The Polaroid Inspiration.
When I was a kid, it was exciting to push down the inexplicably tall shutter button on a Polaroid Instamatic camera then pull the tongue-like tab to deliver the Polaroid from the front of the camera. At first, this square was just a wet chemical smear surrounded by a neat white border. You held it carefully by a corner and waited. There was a feeling of eager anticipation as the immediacy of the Polaroid experience was different than waiting days to get the film developed. There was also a feeling of mystery as you were never quite sure what you would get. And there was always some magic at work as you watched the image gradually materialize. When fully formed, the image was familiar yet somehow unexpected, as if summoned from a slightly different reality, one that transformed it, this new memory, into an instant story as these images were often seen together in a photo album or taped beside each other on the back of a closet door or to a bedroom wall.
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To recreate the Polaroid experience, I use an app that allows me to capture images with long since deceased film stocks, lenses and cameras that mimic the Polaroid look and feel. A digital analog resurrection. There is still the same magic at work between the moment I take the shot and then look at it. That same sense of wonder and surprise is always there with the best shots.
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To me, the classic symmetry of the Polaroid square creates a profound intimacy, telling a tight story between the subject and the world around it. The Polaroid experience always felt precious, as there were limited exposures in a pack of film and you didn't want to waste one taking a second shot of the same thing. So, in the Polaroid spirit, I very rarely take more than one photo.
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From years as a film editor and director, I know the joy of combining images to create unexpected stories, emotions and moods and I wanted to share that sense of discovery. I've grouped my photographs into categories on this site but don't let that stop you from dipping into different groups and combining them in interesting ways for your walls. [I've included some examples of these mulit-photo layouts under the "Idea Wall" tab.]
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Browse, select your favorites and make your own stories.
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-Peter