Polaroid Ending Production of Instant Film in 2009

There was probably more shock and dismay at the announcement this week of Polaroid ending their decades-long line of instant film next year than people realize. Some (and even Polaroid execs themselves) probably thought that it would be an archaic piece of technology quietly passing into obscurity. Well, a lot of people aren't taking it sitting down and letting the revolution of digital take over every single aspect of their lives. Digital junkies out there (I admit I'm one--at least for video and audio quality) will probably be perplexed that there's a group of people in the world who actually prefer using instant film over a digital camera when at a special event. But just as there's a strong contingent who still love the audio depth of LP records over the sometimes more compressed sound of CD's--some people just like to keep it simple (and fast) when attending a birthday party and taking a photo of their friend being feted.

Instant film should really be celebrated for even existing at all. Thanks to the brilliance of Polaroid founder Edwin Land, people as early as the late 1940's were able to take a picture of an event (or vacation) and be able to see the results of how good or bad of a photographer you were in minutes. When the first instant camera appeared in 1947--Polaroid made a fortune off of the post-WWII crowd who wanted to have a method of preserving memories of the emerging Baby Boom. If you look at old photo albums starting from the late 40's on from your grandparents' person collection today--you'll frequently see some of the oldest Polaroid instant photos dated from the late 40's and early 50's. But that generation didn't initially have a chance to use those instant film cartridges people from my generation used (Generation X). The only inconvenience from the 1940's to the 1960's was the roll film that had to be put into the instant camera--along with having to deal with a light meter in order to get the lighting just right.

When Polaroid announced they'll do away with their brand of instant film in 2009--a lot of message boards for photography lit up like an old flash bulb in protest. Polaroid may find out now just how much of a niche market they had with instant film...

Credit: hugoslv - sxc.hu

Copyright: hugoslv - sxc.hu