My new book, Polaroids, is just completed. Below is my statement.
Polaroids have existed since before I was born, so throughout my life they were always there. Some of the first photographs taken of me as a newborn, which I still have, are Polaroids. As a child, family members would pull out the camera and photograph the holidays, parties or get-togethers with a Polaroid. In my adolescence, my friends and I would make pictures of ourselves goofing off, or of some mundane object or scene we came across. I took them for granted as part of the culture and assumed they would always be around.
These Polaroids were made primarily in 2008, around the time the Polaroid Corporation announced plans to discontinue producing their legendary films. I spent several months shooting as much of the film as I could afford, realizing it may soon be gone forever. This work is the result of my efforts.
Shortly after Polaroid discontinued production, a small group calling themselves The Impossible Project, came together and purchased some of Polaroid's equipment and sought to continue making their own instant film to be compatible with existing Polaroid cameras. In 2011, I purchased a pack of the new film and shot the 8 frames that were in the package. The films had to be reinvented, as the Polaroid dyes were no longer available. The new films offer instant pictures, like the original Polaroids, however, the dyes, colors and processing are slightly different. There is more variation in the exposures and color tones of the new film. A few of those are included in this body of work as well.
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