This is not a Polaroid

Guy Pinhas

Guy Pinhas

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I started this thread merely to explain what led me to the "This is not a Polaroid" or "Ceci n'est pas un Polaroid" project.

I was raised in a family that always had a 35mm camera around but as soon as it became available, my folks got a Polaroid. Not to say that our 35mm got forgotten, not at all, but the SX70 was used for family events. My mom still has our SX70 which is not working, and even though I know it can be repaired, this is a back burner project for us. All this to say that the Polaroid experience has been a part of me since a young age but has laid dormant for the past 35-40 years.
That is until two members of the forum, Lynn and Robert, started posting instant photo images in the RFF gallery and it piqued my interest. I had also seen a great show of André Kertész where I bought his Polaroid book and seen a few docus about the instant experience and history, so I decided to try both the new Polaroid as well as Fuji Instax. Unfortunately it just didn't deliver what I had hoped for which made me think, what was it that I liked about the Polaroid format, what attracted me to it.

A few years back I got a Rolleiflex Automat. I tried it and for some reason it didn't work out, so it sat there, abandoned and relegated to be a shelf queen. Or so I thought. The Automat was just sitting there, taunting me, daring me, challenging me to a duel in broad daylight. It is a f3.5 lens, so daylight makes the most sense :) It was waiting for the right time and the time came, it was summer of 2020.

I had borrowed my Automat to a friend for a project and in return I was given a bunch of expired 120 color film, C41 as well as E6. So summer of Covid came and I thought, since I can't travel, might as well walk around Amsterdam (where I currently live) and get to know the city as well as the Automat. Armed with the camera, comfy shoes and a bunch of film, I started my trek and here are the results.
I processed as well cross processed and scanned everything myself. I thought it was going to be difficult but I found this to be as simple as developing B&W. Sure the film was expired and the results turned out to be a little strange at times, shifting colors etc, but I made do. Lemonade out of lemons as they say.

I think the reason why I like the Polaroid format as an adult is the square format so I decided to make myself happy and do a pretend Polaroid with the square images that the Automat produced and add them to a Polaroid template.

This is the first installment, more will come as I am now a big fan of my Automat and the results I got are to me very very pleasing. I have finally cracked the TLR idea and have actually learned so much from it, composition, light, patience and developing color film. This camera is now an integral part of my kit even though I don't really have a kit, I just grab what seems like fun for the day, but from now on, on a sunny day, the Automat will be the go to camera.

Automat, you have challenged me and you have won!

And I'd like to mention that I think the Magritte reference is fun :)

Ceci n'est pas un Polaroid: Hotel Amsterdam Sloterdijk by Guy Pinhas, on Flickr

Ceci n'est pas un Polaroid: Amsterdam waterfront by Guy Pinhas, on Flickr

Ceci n'est pas un Polaroid: Double exposure by Guy Pinhas, on Flickr

Ceci n'est pas un Polaroid: Ripped face by Guy Pinhas, on Flickr

Ceci n'est pas un Polaroid: Tunnel by Guy Pinhas, on Flickr

Ceci n'est pas un Polaroid: Canal houses by Guy Pinhas, on Flickr

Ceci n'est pas un Polaroid: Flowers #1 by Guy Pinhas, on Flickr

Ceci n'est pas un Polaroid: Red chairs by Guy Pinhas, on Flickr

Ceci n'est pas un Polaroid: Sign Post by Guy Pinhas, on Flickr

Ceci n'est pas un Polaroid: Bridge by Guy Pinhas, on Flickr

Ceci n'est pas un Polaroid: Kids toys by Guy Pinhas, on Flickr

Ceci n'est pas un Polaroid: Eye couple by Guy Pinhas, on Flickr

Ceci n'est pas un Polaroid: Flowers #2 by Guy Pinhas, on Flickr
 
Glad you came to like the TLR. Your pictures are already excellent, so it'll be interesting to see where you go from here as you become even more comfortable with the machine!

I also wanted to make the point that you shouldn't necessarily think of the 3.5 Rolleiflex as a sunny day camera only. Thanks to the leaf shutter, and the boxy camera shape, I've had good results indoor with 400-800 ISO film. For instance, you can brace the camera on your knees (sitting down on a chair) and take shots at 1/15 f3.5-4.0 in indoor light. It can work well given the right subject.
 
Very nicely done. Most “out of the box” thinking should have stayed in the box, but these are nice. More to like here than just the format. Kudos.
 
Superb !
Exhilarating in Color, Mood, Composition
Hats off to You Guy, love it !

now I need to be lost and thriving in the Creative
what way should i go??


my favorites above
4,5,6,7, 11, last one
 
Lovely photos, thank you for posting them! :)

Seeing this "using Rolleiflex as Polaroid" resonates. I loved my Rolleflex cameras, and love using my Hasselblad cameras in a similar way now. There's something about the balance and feel of a square format photograph that is just different and satisfies the visual experience in a different way. It's another reason I still love to make photographs with my Polaroid SX-70s...

G
 
Thank you all so much, very humbling love from the community.

Shab: Thank you and see you in the gallery.

Olakiril: I really enjoy the format a lot. A revelation and feels incredibly natural.

mccurleyphoto: Thanks and like Shab, the gallery awaits!

Froyd: So far I have only shot low ISO film, mainly 100, so when I get my hand on some 400-800, I’ll give it a try. I also don’t mind some blur so low shutter speeds are always welcome.

Larry Cloetta: Thanks and indeed, it’s what you do with the format.

Hellen Hill: What way should you go. Hmmmm let me think, where your feet lead you is a good start :) Or as the almighty Funkadelic sang “Feet don’t fail me now”. Thanks for the compliment!

Godfrey: At some point that SX70 will get fixed and I will take it for a spin. 100%.

Valdas: Thanks!

HHPhoto/Jan: More will come. Not very soon but soon enough.

Agentlossing: I won’t stop shooting B&W but I now see colors for what they are. And aren’t as expired film tends to get into the surreal at times. Also, the square has really helped me compose and it has also translated into my rectangles.

Joao: Absolutely.

Again, thank you all for the kind words.
 
Just beautiful images. Thanks for posting.
Yes, Rob and Lynn have inspired many here to use Polaroid cameras again!
 
I like your work, the photos are beautiful. I would drop the fake Polaroid edges, though. Polaroids are not the only square-format cameras, and cameras like the Rolleiflex, Hasselblad, and Autocord have been around a lot longer than the square Polaroid format. There's no need to imitate something the photos are not; they're good enough to stand on their own without the gimmick.
 
Such vibrant colors and wonderful composition! What is the film you’re using and how are you processing it?
 
Chriscrawfordphoto said:
I like your work, the photos are beautiful. I would drop the fake Polaroid edges, though. Polaroids are not the only square-format cameras, and cameras like the Rolleiflex, Hasselblad, and Autocord have been around a lot longer than the square Polaroid format. There's no need to imitate something the photos are not; they're good enough to stand on their own without the gimmick.
Click to expand...

The Zeiss Tenax gives square images on 35mm film too.
 
raid said:
The Zeiss Tenax gives square images on 35mm film too.
Click to expand...

As do many Agfa Rapid and Berning Robot cameras ... I have a great little 1940 Berning Robot (upgraded to Robot II spec so it takes standard 35mm cassettes) and a Robot Star 50. Square format, typically up to 16-20 photos can be made in rapid succession, etc. :)

8738979406_42c9cc8dc7_b.jpg

G
 
Actually, my very first camera was an AGFA Rapid with the square format. Regular Robot cameras have a special film requirement. Right?
 
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