Break it like a Polaroid picture

In yet another sign that digital photography is killing off film, the inventor of the instant picture, Polaroid Corp., will shut down its remaining U.S. film plants in March, according to the Wall Street Journal. (The move follows Polaroid's discontinuation of instant cameras last year, as outlined by this NY Times blog.) The company will lay off hundreds of jobs and focus its energies on digital technologies, printers, and flatscreen TVs. 

Where will those longtime fans of Polaroid instant cameras turn? "The company is shopping its technology and a sale could result in a third party making film for Polaroid products," said spokeswoman Amanda Schuneman in the WSJ story.

While most snapshot enthusiasts have apparently long ago made the switch to digital, we have to wonder what this development will mean to larger-format shooters who have relied on Polaroids for instant demos. The tools they are a-changin. — Jack Crager

Comments

[Brandon Landas]

What does this mean for fine art and experimental photographers as well... no more polaroid transfers. Yes, photoshop has similar effects, but there is nothing like waiting to see what you are going to come up with, while manually manipulating the photo, and having a truly one of a kind image that no matter how hard you try can not be exactly duplicated. >SIGH<

[Bryan C]

I suspect the people who'll feel this loss most keenly are large-format photographers who use peel-apart Polaroid films. Either for either previewing exposure or as their medium of choice. Digital can be a perfectly good alternative for snapshots, but large-format digital backs are very expensive. Fuji now makes some instant films for this market and there's a chance they may license the now-abandoned technology from Polaroid.

[kristy]

I think this is so sad. It is removing a medium for artistic expression from the world and forcing the art of photography to move one more step away from being a physical, tactile art form.

http://twoifbysee.blogspot.com/2008/02/in-some-sad-but-not-shocking-news.html