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Travelling to London and New York with Polaroid

Writer's picture: Shelley-Ann McAnuffShelley-Ann McAnuff

I had a busy month of travel this past May... I went to London, for 10 days, came home for a week, then hopped on a plane to New York for a few days, specifically for Polacon NYC, which took place between May 19th - 21st. For both Trips, I left my digital cameras at home, and decided to bring a couple of medium format cameras (London: Mamiya C330F, New York: Mamiya Universal Press) and my trusty Mint SLR 670 X with several boxes of film.


London Gatwick, Mint SLR 670X - Polaroid 600 Reclaimed Edition


Overall, I enjoyed (and needed) both trips. My trip to London coincided with the Coronation. I was hoping to get some candid polaroids on Coronation day, but May 6th was a very rainy day. which is a pity, as this coronation (unlike the last one 70 years ago) was much more controversial due to the overall political climate, so the police (and protesters) were out in force. I only managed to get a few shots that day.





Coronation Day police, Mint SLR 670X - Black and Yellow Duochrome Edition


After returning on the 10th of May and spending a few days at home, I flew out to New York to attend Polacon NYC. Since I began shooting polaroid, I have wanted to attend one of the conferences, but given that I live in Ontario, and Polacon's are usually held in Texas or San Fransisco, it was just too far. When I saw that the were holding one in New York (Sponsored by Brooklyn Film Camera), I was stoked to finally attend.


If you are a polaroid fan and are looking to meet other avid instant film shooters, I highly recommend attending one of these conferences. Started by the Instant Film Society (https://www.instantfilmsociety.org) in 2012

to "increase awareness, accessibility & understanding of analog instant photography." Over three days, there were demos, workshops, and "Polawalks," mainly around the Bushwick section on Brooklyn. If I could, I would go to the next Polacon taking place in Denton, Ohio, in September.


Polacon Meetup, Wycoff Studios, Brooklyn (taken by David).. thanks!





I love shooting Polaroid, particularly for portraits. I think, though, that I probably not shoot Polaroid while travelling. I find that Polaroid can be inconsistent, and I like be able to control the lighting conditions. Polaroid film (colour especially), can overexpose very easily.

Given the cost of Polaroid film, I want as many keepers as possible, so for travel, I think I'll stick to regular analogue and/or Digital.

I did get some shots that enjoy.



Brooklyn Bridge. Mamiya Universal Press, 127mm lens, Polaroid 600 film








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