Thoughts On: Polaroids

Polaroids have been back in the market for a while now stocked on shelves of Urban Outfitters and lifestyle brands. Everyone seems to get a polaroid as a Christmas gift or an impulse buy online. I got mine as a gift. But is the relevance of the instant camera just because of the trend or is there something that the public has come to love once again?

Obviously, a lot of the younger generation and VSCO girls are getting polaroids for the trendy aesthetic, and I’m not hating on that at all. There’s definitely a unique look of a polaroid that’s different from a regular iPhone picture. I also fully understand this trend of bringing back retro vibes, and I’m also guilty of hopping on that train. However, I don’t think that’s the only thing. For some reason I think that there’s more to this popular comeback than just riding the “retro wave.”

Personally, I love having around an instant camera, but it wasn’t to post nostalgic pictures on VSCO with tacky film filters. I loved the feel and the touch of a physical print. There’s something different about feeling a physical photo in my hands or in my wallet of me and my friends that makes me almost idolize the presence of my Fujifilm Instax Mini 90.

For those of you who own one of these cameras, I’m gonna definitely recommend that you guys make some sort of book with the photos you’ve taken with it. Whether it’s just a snapshot of a tree or a nice picture with your friends at dinner, I found that having all of them in one place organized chronologically makes it that much more important. It looks nice, too, for your feeds (for you Instagram people). 

I’ve had this Polaroid camera for a couple of years, but I’ve only started to consistently take polaroids since last year. Now I have a book of my last summer of high school and my first year in college. I have to say; it’s nice to have something to just look back on. They kinda serve as the highlights of my friendships and get-togethers and brings back nostalgic vibes.

I will admit though; the one downside of Polaroids is the price. The camera itself isn’t too expensive, but the film itself cost a shit ton to get enough to last a year of consistent shooting. But honestly, I see it as an investment for a genuine hobby of mine. So, if you genuinely like taking photos and recording memories, I see it as a genuine investment. Also, Amazon always has the polaroid packs as a cheaper bundle cost.

It sounds weird, but I’m kinda proud of my little polaroid book. I really hope that I can show it to my kids, and maybe even grandkids, one day and tell them my story.