The Polaroid OneStep SX-70
Sometimes failure can be a good thing. Sometimes the accidental can be refreshing. Sometimes not planning can create surprising results. Last week I bought a Polaroid OneStep SX-70 camera for $9.99 at a thrift store in Joshua Tree, California. I planned on shooting a great 8-photograph series in the Mojave Desert. I inserted my Impossible Project color film and then chaos ensued.
All 8-photographs exposed themselves and ejected from the faulty camera in 12 seconds. The shutter was apparently stuck and $23.49 worth of film flew out of the Polaroid as I screamed WTF and wildly swung the camera around while pointing it out the window.
My preparations on subject, exposure, composition, focus, lighting and framing were null and void and all I had were 8 shots taken automatically in 12 seconds by a screaming lunatic holding a click crazy camera.
You know what…I really love them. Here are the photographs in chronological order as they came out of the camera:
The 8 Prematurely Ejected Photographs
The takeaway I learned is ALWAYS test your Polaroid camera with an empty film pack as the battery inside the pack is the power source for the camera.
Test your Polaroid with a used film pack
You can learn more about the iconic Polaroid SX-70 here and if you have an old Polaroid that needs some repairs or customization then check out 2ndshotsx70
Until next time…
One Comment
Damn. Old photographs are so nice!!