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Although my refrigerator is still chock full of various Polaroid films, there is only one pack of my favorite film of all time, Time-Zero, left in the door. Add to that the three shots in my camera currently, and I am down to 13 shots. It's stressful, but I'm trying not to worry too much about it. I have plans for the three shots in my camera, and the final pack will be shot later this year, when the glorious light of winter hits us here in the rather southern land of Tejas. That pack will be very expired looking, judging from the other packs from that lot, but that's ok. I've factored that into my plans ;)
Yesterday, I shot three photos from the pack in my camera. Although it's expired, it's in remarkably new condition, because I've carefully stored it since it was fresh. The flowers I had hoped to shoot in Time-Zero for these images aren't available at this time of year, but I am very pleased with the photos I took nevertheless. Last night, my dear friend told me, "That's what I love about photography; when you get something completely different from what you expected." I think he's right!
This one makes me happy, these creamy roses in my favorite vase (more on the vase below):
Peaceful
And this one, a 1976 Bicentenial Ball Jar filled with unique purple thistles! I found this jar on the sink in the back of my mother's shop, from which she is currently in the midst of retiring, and my husband spent hours cleaning off dried up plant roots and water deposits so that I could sell it in our vintage stuff etsy shop. However, now that it's all clean, I've decided to keep it--at least for the time being--and use it as a rustic container for flowers!
Ball Jar with Thistles
And finally, this photograph, which features my favorite vase. I bought this vase back in 1998 from my favorite family of potters in Jerusalem, the Karakashian family. It's been my favorite home for flowers ever since, and is a beautiful handmade piece. The lighting of this photo is dark, but I think the underexposure allows for some interesting Time-Zero emulsion impact to come through as a consequence. By the way, if you are ever in Jerusalem, you absolutely must visit Stepan Karakashian and his family in their shop on the Via Dolorosa. Their pottery is gorgeous, their manner elegant, and their place in the history of the Old City is priceless.
Ten Years On
All photos 2008
Camera: Polaroid SX-70
Film: Polaroid Time-Zero
signed prints @ my etsy shop
This is one of my favorite Polaroids that I've ever taken. I was in Jerusalem in 2006; it was the first time I had been there since I was living there while doing my dissertation research in 1998-1999, and the city was far more depressed and restrictive than at that time. Still, my love for the people of the Old City, as well as its peerless holy and historic sites, didn't stop me from spending as much time as possible walking the streets with my cameras and talking with Jerusalemites. On my last day there, I went up to the Dome of the Rock, known to Muslims as the Harem al-Sharif, or Holy Sanctuary, and came across these three young women coming down from the Shrine. I took the moment to take their photo, and it was really amazing to watch it develop with them! We chatted a little bit while the photo emerged as only a Polaroid can, like magic, and then said our goodbyes. They went down from the site and into the Old City while I went up to the monument one last time. I asked them to pose for an up-close portrait, but they refused. That's fine; what a portrait I have by which to remember them!
Girls at the Harem al-Sharif (2006)
Camera: Polaroid SX-70, Alpha 1, Model 2
Film: Polaroid Time-Zero
Location: Jerusalem
