So you know I couldn't wait to try out the SX-70. I'd heard that there's a bit of a learning curve with these, and now I can attest to it first hand!
Polaroid 600 film (the only film I have) isn't made for an SX-70; it's much faster than SX-70 film, and so when using the two together you are supposed to cut out some light with a filter to keep from overexposing your images. Of course, I don't have a filter, and I didn't want to wait to get one to try the camera. Because I was worried about overexposure, I decided to try my first shot away from a window, under incandescent lights.
The first try:
Ack! Haha, okay, that wasn't quite what I was going for. The shutter stayed open for a *long* time, so long that I thought something was wrong and turned the camera around to look at it, resulting in this mess of an image. Also, the incandescent light turned super yellow in the photo.
Take two:
This time I was expecting the shutter to stay open for awhile, so I attempted to hold the camera as still as I could. Nevertheless, I couldn't hold it *that* still, and camera shake caused the image to come out blurry. Plus, the incandescent light created a strong yellow cast again. The overall effect is just *too* surreal for me!
Third times a charm:
For the third shot, I moved to the window. I took these fairly late in the evening, but there was still some nice natural light coming in. I set the camera on top of a sturdy surface (my tv) and tried to move it as little as possible when I pressed the button to open the shutter. Bingo! The winning combination is natural light and a sturdy surface. I nearly jumped up and down with glee when this photo developed - I love the dreamy soft colors, the texture of the background (look at those little blurry circles in the radiator!), and the gorgeous depth of field that comes from the manual focus. Obviously, I wasn't paying much attention to composition here (yes, that is Caesar's cat tree in the background), but I love the photo anyway.
Today my head is full of my new camera - I can't wait to get home and play with it some more. Now I just have to be careful not to fly through my film supply too quickly!
'Watcha Wearing Wednesday' is coming later - I hope your day is going well!
13 comments:
I love the "process" and the final result looks so pretty!!
This is going to sound so weird, but in my photography class we learned about using nude-colored pantyhose as a soft focus filter for a camera--it blocks out some light too! I liked using it with my film SLR and my digital point and shoot-- maybe it would work as a polaroid filter?
I think all of the pictures look great! The final picture is really pretty.
I love the final product! Thanks for sharing the whole process.
YES! you're getting good after only 3 tries! great image, have fun experimenting, sometimes thats the best part!
Love your photos...Have lots of fun xx
you should watch this. it's sorta like an infomercial for the original polaroids cameras. it was done by charles and ray eames...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jaiq_ZZ_eM
That last photo is gorgeous! When I did my beginner photography class they told us when we use slow shutter speeds to use the self timer so that when the photo is actually taken we are not touching the camera at all and therefore there is no camera shake. Not that I am one to give photography tips. I am still working on my photography skills.
Thanks for the support, everyone! Chelsea, that is a great tip - thanks! I'll let you know if I try it out. Drew, I LOVE the video. Thank you! Kat, yeah that would be good, but this camera doesn't have a self-timer. It is a really helpful technique for DSLRs though - thanks!
Hi Alli, speaking of "camera love", you might like to see this short piece by my niece Danielle who's a bit of a camera lover too....
http://www.flickr.com/photos/indie_danielle/sets/72157623000782099/
I love the end result! It's so summery looking! I REALLY have summer on the brain right now...
love it!!
I had to dig out my other polaroids because of yours.
I have a Polaroid land camera model 95 and a Polaroid automatic 250 land camera.
thanks for sharing your pics.
Michelle, that video is AMAZING! Thanks for sharing; I love it.
Thanks Crystel and Gina! Gina, I'm glad to spread the Polaroid excitement!
Sigh...never had a Polaroid, and I want one! The pictures are great - I kind of like your surreal second one too! Otherworldly. Maybe a colored filter would change the yellow overtones of incandescent light another shade? That would be a fun experiment. I want the sun to come out so that I can play with my new pihole camera...
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