Back in the day, Polaroids were the absolute coolest. Occasionally, I’d go to a cousin or friend’s house, and they’d have this incredible camera that snapped photos and printed them instantly. All we had at home was a giant Nikon that spit out a capsule of film that had to be taken to the pharmacy to be developed.
Polaroids didn’t mess around with any of that mess. WIth a Polaroid camera, all you had to do is point, shoot, and grab your photo. No waiting. No fuss. When you think about it, Polaroids were the quintessential American photo format – instant gratification all the way.
Unfortunately, Polaroids butted up against an even more immediate form of instant gratification: digital photography. Right at the height of Polaroid’s popularity, digital cameras proliferated, and everyone traded their Polaroid cameras for high-resolution digital cameras in their pockets. Who needs a Polaroid when you can snap a photo and share it with the entire world in a few seconds?
Polaroids didn’t stand a chance.
Or did they? It turns out Polaroids not only still exist, but they’re sort of making a comeback. You can buy Polaroid film at basically every major chain including Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Amazon, and basically anywhere that photography stuff is sold. Polaroid is in, baby!
Is there a particular reason that Polaroid is making a comeback in 2022? Actually, there is!
The Polaroid company has gone through some major changes in its history. The Polaroid company was founded way back in the 1930s when a dude invented instant film. It was a huge breakthrough. Instant cameras became a mainstay in regular Joe photography for the next 70 or so years until camera phones ruined basically all print photography in the early 2000s. The Polaroid company couldn’t keep up in the new digital world, and they went into bankruptcy in 2001. Then it went into bankruptcy again in 2008. Nothing really happened with Polaroid until 2017 when a Polish dude bought the company and resurrected the brand.
Now, Polaroid is making a resurgence, probably because people have realized that living our lives in a digital black hole isn’t a great thing. It turns out that only taking digital pictures of everything is a terrible way to actually keep copies of things. Heck, I’ve lost countless photos over the years to unwanted digital annihilation.
Having real, you-can-hold-them-in-your-hand photos are actually awesome, and Polaroids have always been the most convenient option. Kids these days are smart. They don’t want to involve pharmacies and other photo developing companies in their personal lives.
Polaroids are resurging in a big way, and you can buy instant film pretty much anywhere. Yay 2022!
