Polaroid were once the only way of creating an instant still image product, so it is funny to think of how retro these have now become. But they are a complete love of mine. 

My first ever memory of a polaroid was when my Dad had brought one home from work, he had been out in the field needing quick visual documentation for a report. 

He sat myself and my brothers in the back garden at our home and told us that the camera he had was magic… that it would only be black and white unless we screamed ‘COLOUR’ at him when he was taking the picture. Needless to say we all fell for it hook, line and sinker, marveling at the wizardry behind this bit of neat technology. 

When they stopped making the film I was a bit upset, there was so much else going on in the world of photography that people didn’t seem to treasure these magic little squares. My Polaroid 600 got stashed in a box, collecting dust and longing for a bit of love. 

Until a chance meeting with a chap called Kenny, who one of my friends had adopted while roaming around Benicasim. They had a house party where he told me about a thing called ‘The Impossible Project’… there aim was to bring back instant film. Fast-forward to now and they have rebranded to be Polaroid, worked out the recipe and all is good in the world.  

For me they hold this nostalgic quality that you can’t recreate in any other format. And it is always the camera I reach for when attending a friend’s wedding. I spend the day sneakily snapping a handful of funny moments and glueing them into an album, before either breaking into their bridal suite or leaving it on the gifts table.

I get my Polaroid from a beautiful little shop on King’s Parade in the centre of Cambridge: Campkins Cameras
It is also available from Polaroid where you can read about their story.