The History of Instant Photography
While photography has been around since the 1800s, the process of taking photos has been refined and simplified over time. For example, the advancement of technology has eliminated the need for dark rooms in favor of digital photography. However, one older form of photography that is still just as popular and relevant today is instant photography.
The process of instant photography, which uses chemical layers in the film in order to develop instantaneously, was created by Edwin Land in 1947. He created the process after he took a photo of his daughter in 1943 and she asked him why she couldn’t see the photo right away. In 1948 his company, Polaroid, created and released the first instant camera, the Polaroid Land Model 95. Polaroid only sold 60 copies of the Land Model for the holiday season and they all sold out in one day. The first instant color film, which was also created by Polaroid, was released in 1963. Polaroid may be the pioneer and household name for instant film, but not all instant cameras are Polaroids, which is a common mistake that people make. Other companies have been manufacturing instant cameras as well, such as Fujifilm which started making in the 1990s. In fact, Fujifilm’s Instax cameras have become very popular in recent years due to the large variety of colors and designs they come in, and how easy they are to use. So even though Polaroid has gone through their own troubles, like having to file for bankruptcy in 2001, the art of instant photography is still alive and well today. Sources: https://petapixel.com/2015/06/11/the-history-and-magic-of-instant-photography/ https://www.polaroid.com/history |