5.04.2010

which one are you?

tulip diptych

i had already started planning this post a couple of weeks ago... not even realizing that 'roid week was coming up. if you don't know what 'roid week is, don't worry. i didn't know what it was either... until 'roid week came around last year, that is. it's just a week of the year when photographers and polaroid camera enthusiasts celebrate and highlight polaroid photography on flickr.

i don't participate, because you can only add to the pool if you submit actual polaroid film photos... not digital images that are processed to look like they were taken with a polaroid. i have two polaroid cameras... one was my husband's as a child, and the other i picked up at a thrift store for $2.50. they are both one-step models that use 600 film, and i don't have any film, so i have not yet tried them.

but i think i'm sort of holding out until i can afford to buy the sx-70 model. i've been dreaming of owning this camera for about a year. apparently, it's the one to have from what i've been seeing out there. i've seen so many gorgeous photos taken with that model in the past year. i absolutely can't wait to get one! until then, i use photoshop actions or web sites like rollip to get that dreamy or vintage look i love.

anyway, when i started this post draft {for which i created the above diptych }, it was going to be about the difference between a more accurate or precise photography {photos that more actually depict what we see with our eyes } and the kind of photography i am drawn to -- a more representational kind of photography {not necessarily what our eyes see, but something more blurred or muted }. whether this effect is created by the type of camera, or the way the photo was shot, or with a post-processing technique... it really does not matter to me how it is created. i just know i love these kinds of photos.

obviously, so do many others... thus the reason for groups and pools all over flickr for such images. a lot of the photo blogs i've been drawn to lately are also full of this kind of photography. and other than some of my recent crisp, bold tulip shots, a lot of my photos here have been more muted and/or blurry lately.

i think it is a mood thing for me... it depends on what mood i am in. i don't mean mood as in happy or sad. i mean mood as in what kind of creative or artistic mood i am in. for a while now, my creative mood has been more subdued. so i've been taking or processing a lot of my photos that way, too. {not only polaroid-esque... other moods as well.} often, i don't really know what i'm doing, but i just experiment and play until i get to something i like and that feels right to me.

which leads me to the point of this post... a question put to you. which mood are you? are you the one on the right... subdued, soft, muted, representational? or are you the mood on the left... bright, crisp, bold, realistic? maybe for you, it's not a mood thing, but rather a style thing... you're niche, you're trademark. if so, which of the above is more your style?

{the above images were taken with the same camera on the same day in the same place. but one is not processed {{obviously, the one on the left }} and the other has been processed to look vintage. here are a few more of my recent photos that i took and processed to look like polaroids.}

leaf 'roid
processed with a photoshop polaroid action

ducky 'roid {fake}
processed with rollip
{there's also a story behind this,
but i'll save that for another post.}

cloud 'roid
processed with a photoshop polaroid action

17 comments:

d smith kaich jones said...

I keep evolving and find that now I am so not into sharp, vibrant images, preferring a painterly quality, a softness. Perhaps needed as life throws lots of curveballs at you - who knows? And here I will admit I am not a Polaroid lover - I like them, they are fine, and I have had several, sold tons, love the instantness of the image, but have no desire to own one and spend more than a buck per print. But then, who knows? Life changes and that is how I feel right now. Next year you may be telling me to just shut up already as I carry on about the wonderfulness of my new, used Polaroid.

:) Debi

Rochelle said...

hmm, i dunno. i think for me it totally depends on the day, time of day, etc. i can't pick! lol. i think more often than not anymore, i'm a bit subdued. not sure if others would describe me as such, but that's how i've been feeling lately.

just wanted you to know, friend, that i'm here. i've been lurking in the shadows a bit more lately without posting since i've been sooo busy at work and really sick for over a week now. bleh. :( anyways, love & miss you lots!!!

georgia b. said...

oh, no, deb! is it really over a buck per photo? yikes. maybe i'll have to rethink owning an sx-70. maybe i'll just stick to rollip and such.

i agree... polaroids aren't for everyone. i think i like them most because they hold nostalgia for me. they remind me of MANY of the images from my childhood. in fact, i KNOW that is why i am drawn to them. but i also like the softer mood they hold.

georgia b. said...

hi, roe... you must have typed your comment as i was typing mine. thanks for your input.

hope you are feeling better soon.

Sueann said...

I love altered photos! The more abstract the better! Soft focus...heck yes!! Fading in and out...oh yes! Love your photo on the right for sure.
Hugs
SueAnn

beth said...

i was just thinking the same thing as i was processing photos the other day....
sometimes....clear and crisp
sometimes...black and white
sometimes...vintage and soft

oh it's all in the mood for me.....i'm a moody one, that's for sure !

but my heron with the fish in its mouth a few posts back....that HAD to be criso and clear....nothing else would have satisfied that photo...

and the dandelion today....oh black and white without question.....

GailO said...

...You know I tried to pick which one I am but I can't...I'm both...and I think your tulip dyptich is stunning...perfect for dual personalities like myself:)

S. Etole said...

I think I'm a "Heinz 57" ... beauty presents itself in so many different expressions.

mrs mediocrity said...

when i was a kid my dad worked at kodak, on this "secret project" which was kodak's response to the polaroid, and it was no great success, but we had tons and tons of those kinds of pictures, and the cameras, and the whole thing is very nostalgic, and I liked that you had to sit there and wait and watch as the film developed before your eyes. I don't think I would go back though, but I love what is going on with photography these days, I love that we can all experiment with whatever we want because it is all so available to us...you don't even need really expensive equipment or a darkroom, you just need a computer, and your creativity, to make something beautiful, and anyone can do it, but then you see these images that are wonderful, art, and you know that it is not the technology, it is the eye behind it that always matters...

Michel said...

Oh my! how do you chose?? I find myself changing almost daily - a couple times daily!. it really depends on the subject matter, mood, (mine usually) Its funny though, my mood on the photo will totally change from when I shoot it to when I am processing it. I love the Polaroid, That sx- 70 looks like a wicked cool little camera. seems to be on a lot of peoples wish lists lately. Must be b/c of the Roid week I keep hearing about it.

Personally I love just the unpredictability of the Holga!

georgia b. said...

i want a holga, too, michel...

and an slr...

and a diana...

and...

{sigh}

Michel said...

It just goes on forever doesn't it?

I got my holga for 40 on ebay a bunch of years back. i think they are more expensive now.....sigh.... is.... right.....

darrah said...

Great post, Georgia! You inspired me to share some of my fake Polaroids on my blog today: http://www.darrahparker.com/blog/for-the-love-of-polaroids.html

I go back and forth between wanting my photos to be vibrant and look exactly like what I saw and wanting my photos to have a soft quality. Polaroids automatically make photos look like they are a memory or stepped out of a dream (if that makes sense.)

I actually own an SX-70. My mother-in-law gave it to me recently. I've been putting off buying the film because it is expensive and I know that it could become another expensive hobby! But I will probably give in soon.

georgia b. said...

i'm jealous, darrah! any time you wanna let me borrow it...

: )

Lisa said...

I love this post! My best friend's mom just gave me a Fuji Instax 210 camera, and it is lots of fun!! It's like a Polaroid camera but...modern, I guess? I love the way the photos come out looking--with a soft, vintage effect that only instant film can produce. BUT I can't say I wouldn't love an SX-70 myself! I have a photoshop action that is actually called "SX-70" and it produces the coolest effect on photos. :) I love this post, because you make me feel ok about wanting to edit my photos. For me, of course there is talent in the angle of the shot, the way you take it, the composition...but, I also think that editing them photos and making them into your ART is most of the fun! Well it's all fun, but I think it's all part of the process. I know some people who are film photographers and they kind of act a little snobby about it, because they're artform is "real" etc etc...so, it's nice to know other people who don't think that photoshop editing is breaking the rules. And if it is...well I say break the rules! Anyone can take a picture of a flower, but only you know what you saw in your head at the time you took the photo. I would definitely say that my mood is more subdued lately, and I am feeling images like that on the right. Sorry for the ramble...just something I've been thinking about a lot lately! <3

spread your wings said...

i think there can beauty in all types and yes many times depending on the mood.
I still have my original SX-70 but can't really justify the cost of film. My daughter loves to use it.
lately, intended or not, my images have resulted in a more soft look -haha - i can't seem to hold the camera steady.

georgia b. said...

that's too funny, leslye. i joke about that, too. in fact, it's not just because i am getting older that i shake. i have my whole life... it's something hereditary that i got from my mom and grandma. {although, it is getting worse, the older i get.}

that's why i'm happy to own the canon S5 IS. {IS is for image stabilizer... something i need!}
: )