A Tragic Loss

upon the discovery that Polaroid is ceasing all production of its LEGENDARY instant film by next year (due to ever-declining sales), i had a mini panic attack and bought 6 more packs. i believe i have one cartridge left sitting somewhere in my room, and a few exposures remaining in the camera. i don't bring that camera around as much as i should. i figure it'll come in handy when i travel. i suppose i will be stocking up on the film now, and perhaps a couple more cameras, whenever i feel like spending extra money. it costs approximately $1.35 per photo, but it's pretty much worth it.

my point is not to bore you with my fondness for my camera, but rather, to ask the question: how digital is this world striving to become?
it's obvious that non-digital photography costs much more, but are we willing to sacrifice history and tradition for money? i see the Polaroid phenomenon as a bridge to the gap that the olden days and technology have created. the Polaroid Corporation saw that the rapid progression of technology was kindling the human desire for instant gratification, therefore they resolved the burden of getting our photos developed by providing us with the next best thing. since then, technology has far surpassed the instant film camera, but it shall always be a staple of our society. i can't imagine a world without it.

you have to admit, there is just a certain feel to the Polaroid. it brings us to the past that we never knew. it's romantic; the anticipation for the image to show completely; the way the picture always possesses a vintage demeanor. the illusion is real.

and speaking beyond the subject of photography, don't you sometimes ponder how far technology and "innovation" will go? aren't you sometimes just sick of skyscrapers? and long to be standing next to St. Peters, or the Arc de Triomphe? i believe the old and new should co-exist, only that the new seems to be constantly squeezing the old out of the picture. (zing!...get it? picture? yeah, okay.)


enough for now.