DESIGNOJEK» Polaroid

On the Playground

Dave — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 06:48:00 +0000

In light of all of the instagr.am/Hipstamatic photos that are blowing up the web (and I love them, so don’t get me wrong!), I went out to shoot a few Polaroids on the neighborhood playground the other day with the SX-70. I forget sometimes that you need a fair amount of heat for the colors to come out right with Polaroid film. I’ll end up sticking the photo down my shirt as it develops, just to keep it warm enough. That’s the adventure of Polaroid film, I suppose.

It’s been a very busy past few weeks with lots of work including a new CD for these ladies and a big brochure for these guys. A few posters, two ongoing identity projects and a couple of fun websites and it’s been a busy time around the studio. No complaints here, though! I should have some images to share here soon.

I’m keeping my inspiration stream alive and kicking over on the Designojek Tumblr site. I’m still feeling out whether or not it’s the best way to go, but it’s fun for now.

I also just nabbed an invite to Dribbble, so you can check out some of the shots I toss up there now and again. It seems like a pretty neat way for designers to share and comment on work.

Small Town Artifacts

Dave — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 01:08:46 +0000

I always find it exciting to stumble upon signs of the past when driving through some of the small midwestern towns. Some might see them as an eyesore, but I think it’s a nice reminder of a time when businesses had a real feel of individuality. Plus, the type is always so cool! And, believe me, I’m not the only one who feels this way . . .

Jamie Livingston

Dave — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 04:27:51 +0000

While I’m on my Polaroid kick, this is a fascinating article from Mental Floss about a man who took a Polaroid photo a day from March 31, 1979 until October 25, 1997.

It’s Getting Hot in Here . . . seriously.

Dave — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 02:55:20 +0000

Well, it’s finally full-blown summer here in Kansas! It’s hot and humid and there’s very little escaping it. It’s been hard to keep my basil growing in my backyard, but it seems to be making it so far. This is good because I used it tonight in my all time favorite recipe! Sooooo good! That one’s for you, Jenny!

We have a few flowers that have braved the scorching heat as well and the grass is still mostly green, but that will inevitably change as the daily high temps creep up and up into the 100′s. Most everyone is anxiously awaiting Fall which might be the most beautiful season in Kansas. Maybe I’ll make it back to the Maple Leaf Festival this year.

On a totally unrelated note, if you haven’t already seen this clip from the Draplin Project by Jess Gibson, I think it’s worth a look. Not really work safe language, but I think it honestly relays the frustration that a lot of us designers feel! I don’t know, maybe it’s just the heat going to my head, but it struck a chord when I watched it.

Two Minute Gratification

Dave — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 12:02:09 +0000

My apologies for the lack of posting lately! It’s been busy, busy around the studio and I’ve been working on lots of interesting projects. I should have some more things to post soon!

I did take a little time out to spend some time with my new camera and I’ve been loving it! It’s been good for me to get back to shooting on film and I find that I make much different choices on how and what I shoot when it’s a dollar per click! It’s great to have such rich depth of field and, although the Polaroid film almost has a mind of it’s own, the photos have a great quality to them. The colors are really dependent on temperature, light, etc. and so I can try my best to get it “right”, but it’s still a mystery to me what I’m going to end up with. Below are a few of the early test shots I took and I hope to have some more up soon!

I also wanted to point out a couple of wonderful articles, one is called Gone in Sixty Seconds and gives a very interesting history of Polaroid. The other is called The Branding of Polaroid, 1957 – 1977 and it’s great reading as well.

New Addition to the Arsenal

Dave — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 00:02:47 +0000

I’m really excited about the newest old camera that I’ve recently acquired! It’s a Polaroid SX-70 Land Camera and it’s in amazing shape! I have another instant camera, but what I’m excited about with this one is the ability to control the manual focusing and, to a certain extent, the exposures. There are a few tweaks I need to do including buying a neutral density filter, but it shouldn’t be too bad. Hopefully, I’ll get some good shooting in before Polaroid completely discontinues it’s instant film in 2009!

*sniff*

There is some pretty amazing work that has been done with Polaroids and a quick Flickr search will bring up a TON of great examples. Two artists I’ve been looking at lately are: Heather Powazek Champ and Mike Brodie (aka The Polaroid Kid). Of course, there are tons other great artists that I’ll link to in the future and I hope to post some great new Polaroids of my own here soon!

And, of course, a special thanks to Mona since she was the source of the camera. I promise it’ll be put to good use!