moment in the palm of their hands. Introduced in the late 1940s, “Instant photography” revolutionized photography in ways that continue to influence today's medium.
Even if you don't use analog methods to create photos, many of us enjoy applying filters that give our digital images a grainy look or add effects like vignettes and light leaks. Some apps allow you to add a faux Polaroid-style frame to your photos. While this aesthetic is now easily accessible, it's still essential to understand the origins of Polaroid photography.
In 1944, while on vacation in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with his family, Edwin Land took a picture of his three-year-old daughter, Jennifer. She asked why she couldn't see the photo he had just taken, and later, in at least an hour, he had the idea for an instant film camera.
Only three years later, on February 21, 1947, Land stood before a room and unveiled a revolutionary creation. He fired the shutter of an 8x10 camera, pulled out a pack of paper, ran it through mechanical rollers, then set a timer for “fifty seconds,” he told the crowd. Once the countdown had finished, he peeled one sheet away from the other, revealing a sepia portrait of himself, showing the first Polaroid photo ever taken.
In 1948 The Polaroid Land Model 95 was introduced to the world, and now, this technology is being brought to your household.
The original model used two separate rolls, one for the positive and one for the negative, allowing the image to develop within the camera itself. Initially, Polaroid produced only 60 units of the Land Camera, but they underestimated the demand, every camera and roll of film sold out on the first day. The earliest Polaroid film produced sepia-toned prints, with black-and-white introduced in 1950 and color in 1963. Some models offered reusable negatives, enabling multiple prints or editions, while others produced unique images. This latter option proved the most captivating and creatively compelling for many contemporary artists.
In the late 1960s, Polaroid recruited the world’s best-known artists like Ansel Adams, David Hockney, and Andy Warhol, to test its products. It provided them with free film and studio space and invited them to snap photos of whatever they wanted, as long as they returned the finished prints to the Collections Committee.
The idea spread to Europe, where notable photographers such as David Bailey, Sarah Moon, and Helmut Newton received cameras and film. Their contributions laid the groundwork for the International Polaroid Collection. The collection grew significantly in the 1970s and 1980s as more artists sought camera and film grants, enhancing its stature and acclaim. These works became the basis for the International Polaroid Collection. This initiative generated popularity, word-of-mouth promotion, and increased brand awareness. The epic collection was later displayed as The Polaroid Project in 2018 at the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg in Hamburg, Germany.
Sarah Moon
Ansel Adams
Helmut Newton
They embraced the Polaroid camera as an artistic medium, experimenting with its immediacy and unique aesthetic. Warhol famously used Polaroid cameras for his portraits, and Adams worked with the company to develop specialized films, further cementing the brand's relationship with the art world. For these artists, the Polaroid wasn’t just a convenience; it was a way to explore the boundaries of photography and visual art.
Commissioned portraits became a significant part of Warhol’s artistic practice. He based these portraits on Polaroid snapshots taken by him during photo shoots in his studio. The instantaneous nature of Polaroid photography allowed him and the sitter to select an image to be transformed into a painting immediately. His Polaroid photography, in many ways, bridged the gap between the company's two key audiences—the everyday consumer and the fine artist—elevating the casual snapshot into a form of high art.
As Polaroid photos grew more popular, in 1972 they launched the SX-70. This camera was perhaps the most iconic product from Polaroid. It was the first fully integrated instant SLR (Single-Lens Reflex) camera and could be neatly folded into a pocket-sized shape, making it a compact engineering marvel. It also featured an automatic focusing system and introduced a new era of color instant film. This innovative design foreshadowed the compact digital cameras and mobile devices that would dominate photography decades later.
In 1975, Polaroid’s biggest rival, Kodak, entered the market with its digital camera. Ironically, Polaroid already had a digital camera prototype at the time, but they underestimated its potential, believing consumers weren’t ready for it. In hindsight, Polaroid’s decision made sense initially, as it took time for the customer to fully embrace digital technology. However, by the 1990s, digital cameras experienced a rise in popularity, with Kodak leading the way.
Polaroid, having chosen not to release its digital product, struggled for over 13 years as consumer preferences moved away from its product lineup. Polaroid filed for bankruptcy in 2001, overwhelmed by debt and market misalignment. The company ultimately ceased production of its analog film products in 2008, 60 years after Land launched the first instant camera.
Later that year, a dedicated group of instant photography fans salvaged the final Polaroid factory in the Netherlands. Reviving Polaroid’s instant film turned out to be a significant challenge. The factory’s equipment was broken, key chemical formulas had vanished, and suppliers had ceased operations. However, against all odds, the team succeeded in producing a thrilling new variety of black-and-white and color film. Its influence continued and its legacy was reborn with the resurgence of interest in analog photography. The group began manufacturing Polaroid-compatible film, and in 2017, Polaroid returned under the name Polaroid Originals. Fueled by nostalgia and the desire for tangible, there has been a resurgence of interest in analog photography in an increasingly digital world.
Polaroid became synonymous with instant photography, pioneering innovations that transformed both professional and amateur photography. Polaroid's influence extended beyond its instant photo capabilities to broader technological developments, particularly in materials science, optics, and consumer electronics. The company's legacy is still felt today, with modern digital photography and social media platforms drawing on the concept of instant image sharing.
Mobile photography owes its commercial success and fundamental principles of speed and user-friendliness to its analog roots. The square-format images, often retro-processed, evoke the Polaroid aesthetic, while the interfaces bring to mind a nostalgic, tactile era of photography. Additionally, Instagram's branding draws inspiration from Polaroid's iconic rainbow stripes.
Polaroid instantly changed photography, and its legacy lives on seventy-six years ago Edwin Land launched the Polaroid camera, changing the way we think of both photography and technology forever. Land altered our relationship with technology in much the same way. More than that, his company's early triumphs provided a road map for innovators right up to the present day - most notably the late Steve Jobs, founder of Apple.
Edwin London
Like Land predicted its existence 40 years earlier, in 1970 in which he said “a camera that you would use as often as your pencil or your eyeglasses… Something that would be with you every day”
The dichotomy of Ruido.
A moment in the present.
Indulge in the music of culture.
A moment in the present.
Indulge in the music of culture.