Pat Sansone on the Polaroid SX-70

Pat Sansone with an awesome Polaroid SLR 680 SE (blue button), photo courtesy of The Impossible Project.

Pat Sansone, from one of my favorite bands - The Autumn Defense, and some other band called Wilco, has written an article at Aquarium Drunkard about Dr. Land's masterpiece, the Polaroid SX-70. He talks about discovering the SX-70 camera, and falling in love with the colors. He also bemoans the death of SX-70 film in 2008, and how it forced him to grow as a photographer.

It's a nice read. I'm about the same age as Mr. Sansone, so I understand what he means about being from an "in-between generation," technology-wise.

He also just closed an exhibition at The Impossible Project space for his recently published book, 100 Polaroids. Here's a nice set of pics from the opening party by Joshua J. Sarner.

Vampire Weekend Cover Photo Controversy Continues

Ann Kirsten Kennis, by ????

I can't resist a Polaroid-related news story.

PDN Pulse is reporting that things are looking worse for Tod Brody, the photographer that licensed the above image to Vampire Weekend for the cover of their Contra album. In case you've missed it, former model Ann Kirsten Kennis (pictured) sued Vampire Weekend, who in turn sued Brody, who in turn is hiding from Process Servers. Long ways to go still.

The more important question to me is, SX-70 or Type 88? I'm leaning towards SX-70 even though the bottom of the frame is cut off, just look at those colors.

Polaroid Model 250 Reissue

Polaroid 250 Limited Edition Reissue.

This was in my Impossible Project spam a few days ago, and it looks like they're already sold out? The Limited Edition Polaroid 250. These are actually from LandCameras.com. They've been converted to rechargeable batteries and standard shoe-mount flash (included) by Cory Verellen.

Is it as cool as the Limited Edition Polaroid 185 from Polaroid Japan? No. But still pretty cool.

Liv Tyler by Anton Corbijn for G-Star Raw

Liv Tyler by Anton Corbijn for G-Star Raw, originally uploaded by G-StarRaw.

One more Anton Corbijn post and then I'll give it a rest. A small, but nice, Flickr set from G-Star Raw. Liv Tyler by Anton Corbijn.

Shadow Play: The Making of Anton Corbijn

Shadow Play: The Making of Anton Corbijn Trailer, originally uploaded by RoninKengo.

In keeping with the Anton Corbijn theme, I ran across this trailer while I was looking for other Corbijn material. I was unaware of this film but I'd love to see it. Hey Netflix, how about getting on that?

Tom Waits to Publish Book of Poetry

Tom Waits by Anton Corbijn.

This will probably be a must-have if you're a Tom Waits fan. A planned poetry/photography book collaboration with Michael O'Brien. From the article;

There are no concrete details as to when the book will be published, but the project has reportedly been conceived as a modern version of Let Us Now Praise Famous Men, the famous collaboration between writer James Agee and photographer Walker Evans, which documented the hardtack lives of dust bowl sharecroppers and was first published in 1941. Rather than Mid-Western farmers, however, Waits and O’Brien’s book should examine the lives of the homeless.

The photograph above is from Waits/Corbijn - Photographs 1977-2010.

Seen at The Prague Post.

Steve Jobs Meets Dr. Land

DSC_0975, originally uploaded by infrar3d.

I'm a huge fan of all things Polaroid, and especially of the man that invented the instant film process, among many, many other things - Edwin H. Land. There's a very nice little article at the Signal vs. Noise blog at 37signals that gives a brief history of Dr. Land and Polaroid. It also relates an anecdote about a fateful meeting Steve Jobs had with Land shortly before he was ousted from Apple in 1985, just as Land had been at Polaroid a few years earlier.

There are links out to a couple of other interesting, related articles as well, and some insider posts in the comments.

Seen at Fashion Copious.