Sunday, February 22, 2009

Mama can take my Kodachrome away

Polaroids are back in a big way. In the art world (Polaroid Art Show), in the book world ("FOUND Polaroids" by Jason Bitner, 2006), in digital and traditional scrapbooking (Polaroid Cluster at Scrappy Pony Designs), in Outsider Art (Polaroid House), and in the retro nostalgic revival movement (The Polaroid Project: save the Poloroid film factory-amass a collection from the world-and build a museum and ).



For years avid artists and photographers have use Polaroids to make transfer photo art (see also, Polaroid Transfer Art website) as well as abused Polaroid photo art via etching and scratching.





The best Everyman use of the old Polaroid however, is in the Poladroid Project (www.poladroid.net), a free software download to let you make Polaroids out of your digital (or Kodachrome) pictures. It even permits you the satisfaction of the full experience: waiting expectantly for the photo to emerge, and shaking the damn thing to help it develop quicker (a forerunner of repeatedly pushing the elevator button)!



Now today's youngsters who had no typewriters, no rotary princess phones, and certainly no Polaroid cameras, can experience the ooooo! and ahhhhh! of the Polaroid Experience.
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Available for both Mac & PC (n.b., would not download using Firefox).

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