Sketch Booking

Since I got a Polaroid back for my RB67 last year I’ve really appreciated the ability of instant film to work as a sketchbook. It’s not a novel concept; for decades Polaroids have been used as proofs for a frame before committing the scene to film. As a medium, it requires the same investment of creative energy to make the exposure but they feel like ephemera. When you don’t have to spend the time and money for development they feel like a quick and easy way to see a frame, but at the same time they almost never feel like the final form of the frame. I needed to test out a new lens for the Mamiya this week, so I loaded up a pack of Polaroid Black and White and went out on what felt like the first fall morning of the year. The light was direct even though there were fantastic clouds, I got to give away a Polaroid Puppy Portrait of a dog that just wanted to roll around on the sidewalk, and it let me just sketch out a few frames with something a little longer than I’ve been using on the RB67.

Technically speaking, Polaroids are bad film. Shadows will fall into complete darkness and highlights will go snow white. The narrow band of dynamic range means something will be sacrificed, and it also means that any failure to nail your exposure means the image is gone for good. At the same time, they’re the perfect sketch, and especially with Black and White frames it immediately make me assess whether or not there is something there. If only it was cheaper than exposing and developing a roll of 120.