Polaroid

Spring Polaroid Week 2022 | Urizen Freaza

Dear FSC friends, this is Urizen Freaza.

Polaroid Week and this roundup always make me think about what's so special about instant photography. The first time someone asked me why I shot polaroid, I didn't know what to reply. At the time analogue was supposed to be dead and all this stuff was hipster nonsense that people did to make themselves feel special. And this is what my friend thought I was doing. And I hated that. As one of those 'wit of the staircase' moments, I believe this is why I keep obsessively asking myself this question: 'why polaroid?' Even today. So next time I might have a better answer (at least better than none).

My answer today is: anticipation.

Apparently, research has shown that anticipating a holiday you are planning brings you more joy than remembering the actual holiday after it happened. If you think about it, it's not surprising at all. Happiness is in the waiting room to happiness, they say.

And well, there is for sure no anticipation in a digital snapshot, nor in any other aspect of modern life (I'm sounding here like I'm 100 years old). There's not even a split of a quantum of a moment between taking the shot, turning around whatever the screen, and seeing it. It means nothing. A polaroid #1. costs a fortune and #2. forces you to... *wait*.

Oh those agonizing minutes! It is work! Sweaty emotional work! Will something appear? Is it underexposed? What did I mess up this time? The focus, the framing? And that polaroid is not fully as you expected, it feels almost as if it never is! But sometimes, yes, just sometimes, it's better than you ever could have imagined.

That's magic, that's happiness.

Here's again a respectfully imperfect roundup of the photos tagged with #fscpolaroid on instagram during Spring Polaroid Week 2022. Please go check the artist's profiles, and if you like what you see, follow them and show them love. And most importantly, check out the Polaroid Week pool on Flickr, on Twitter, and on Instagram .

Connect

Urizen Freaza was born in Tenerife in 1982 and is since 2010 based in Berlin. He's a self-taught photographer and film-maker. Self-taught meaning that this is a path he's still walking, while hoping there is always more path to walk. He's a member of the Film Shooters Collective and part of the team behind the analogueNOW! festival in Berlin. See more of his work on his website and on Instagram.

Fall Polaroid Week Roundup | Urizen Freaza

Dear FSC friends, this is Urizen Freaza.

Roid Week was over a month ago, so this roundup is kind of coming quite late... But like with a tasteful meal, you shouldn't rush with Roid Week. Twice a year i discover new instant photographers and see what the old pals have been up to. It is a gathering, if only online, of my tribe. The people who understand why I look at an instant photo rolling out of a camera and see magic. For six days our community shows and shares.

Why is that important? Because, my friends, we instant photographers are strange. We complain and we compare what we have to something that no longer exists. We hate and we are easily outraged. Sometimes so much so that one would think the magic of the image rolling out of the camera is no longer the most important part of the whole deal. Not everyone, not all the time. And definitely... not on Roid Week!

It's important because what we perceive as materials for that magic, is what profit-driven companies call product. I'm not saying 'fortunately' or 'unfortunately', it's just so. So if there is a future for us, it will only happen if we show these companies that we are plenty.

Twice a year I see what the old pals have been up to. But more importantly, i discover new artists working on the medium. And that's future. So if this medium is important to you, share it. Share your love for it, share your work, share your knowledge. Or all three things at once.

Here's a roundup of the photos submitted to Film Shooters Collective and the ones tagged as #fscpolaroid on instagram during Roid Week. Please go check the artist's profiles, and if you like what you see, follow them and show them love. And more importantly, check the Roid Week pool on Flickr, on Twitter, and on Instagram .

Connect

Urizen Freaza was born in Tenerife in 1982 and is since 2010 based in Berlin. He's a self-taught photographer and film-maker. Self-taught meaning that this is a path he's still walking, while hoping there is always more path to walk. He's a member of the Film Shooters Collective and part of the team behind the analogueNOW! festival in Berlin. See more of his work on his website and on Instagram.

Cars on Film | Russ Morris

Cars on Film | Russ Morris

Cars on Film: 13 photos, 9 cameras and 8 types of film. Perfect fodder for film junkies!