The Death of Polaroid Instant Film Due to Digital Technology

Remember how exciting it was back in the day, to smile for a Polaroid instant film picture, and immediately be able to watch it develop? While the quality was not always the best, it was instant gratification. I can still remember the pungent smell of the coating that we would drag across the picture to seal it. And there was no waiting for a couple of weeks, to get your pictures developed at the neighborhood drug store. But with the advent of cell phones that can instantly capture a photograph, as well as digital cameras, those days are pretty much a faint memory. As digital cameras became more affordable, and people began to enjoy sharing their pictures over the Internet, the purchase of Polaroid instant film by the general consumer faded steadily.

Polaroid stopped making instant cameras for commercial use a couple of years ago, and for consumers about a year ago. (The first instant camera was marketed by Polaroid in 1948, and was an immediate success.) Polaroid instant film and cameras were at the peak of their popularity in the 1960s and the 1970s. But the company has now announced (2008), that when the amount of Polaroid instant film produced reaches enough to last the company through 2009, it will then stop production completely, according to Courtney Dentch, of Bloomberg.com. The company will now turn its focus to flat screen TVs and digital photography. Polaroid also has unveiled a line of ZINK (zero ink) printers, used in turning out wallet sized pictures, from a digital camera or camera phone in 60 seconds (without an ink cartridge.) The small printer size resembles a deck of cards. Polaroid also produces a variety of electronics, including TVs, computer monitors, and DVD players. The company was forced to file for bankruptcy in 2001. In 2005, it was taken over by a private investment company.

There is hope, however, for those who still value this type of photography. Polaroid plans to license the technology for their instant film to interested third-party companies. Also Fuji film will still continue to produce instant film, and its 4 types of available instant film fit Polaroid cameras. However, they were made for the old peel away picture cameras, and many photographers need film for an integral camera system, that was later produced by Polaroid. Fuji film has this type of film, but it only fits its own camera, the Instax. So the news has caused photographers to make a run on stores that still have a supply of the Polaroid instant film, and at least one web site has sprung up in protest-- savepolaroid.com. Unfortunately, due to oxidation, unlike some other types of film, the Polaroid instant film stands a high risk of being unusable after a couple of years.

Polaroid's founder, Edwin Land, had 533 patents, and only Thomas Edison held more, in all of U. S. history. It is said that one day Land, an experienced photographer, was on vacation in 1944, when his daughter wanted to know why it wasn't possible to see the picture he had taken immediately. He began to consider the possibilities, and on an hour long walk in Santa Fe, Land came up with many of the specifics. He worked for 3 years to perfect his idea, and the first Polaroid instant camera was called the Land Camera, after its inventor.

And it's not just photographers that will mourn the demise of Polaroid instant film. Police departments, hospitals, morgues, artists, researchers, doctors, forensics technicians, and many other professionals found the convenience of the instant film a definite plus. Polaroid instant film was always a hit at parties, family reunions, graduations, and holidays. Some artists choose the Polaroid instant film for their predominant medium. Many portrait photographers feel that there is a quality to Polaroid instant film that cannot be duplicated. Dermatologists and others in the medical field, have used Polaroid instant film for convenience, and have avoided going digital, because of the necessary downloads and the time involved. My husband, an adoption attorney, has frequently used Polaroid instant film, to take a picture of birth mothers, and an additional picture of the adoptive parents, to place in their legal files. Photography teachers also prefer to use the instant film for large format projects. Landscape photographers and scientists also depended on this type of film. Many motion picture photographers use Polaroid instant film to check lighting, and for test shots.

According to an article at Boston.com, by journalist Hiawatha Bray, a coroner in New York, James Dolan, has always slipped a Polaroid instant film photograph of the crime scene in an envelope, to be delivered along with the corpse, to the local medical examiner. Many areas of his county are rural, with no computer hookups available. Now he will have to find an alternative method of documenting the crime scene. Domestic violence divisions, crime scene investigators, and many detective units use the Polaroid instant film. When interviewed, many detectives expressed their fear of using traditional film and digital cameras, because of lack of experience. They were concerned with not getting a proper crime scene photo, and losing valuable evidence. When using Polaroid instant film, if the picture didn't turn out right, they knew immediately, and just took another shot.

After researching this topic, I am totally amazed at the number of people, particularly professionals, who are still using Polaroid instant film. And I am saddened to hear that very few photography students are now taught any traditional photography methods, and that the dark rooms, for the processing of film, are rarely used in most colleges. The "dark room" of today has become the computer, for downloading digital images. We risk future generations having no memories of film of any kind, except for what they read about, or see in museums. As one journalist surmised, "Polaroid instant film was killed by the 21st Century."

Sources: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=apSoe2r9tJ7M&refer=us
http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/08/polaroid-abandons-instant-photography/?hp
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080221-polaroid-60-years-marks-the-end-of-an-era.html
http://www.boston.com/ae/theater_arts/articles/2008/03/15/instant_karma/?page=1
http://reviews.photographyreview.com/blog/polaroid-ends-film-production
http://www.wtop.com/?nid=111&sid=1345069
http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/articles/2008/02/27/instant_consternation/
http://gizmodo.com/354567/polaroid-instant-film-killed-by-the-21st-century
http://www.savepolaroid.com/