An Airship in Our Midst

Happy New Year! I hope that everyone has a peaceful and prosperous 2009!

Today I'd like to share a handful of photos that I took last Saturday in San Francisco. I went to the City with some of my most precious possessions...my last pack of Type 85 Polaroid film and my last pack of Time-Zero Polaroid film. I wanted to shoot some photos in San Francisco before I ran out of either of these beautiful films. The first one I took was this one, looking at the Bay Bridge (my favorite bridge in the world!) from Treasure Island.



Bolt and Bridge (2009)
Camera: Polaroid SX-70
Film: Time-Zero *expired*

Imagine my surprise when, suddenly, an airship floated into view! With the mighty dirigible in sight, I took what may well be one of my very favorite Polaroids that I've ever taken:



A Zeppelin Over San Francisco (2009)
Camera: Polaroid SX-70
Film: Time-Zero *expired*

I then pulled out my Holgaroid and shot this photo:



Day of the Dirigible (2009)
Camera: Holgaroid
Film: Polaroid Type 85 *expired* (this is the positive)

Just when I thought the Zeppelin was gone, it returned, giving me the chance to take this photograph. It immediately reminded me of the horrible footage of Herbert Morrison's eyewitness account of the crash of the Hindenburg.



Requiem for Morrison (2009)
Camera: Polaroid SX-70
Film: Time-Zero *expired*

Later that day, I shot more footage of the airship above the city, including this photo of it, high above the Golden Gate, from the top of Telegraph Hill:



Day of the Invasion (2009)
Camera: Polaroid 104
Film: UV-ID (expired)

It was a truly magical day for Polaroid photography! I was thrilled to be so fortunate as to get these satisfying photos as I prepare to bid adieu to my favorite Polaroid films. It also reminded me that patience is, indeed, a virtue...and that we should all carry cameras with us at all times! You never know what may appear before your eyes!

Signed prints, as always in my Etsy shop!

free

Last December, I went to San Francisco for the day, just to spend a few hours enjoying the city and seeing the Pacific, the ocean I used to live near, but now rarely see. I went down to Ocean Beach and shot a lot of film while the rain poured down. This may be my favorite photo of the day; it's a Holgaroid shot, taken with some of my last stash of Type 85 film. This is the positive, and it's a double exposure.

I love the way the seagulls in this photo appear just into the frame, leaving so much empty sky in the shot. This is what the sky above the Pacific is like: endless, vast, birds dodging in and out, and then, nothing but freedom and promise.


Celluloid Pictures of Living (2007)
Title taken from the song by Roxy Music