An end of an era in instant photography

February 21st, 2008

Polaroid Instant Film taking its final shaking. Polaroid has announced that they will cease production of its instant film citing ‘marketplace conditions.’ While arguably the quality of the photos from Polaroid’s instant cameras was terrible at best, it still has managed to hold a cult status in pop culture. As a child, I can remember many family outings, birthday parties and family gatherings captured with instant pictures. It seems that era has reached an end in a surprising-yet-not-so-surprising announcement by Polaroid that they will discontinue almost all of their instant film products. They’re citing digital cameras as the main reason.

I’m split about this one. Personally, I don’t own a Polaroid Instant Camera, so I’m not really affected. But the idea of ’snapping polaroids’ is something I couldn’t imagine going away. Now that most photography itself has moved digital, it just seems to me that the threat of a house fire isn’t what people will fear the most in losing their family photos — it will be a hard drive crash.