playing with polaroid

A great opportunity popped up London last month - a Polaroid workshop run by Cyrus Mahboubian with the Impossible Project and Rough Trade. My friend Kirstin told me about it and today she's sharing her experience here. The workshop offered a little bit of history of polaroid and what The Impossible Project have been up to the past few years. We looked at other polaroid artists and were shown tips on shooting - like shielding your photo as it pops out, although there was much excitement about recent the launch of the new film, but it wasn't available at the time. Then you get given a pack of film from the Impossible Project as part of the workshop ready for a photowalk. 

20 of us headed out into the glimmering sun and dreamy blue skies, all giddy with excitement and ready to shoot. A photo can be taken at every turn of the Brick Lane area in East London, it's so cool; a mix of bars & restaurants and market stalls, with graffiti and colour everywhere. We took photos of each other and random things found. It really was liberating knowing that we should just play and shoot our 8 frames of instant film, just experiment and learn from each other… and embrace all results, perfect or not, as part of the learning experience. It was fabulous to see what everyone shot; a mini exhibition spread across the cafe table at Rough Trade.

Here are my four favourite polaroids of the day… I'm so excited to shoot more when I'm at Oasis in a couple of weeks with the other polaroid sisters. Yay!

What have you done with your photography lately that's different from your usual routine? Have you played and experimented with something out of your comfort zone? please share with us today.

If you'd like more information about other polaroid workshops in your city, please visit the Impossible Project calendar - there's even another one in London next week. If you can't take part in a workshop, why not gather some other photographers and take a photowalk of your own.

Comments

[justine]

I've just booked for next saturday! it looks great.

[Marcie]

The polaroid/impossible project workshops look like so much fun!

My 'new' thing is playing with still life:
http://www.marciescudderphotography.com/home/2012/10/4/make-one-thing.html

[Kirstin]

These pictures bring back such happy memories! Let's do some more Polaroids again soon! x

[Meghan @ Life Refocused]

WOOT! I love the Impossible Project and shooting with my Polaroid cameras. So glad you and Kirstin got to play.

[Debra]

Yay! I'm so thrilled that you're feeling the Polaroid love now. And so cool that you and Kirstin posted about this on the same day. It's great how assignments like this get us our of the mindset of hoarding "precious" instant film and just into shooting and experimentation (I shot two whole packs last Sunday - So liberating!). Can't wait for some Polaroid walking at Oasis!

[Jade]

Aw, man! Wish I was in London attending it! I've been OBSESSED with polaroid/instant film for the last 3 years! The Impossible Project is such an amazing group of people.

[Sara]

I've been playing with Polaroid and Impossible Project film lately too!

http://wandercraft.blogspot.com/

I also bought and shot a couple rolls with a medium format camera but haven't posted them yet. It's been really fun to experiment!

[L. McG.-E.]

This sounds like such good fun. I must see if there is something like this in Cardiff or Bristol where I could meet some fellow Polaroid shooters.

I had a day of Polaroids in Cardiff by myself on 6th of October:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/penbleth/archives/date-taken/2012/10/06/

Lynn