Category Archives: The Impossible Project

{Instant England} On Holiday

November 25, 2012 11:01 am ⋅ Leave a Comment ⋅

‘Ello guvna!

I went to England again, ya’ll. As was the case in 2006, I took along an exorbitant amount of film cameras. Are seven cameras too many cameras? Probably! I lugged those cameras around and shot about 22 rolls of film! I foresee it being a few weeks before it’s all developed and ready to be shared with you all! In the meantime, here are the (random) shots taken with my Polaroid SLR 680 and Impossible Project PX 680 Color Protection film (or Colour Protection – these were taken in England after all!)  This film is so awesome! It performs better than any other Impossible Project film I’ve tried thus far.

(Of course, being slightly careless, I put some of these pictures in my pocket to help warm them during development, causing the photos to crumple and acquire some “character flaws.” Just thought I should mention that, since these flaws were not the fault of the film but of the one using the film!)

 

I loved all the awesome doorknockers in London

Cuteness from Kayla’s kitchen 

 Yellow roses, on top of the recycling bins outside the Swiss Cottage Tube station

( Silhouetted) The Rising Sun pub in the Tottenham Court area

 Another awesome doorknocker 

 Memorial statue dedicated to WWII Polish General/Prime Minister Wladyslaw Sikorski 

Festive shop window 

 Iron railing + window flower box

Pretty seafoam/turquoise-y railing   

(Greasy) eggs and a side of chips at a Russell Square cafe

Gold flower on iron gate in Bloomsbury

 

Sadly, I dropped my beautiful, near-mint Polaroid SLR 680 one grey afternoon in England. That cut short my ability to use the last pack of Impossible Project film I had brought  with me. However, the bright side to not being able to use that film in England is that I’ve been able to sort of get my 680 working again and have been using that pack of film here in the States! You’ll see some of those results on the blog as well!

Posted in: Polaroid, The Impossible Project, travel photography ⋅ Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

Out with the Gold, in with the New

October 19, 2012 9:30 am ⋅ Leave a Comment ⋅

Subtitled: The Good, the Bad, and the Divoted

I have been saving up a stash of the Impossible Project’s gold frame PX 680 film. I bought it in June, hoping that I’d buy a plane ticket to London in July, for a November travel date. I also hoped that I would find a Polaroid 680 SLR that’d be perfect for me, before November rolled around. All of the above goals were met. However, I was so anxious to use my Polaroid 680 that I couldn’t let the gold frame PX 680 sit unused for another month! I decided I should burn through my last two packs of gold frame film right now, so I’d have a good excuse to buy the newest Impossible Project film. From all accounts, their new film kicks major booty!

First photo taken with my new camera – I then accidentally dropped and broke the lid to my sister’s  glass pumpkin jar. Womp womp.

Goldenrod 

Balloon dart game at my niece’s school carnival

“All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth” Club, guests at my niece’s birthday party

Red leaf on a rainy day

I tweeted about my plan to “accidentally” use up all my gold frame film in order to make room for their new color protection film; The Impossible Project tweeted back saying I should, since the gold frame film is turning into “old generation film” now that it’s been about a year since its production date. Boy, were they RIGHT! I had little of the tell-tale maturation issues when I put the first pack of gold film through my 680, but pack #2 was very much touch and go. Some of the shots had divots and uneven developer distribution/undeveloped patches. We’ll just say that it gives the photos a more “artsy” look!

My divot-y French press coffee and homemade baked donut

Baked pumpkin donut on one of my favorite saucers

For a new photo series I’m starting – more on that later

 

I’ll write up a proper review of the Polaroid 680 when I’ve put more film through it. I can already tell you that I’m in the early stages of love with that camera though!

Posted in: film photography, Polaroid, The Impossible Project ⋅ Tagged: , , , , ,

Tourist for a Day

June 24, 2012 11:56 am ⋅ 3 Comments ⋅

I’m going to introduce you to Kayla today.  Kayla has lived here, there, and yon, being the child of a military family and all. She and I know one another because she lived here in the Mid-South for some years, and we ran in the same circles (hardcore circles.)


Flashback: Kayla, circa 2001/2002

Kayla and I hadn’t seen each other in years. MANY years. That might have something to do with the fact that she lives in England now with her British hubby. Though it’s been somewhere between 7 and 9 years since she and I have been in the same room, aren’t we lucky that social networking has worked wonders for our ability to keep in touch? I love her Tweets about her life “over yonder” and her cute baking ventures (many of which are up on her blog!) There may be 4000+ miles between us, but I’ve still got an open invitation to come over to her house for a baking date!

During Kayla’s most recent trip to ‘merica, she and I reunited over brekkie at Brother Juniper’s – my first time to hit that Memphis breakfast/brunch hot spot. It was awesome! Though I’m pretty sure our lengthy breakfast tête-à-tête nearly got us booted from our table! Are two and a half hour breakfast dates unusual??

Because Kayla’s parents have relocated to the Midwest, she isn’t sure how often she’ll be able to visit Memphis when she is able to make an appearance stateside.  She wanted to do some “touristy” things before she left town this time. I was happy to tag along for this! We took a jaunt downtown to see the Peabody ducks, to stop in at some of the souvenir shops on Beale, and to peek into the windows of the pretty shops on South Main. Kayla’s quest for just the right souvenir to take back to England for her husband led us to the Stax Museum – as well as to a new friend for Kayla and  my next opportunity to stare at Otis Redding’s jacket.

I am utterly shocked that these were essentially the only photos committed to film during the day Kayla and I spent together – considering how she’s photogenic and how our activities that day including many things that would fall into the category of being “photographically interesting.” I just didn’t feel like removing myself from “the moment” long enough to go into “documentary photographer” mode! Though there were too few frames of film spent on this glorious day, I think we really made ’em count! Playing the part of Memphis tourist was perfect fodder for some Polaroids taken with Impossible Project film! The perfect materials for tourist photos, in my humble opinion.

Oooooh, Memphis. A 1970 Caddy sitting in front of an establishment, advertising their brunch. There are normally a pair of longhorns attached to the front of the car, but someone took them off. No worries though, we were assured that the horns were back in the proper hands and WOULD be reattached. 

“What’s your sign?” Pshaw! Kayla asks, “What’s your punctuation mark?” Kayla actually felt like a semi-colon that day, but the camera turned her into more of an apostrophe. 

Luvbots

An unforgettable visit to the Stax Museum. Kayla’s tattoos and my hair were dubbed “swagnificent.”

I have to say that this was the ideal hang out session with a friend you haven’t seen in years. We brought each other up to speed on our respective lives, we reminisced about the past, and we forged new memories together. Success! England really is “home” for Kayla now, but I think it’s safe to say (in the words of Andrew Bryant) she “left her heart on the Tennessee border.”

Now. I think it’s MY turn to show up in Kayla’s town and play tourist…

Anyone interested in raising funds through a “Send Amanda to England Bake Sale and Crafts Bazaar”??

🙂

(Polaroids were taken with the Polaroid Sun 660 AF and Impossible Project PX 680 Color Shade Gold Frame film)

Edited to add:

I had a roll of film in my Yashica Electro 35 GT the day Kayla and I spent together in Memphis. I didn’t get it developed until September, three months after the photos were taken. Turns out I had committed just a few more frames of film to the day than just the Polaroids I originally posted here! Woo-hoo!

Posted in: friends, personal, The Impossible Project, Uncategorized ⋅ Tagged: , , , , , , ,

{Instant Wedding} Hope and Richard

May 25, 2012 8:16 pm ⋅ 1 Comment ⋅

Today, I offer up the instant photos I took at Hope and Richard’s wedding. Using Polaroid cameras and Impossible Project films throughout the day was SO FUN! I knew the lovely bride and groom would dig the look and feel of these Polaroids, especially since I had purchased a bag of Impossible Project “old generation” film. Those older generation films can produce some unpredictable results!

One thing I enjoyed about photographing Hope and Richard’s wedding was that they decided to go against tradition and see each other before the ceremony. They had a little bit of private time with one another before the hub-bub of the wedding got into full swing. Of course, they wanted photos of this, so I was there as well!

(Polaroid Sun 660 AF • PX 600 Silver Shade “matured” film)

Waiting on Hope to come down to meet him

Seeing each other for the first time on their wedding day

Admiring his bride-to-be

 

(Polaroid SX-70 Sonar • PX 70 Color Shade Cool film)

So happy together!

Heart-shaped ring pop I brought to use as a prop during the photos I would be taking during their pre-wedding time together

Bride and her Maids

 

(Polaroid Sun 600 AF • PX 680 Color Shade “matured” film)

Elenore, the sweet little flower girl

JUST married!

First dance!

Dance floor

 

Prior to the wedding, Hope requested that we display her bridal portrait Polaroids at the reception. I told her that it might be cool if we also hung up the instant photos I would be taking throughout the day of the wedding. I’m so glad we were able to do that!

 

Posted in: Polaroid, The Impossible Project, wedding photography ⋅ Tagged: , , , ,