Polaroid launches global campaign capturing real life

Fifteen photographers interpret their world through the unexpected and unpredictable imperfections captured on Polaroid film

From left to right: Photographed by Rayan Nohra, Thalía Gochez, Lin Zhipeng aka No.223, Edie Sunday shot on Generation 2 Polaroid Now+ & Now cameras
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From left to right: Photographed by Rayan Nohra, Thalía Gochez, Lin Zhipeng aka No.223, Edie Sunday shot on Generation 2 Polaroid Now+ & Now cameras

Polaroid film parallels real life. The unique recipe of film chemistry mixed with a photographer’s vision and unpredictable environment creates a one-of-a-kind image where flaws are celebrated, and perfection isn’t the answer. Real life is beautifully imperfect. Real life is unpredictable. It's messy. It’s color you can’t control. It’s dots and unwanted marks. It’s wild. Real Life is beautiful as it is.

Through the lens of 15 photographers from Stockholm to Iran, Polaroid is celebrating four truths found in the connection between real life and Polaroid imagery.

Real Life is having to wait.

Nothing worthwhile should come in an instant. Not even Polaroid photography. Life, like the development of Polaroid film, is worth the wait. Born and raised amidst the vibrant energy of Brooklyn, New York, Andre D. Wagner's work reflects the city's essence and the magic of the everyday through city streets, neighborhoods, and parades.

“It's an essential tool and fact of being human. I find beauty in waiting,” Wagner said.

Photography by Andre D. Wagner - Shot on Generation 2 Polaroid Now+ camera
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Photography by Andre D. Wagner - Shot on Generation 2 Polaroid Now+ camera

Real Life is making the most of those dots & marks.

No two people are the same, like no two Polaroid shots are the same. In life, just like in Polaroid photography, it's our imperfections that make us unique. Edie Sunday embodies this, using color and light as distinct style choices, exploring the conscious and the unconsciousness.

“I couldn’t imagine trying to force a Polaroid photo to come out perfectly. The magic is in the mystery and uniqueness of each shot,"  Sunday said.

*Polaroid image captured on expired film

Photographed by Edie Sunday with expired film - Shot on Generation 2 Polaroid Now camera
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Photographed by Edie Sunday with expired film - Shot on Generation 2 Polaroid Now camera

Real Life is color you can't control.

From the bright and bold to the muted and subtle. From sunsets, to stains, to the saturation of film. Life, like Polaroid photography, is full of beautiful and uncontrollable color. Ry Shorosky's journeys take him to the far reaches of America, where he captures the hidden stories and captivating landscapes that can only be discovered through exploration and adventure.

“I’d notice colors I wasn’t expecting and instead of hindering my vision, it allowed for space to play around in the process in real time which was exciting and pure to me,” Shorosky said.

Photography by Ry Shorosky - Shot on Generation 2 Polaroid Now+ camera
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Photography by Ry Shorosky - Shot on Generation 2 Polaroid Now+ camera

Real Life is sometimes unintentionally beautiful.

There is beauty in the random, the wild, the surprising. For Cristian Bravo, he captures the intangible aspects of life, portraying places, people, and moments where everyone is involved. The work highlights the abstract and unseen elements of everyday life.

“I don’t know what I’m doing until I’ve done it, photographing for me is something that has to stay instinctive,” Bravo said.

Photography by Cristian Bravo Fernandez - Shot on Generation 2 Polaroid Now camera
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Photography by Cristian Bravo Fernandez - Shot on Generation 2 Polaroid Now camera

To learn more about all 15 creators, visit this page. All content captured on Generation 2 Polaroid Now and Polaroid Now+ cameras.

For more information, please contact:

Ruth Bibby

Global Public Relations Manager

ruth@polaroid.com

+1 478 287 9194

*Please ensure that all imagery is credited to the photographer in the filename (if provided) as well as Polaroid.

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About Polaroid

Polaroid was founded by Edwin Land in 1937 as an icon of innovation and engineering. The company first produced ski goggles and 3D glasses for the US Army and Navy. It wasn’t until 1943 when Land’s daughter asked why she couldn’t see a photograph of herself immediately that the idea for the instant camera was born. In 1947 it became a reality with the first ever instant camera.

It was the introduction of the breakthrough Polaroid SX-70 camera in 1972 that launched instant photography.

As we know it today, followed by landmark innovations such as the original OneStep, instant color film; and the Polaroid 600 and Spectra cameras and film formats.

Polaroid cameras went on to inspire artists such as Andy Warhol, Helmut Newton, Robert Mapplethorpe, Maripol, Keith Haring, and Guy Bourdin who raised the brand to the status of a cultural icon.

In the 1990s and 2000s, the swift rise of digital technology eclipsed instant photography and Polaroid announced the end of instant film production in 2008. But that was short-lived; a dedicated group of instant photography fans under the name ‘The Impossible Project’ saved the last Polaroid factory in the Netherlands. Since then, they have been the only people in the world making film for vintage Polaroid cameras.

In 2017, The Impossible Project re-launched as Polaroid Originals: a brand dedicated exclusively to Polaroid’s original analog instant photography products. Bringing analog instant photography back under the Polaroid umbrella was a significant milestone, but it was not the end of the journey. In March 2020, Polaroid took the next step and became one brand, with the one name: Polaroid.

Today, Polaroid has analog instant photography at its core and represents the brand that people all over the world came to know and love for over 80 years. By unifying its entire product portfolio under one name, Polaroid is setting out its new vision as a global brand that will continue to create products that bring people together in human and meaningful ways.

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