The Last Days of the Polaroid
Friday, October 20th, 2006
By Jason Bitner, FOUND magazine
Davy Rothbart and I started FOUND back in 2001 as a collaborative project for people to share the hilarious, strange and heartbreaking stuff that they found as they went about their lives. It could be a grocery list on a Post-it note or a dirty drawing on the back of a spiral notebook - if it was interesting, it was fair game.
Not to play favorites, but we always had a special place in our hearts for Polaroids. It seems like everyone has had the pleasure of wielding that clunky camera and snapping a few shots, watching it spit the film back out, and smelling that Polaroid scent. Once the image finally (finally!) materialized after five minutes of impatient shaking, what were you left with? Instant nostalgia - framed and faded, a picture that already looked decades old.
With the advent of digital photography, all of that is fading fast. While the era of the Polaroid picture hasn’t entirely vanished, this expensive and temperamental medium is in its waning days. The digital age offers clearer shots at cheaper prices, while allowing the photographer more freedom to manipulate and improve the picture. But you know what? We’re still suckers for the Polaroid. How can you beat a well-weathered Polaroid photo with gravel actually embedded into the white borders? That’s beauty you can’t find anywhere else.
So at FOUND we want to celebrate the last days of Polaroid. Over the years we’ve received thousands of spellbinding Polaroids from around the world. In our new book, from which these and dozens of other shots have been unearthed, we showcase our absolute favorites. We think they’re some of our best finds ever.
CAPTION CONTEST!
Leave a caption after any of the Polaroids you see here. The writers of the best three (as deemed by FOUND creators Davy Rothbart and Jason Bitner) win a copy of FOUND Polaroids. Not too shabby.
Click to enlarge
#1. 
#2. 
#3. 
#4. 
#5. 
#6. 
#7. 
#8. 
#9. 
#10. 
Good… keep going on.. 2nd Polaroid book. 3rd Polaroid book
Greeting from Taiwan
#3: This might be the “before” shot in a pair of photos that documents the unfortunate loss of half a bottle of liquor, or it may celebrate the moments just prior to the christening of this fine automobile. At any rate, it was quite likely an aid in making sense of a lot of broken glass the next morning
#6: While many burnt, ripped, or tarnished photos seem like they could have been accidentally damaged, this one with its precise cigarette mutilation leaves little doubt. Lets hope that Polaroid mutilation was as far as it got.
#8: I envision this shot accompanying a hopeful young photographer’s application to Hot Rod magazine.
#2 Nip/Tuck: retro pic from lastnightsparty.com’s new blog THEMORNINGAFTER.
#7 — “Another 4 or 5 of these and I might ask that cute chick on the couch to sneak upstairs with me.”
Actually, that was #5, I guess.
#4 Millie was miffed that, at the Senior Women’s Aeronautical Training Camp, they charged extra for daily rental of the orange jumpsuit.
#5 Some smiled at me while the others cheerfully greeted Fred at the door, who had finally brought the long-coveted “missing middle miniblind.”
#6 Mom always told me I had a face like milk and honey. I guess the moths got hungry.
On a sidenote: picture 10 makes me kinda excited about growing old.
#8 The “before” photo sumbitted to I Quit My Nursing Gig to Become a Cowgirl magazine
Ok ok one more
#3 What is it?
What, what, what is it, is it?
What is it?
I- Iss yo BOTTLE
way cheesy but i had to. sorry
#10 - “Edmond, this is the last you’ll see of me for awhile. I’m joining the circus.”
#5 - Fifteen minutes before Grandpa Sal’s pants caught on fire.
#4 - “Golly, I hate verticle blinds.”
#9 - “I hate it here Allie, won’t you let me come home?”
#1
Perhaps he’s compensating for something…
#2
“Dang, I knew I shouldn’t have eaten Mexican last night.”
#9
“I pitty tha foo!”
#10
People used to call me the cat lady. I didn’t like that. Now they call me the cat coat lady. I like that.
#4 “To the moon, Anna. Anna, to the mo-o-o-o-n!”
“Yes, Mrs. Benice, to the moon. Now don’t forget that I’ll be in the waiting room to drive you home once your appointment’s finished.”
“Yes, yes, dear, I know. (Aside and in a whisper) 10..9…8..
#7 Who the HELL does he think he’s kidding, having me stand out here in this 102 degree heat while I’m all dressed up to have dinner with his parents, gooood lord do I hate having dinner with his parents. Yeah, yeah, smile honey. Well, look I’ll smile, but it
won’t be a very good smile because it’s just too goddam hot out here, I don’t care who we’re going to meet. There - there’s a smile. Now can we go? Now the photograph of me burning up is burning up.
#9 . . . and that’s when he looked at me and said, “you should seriously start watching what comes out of that mouth of yours, boy, especially when considering the fact that this ‘brother’ whom you speak of has, literally, a table of knives before him.”
#10 Honestly? My grandchildren don’t even know what they’re misssing.
#2
B: Amory? . . . Amory?? . . . . AMORY!!!
A:
B: Oh . . . well Amory, where are you?!
B: Amoryyyyy! Amoryyyyy!! I NEED YOU!
A:
B: I don’t care, come upstairs.
B: Ohmygod, Amory, I don’t think I’ve ever been more hungover in my life . . . Can you get me some water?
A:
B: No, wait - AMORY!! Amory, I need you!! Where are you going?
B: AMORYYYY!!!!
B: amoryyy, comeeee baaaack.
……….
……….
B: So do I have to get my own water now too? AMORY!!!!
#6: “Medusa, is that you?”
#8: “My mother was a drunk, my father was a hood ornament.”
#2. OK, I’m ready for my close-up Mr. DeMille