Polaroid SX-70

Today's episode is sponsored by Squarespace. What's up, bitch? Uber for Jason. I have never had a Polaroid come out that good. Well, I guess I should chime in at some point. What is there to say about Polaroid SX-70 cameras and SX-70 film? I suppose if you like shooting traditional film, but wish the results were sh**tier, then Polaroid is for you. A lot of the Polaroids that I shot at this location were underexposed and bad, which is my own fault. Except for this one, but we'll circle back to that in a few hours. I've never really had good luck with Polaroids. I can never really seem to get anything remotely close to something that resembles a good photo out of them. Some photographers out there have actually created some truly inspirational work with Polaroid film, and not all of it features naked people. I've received numerous tips online telling me to underexpose in certain situations, only shoot in certain lighting conditions, abandon all my dreams of photography, etc. But none of it really made any sense to me. So you might remember my Polaroid SX-70 from a road trip that I did last summer with some friends. You might also remember the shots looking like spicy diaper diarrhea. I was quite unhappy with the results for several reasons. Probably the biggest reason is that you really don't have much wiggle room to get the exposure right. The hangover from that trip a year ago finally wore off last month, so I sent the camera out to Texas to Zane Pollard on a recommendation for it to be cleaned up and restored to its original glory. I also had new leather applied to it. It's fake crocodile leather. But only because human skin prices are super inflated right now. I also requested to have a completely separate SX-70 camera converted to use 600 film. Just in case I ever want to shoot that blue duochrome film that makes it look like you're in a Viagra commercial. So Zane also fixed up and converted this black SX-70 to 600 film, and he did an incredible job. Anyway, as you remember, after I shot several packs of both film types, I was largely unhappy with the results. Except for this masterpiece. I soon realized afterwards it was the only image I took that I didn't mess with the exposure dial. That's right, the SX-70 features an exposure dial. But then it hit me. Maybe I'm a dumbass and should just let the camera do its thing without messing with the exposure settings. Well, luckily I would have more chances to test this theory in the field as my mom, my brother, and I were heading out to St. Louis for a nice, wholesome family trip. Anyway, after getting f***ed up in the airport lounge, we were off. The reason we were in town was because it was my grandfather's 90th birthday. So we each had 90 margaritas to celebrate. After not dying from that, somehow I woke up the next morning and figured it was time to load the SX-70 with some 600 film. After all, my favorite shot from earlier was on 600 film. So I was hoping I could find that magic again. This would actually end up being preferential because we'd be indoors for a small birthday party. I really like these shots of the gold balloons. It's a 90. But it was a little more fitting for my grandpa when the zero floated away. I actually really like these shots. I took three overall, but ended up giving two away. That's something that I think is really cool about Polaroids. You can literally hand them out to friends. Though from my experience, most won't want them. Curious about what it's like to be a cool film photographer, my mom even picked up the camera and took a quick snapshot of my brother and I. So because this camera is 600 converted, it can use limited edition 600 films. For example, the round frame Polaroids, which cost a dollar more, but give you less image. What the f*** kind of bullcrap is that? Anyway, I contributed to the problem and bought some for the video. I also managed to throw the dark slide straight into my eye. My grandpa and grandma live on a farm in Missouri, and it's really peaceful. You know, when we're not there. Regardless, the golden hour light was so good, I just couldn't pass it up. So I shot away. I'll concede on this one. The round frame Polaroids are actually kind of cool. Later on, we stopped at a gas station for a quick gas fight. But it being a gas station, I had to shoot it on film. The Polaroid SX-70 camera was first introduced in 1972, but really started to hit the market in 73. There have been many different models of the SX-70 over the years, but perhaps the coolest one is the gold version, because bling. The SX-70 features a 116mm f8 lens, which is roughly equivalent to a 50mm lens on 35. Keep in mind that SX-70 film is roughly 8cm by 8cm, so that's even bigger than medium format 6x7. The SX-70 is kind of an interesting camera, because its design is kind of different than anything else. It's an SLR, so you're actually looking through the lens. Not only do you have to pop it open and feel like you're breaking it every time you want to use it, but you also have to pop it into place using the erection bar on the side. The coolest thing about SX-70 cameras is that they're auto exposure, but manual focus. However, later models actually incorporated a sonar piece above the lens, which actually autofocused for you. And they were, and still are, incredibly reliable pieces of technology. Unlike my piece of sh** Toyota Corolla. Focusing is easy enough. You just turn this wheel next to the shutter button, and the viewfinder even has a split image inside of it to help you double check your lineup before you pummel the crap out of the shutter button. Personally, I find that I use the split image a bit more than just eyeballing it. Perhaps the only Polaroid technology that hasn't seemed to change is the eject and rolling mechanism. To my understanding, the way it all works is when the Polaroid is ejected, the developing pods are pushed through the rollers, and out comes your Polaroid into the world, like poop through butt cheeks. If there's a feature I'd like to have on this camera, it would be the frog tongue that covers your image as soon as it's ejected. I've always heard that the first few moments after your Polaroid comes out are the most crucial. Typically, I'll just slide the Polaroid into my breast pocket. Haha, breast. The next day, it was nice and sunny. There was no excuse I could think of to not shoot some SX-70 film. And believe me, I was trying. SX-70 film is significantly lower ISO at 160 than 600 film is, so I consider it to be a little more challenging to shoot. I soon found myself in a beautifully lit bathroom. I think it's important to have something beautiful around you in the bathroom when you're no doubt doing something ugly in there. So in my findings, I think that SX-70 film is potentially more saturated than 600 film, but also leans more magenta sometimes. I've heard that that can be because of temperature though, and I did shoot all these photos in a hot or humid environment. Anyway, after a requested cavity search, we were through security and waiting for our plane back to California. I decided to send my camera through the airport security scanner with half a pack of SX-70 film still in it to see if any damage would occur. They even had to send the camera in my bag through twice because of all the illicit drugs I was carrying. But after all that, it seems that there were no effects on the film. Again, it's a 160 ISO film and anything under 800 ISO is fine, supposedly. This is without a doubt the best SX-70 film shot I took the entire trip, and it was mostly just dumb luck. Well, it's been about two months since that trip, and you're probably wondering, what is the name of that cat? It's Mr. Bigglesworth, or just Biggles if you've been accepted into his gang. But you might also be wondering if I've changed my mind about Polaroid. The truth is, I have. I think Polaroids are great for capturing special moments in time, or people or places that you want to cherish forever, like your friends playing Mario Kart without you. There's a certain sentimentality about the images, and the fact that they're one-of-one makes them feel, I guess, fragile and personally valuable. It's almost like you're capturing a moment in time with light, and then encapsulating it forever with chemicals and a seal. I suppose that can be said for standard film, but since Polaroids are instant, it makes it feel somehow more alive and in the moment. So yeah, I definitely will be shooting my SX-70s again. Though, admittedly, I am more of a fan of 600 film than SX-70 film. But I hear that black and white is kind of a game changer, so I'll have to try that next. But speaking of game changers, how about boosting your online photography cred with today's sponsor, Squarespace? If you're a photographer of any caliber, it might be a good idea to have an online portal through which your audience, or peers, can view your work. And what better way to display your work than in a portfolio on a professionally designed website? Whenever I have friends, family, or enemies ask to see my work, it's now as simple as just sending them to my website. I was able to jump ahead on a website design by building off of a pre-designed template using Squarespace's intuitive user interface, which makes things incredibly simple. What was even better was that Squarespace's 24-7 award-winning customer support was always there to help every step of the way, which made the whole process a breeze, and allowed me to focus on the important things, like creating a visually compelling website. So what are you waiting for? If you're ready to build a website, you can start a free trial today at squarespace.com slash grainydays. And if you use the code grainydays at checkout, you can get 10% off your first purchase. So, was this a good SX-70 review? Well, most of the film I shot was 600, and the SX-70 film that I did shoot, I didn't really like. So no, this was not a good review. But regardless, I'm only left with one question. What does SX-70 stand for? It's Sexy 70, isn't it? I started thinking Polaroids were nothing more than a gimmick. Honestly, what are they good for? Besides helping a character remember he killed his wife in a Christopher Nolan movie.