A Guide to Polaroid Photography

How "Polaroid" became a household name

Polaroid was, of course, originally the company that brought Polaroid cameras to market, founded by Edwin H. Land, the inventor of the instant camera. Edwin H. Land came up with the idea of developing a camera that could print immediately after his three-year-old daughter asked during a holiday why she could not see the photo straight away. He made it possible to take a Polaroid photo with a Polaroid camera and Polaroid plastic.

How the Polaroid camera works

A Polaroid camera directs light to a light-sensitive area so that the image can be captured. The photo consists of various layers that contain all kinds of substances. These layers allow an image to appear on the photo. One of these layers enables development: the reagent layer. This reagent is located on the white border of the film we mentioned earlier.

The moment the film comes out of the camera, the reagent is spread across the film as a layer. The light-sensitive substances react with dyes and, as the Polaroid photo slowly appears, you see the substances settle in the right place and react to the light. You see a faint image become sharper and sharper. The Polaroid brand still exists today.

Polaroid photo fans

Ramona Deckers is also a fan of Polaroid cameras: "I recently bought the latest Polaroid OneStep 2 camera. That camera has cool features. Ten years ago, I bought an old Polaroid camera at Brick Lane Market in London (where I was living at the time and studying fashion journalism at the London College of Fashion) for 15 pounds (see photo next to this)."

Ramona: "I still work with it! My work horse. Nostalgic value! I also have a Polaroid Land Camera (one of those accordion-style ones). That creates completely different, beautiful images. You can collect those images in a Polaroid album or on a Polaroid wall. Very cool. Then you can really picture it.

Because you can only take a limited number of photos, you have to think in advance about what you want to shoot. I like working with Polaroids because it is snapshot-esque. It is quick and whimsical. You immediately see what the series looks like. When you are working with film, it is quite nice and useful to be able to show the team something straight away."

Tip 1: Place the film in your camera carefully

When the film is exposed to light, it is no longer usable. So carefully open the flap, remove the empty film, remove the silver foil from the pack of Polaroid photos, place the film in the Polaroid camera (making sure the full line on the camera lines up with the line on the film) and close the flap properly. Take a first test photo, and the first piece of plastic from your film will roll out of your camera. Give it a little shake and you can admire it.

Tip 2: Think carefully about what you want to show

Your photos are fairly expensive, so think carefully about what you want to show and emphasise. You do not always see exactly through the viewfinder what will eventually appear in the frame, so it is smart not to focus on details, but on atmosphere, colours and well-considered compositions. The viewfinder is usually to the right of the lens and the image often shifts slightly to the left, so you can take that into account in advance. That way, you make sure you get the very best out of your prints.

Tip 3: Not too close, not too far away

Bear in mind that the photo will be fairly small, and you do want your subject to be clearly visible. With many Polaroid cameras, it is therefore recommended to stand at least 60 centimetres away from your subject. The maximum distance is about 6 metres.

Tip 4: The right lighting conditions

Your photos are fairly expensive, so think carefully about what you want to show and emphasise. You do not always see exactly through the viewfinder what will eventually appear in the frame, so it is smart not to focus on details, but on atmosphere, colours and well-considered compositions. The viewfinder is usually to the right of the lens and the image often shifts slightly to the left, so you can take that into account in advance. That way, you make sure you get the very best out of your prints.

Tip 5: Make use of the white border

Because of the photo’s white border, colourful and busy backgrounds really stand out. You can use this in a fun way, for example by using brightly coloured walls or shooting images on an extremely sunny day.

Tip 6: Let loose!

Precisely by shooting more casually, as you often do with analogue photography and Lomography, you can create creative images. Let loose! Try new things. Think outside the box and play with imperfections, light and effects.

Tip 7: Less is more

With old Polaroid cameras, the photo developed just a little more beautifully if you shook it, but with more modern instant cameras this is no longer necessary! Please note: do not break or bend your newly developed photo either, as this will make the colours appear less well.

Tip 8: Read up

Here you will find 35 useful tips and tricks about camera modes, selfies, working with tripods and a remote control. In Polaroid magazine, you will find articles about creative photographers, Instant Films, cameras and accessories.

Tip 9: Store carefully

Keep your photos in a room that is no warmer than 40 degrees. Do not expose them to direct sunlight. Photos become slightly faded over time, but you can keep them for seven years. New films are best stored in a room at 25 degrees.

Tip 10: Digital instant cameras

Did you know that digital instant cameras also exist? With these, you can save photos using an SD card and print them later as a Polaroid. Give it a try. It is very handy. The instant photo version 2.0! As you can see, the instant camera is still very much evolving.