DON’T SHAKE IT!

No, seriously. Don’t shake it.

You don’t need to.

When your Polaroid comes out of the camera, turn it face down, keep it away from bright light and leave it alone.

Let the chemistry do its thang.

Trust me. I’m a geek. 😂

Polaroid is a silver-halide photographic process. When the picture comes through the rollers, the developer chemistry is spread through the film and a positive image forms.

Unlike a negative!

It’s ready to go.

To shake or not to shake?

So where did we get the idea that we should stand there flapping our Polaroids around in a strange ritual?

Well, back in the day, early Polaroid black-and-white film had a coating process that left the print wet after development, and shaking or waving it was one way of helping it dry.

Fast forward to 2003 and OutKast’s “Hey Ya!” cemented the whole “shake it like a Polaroid picture” idea in popular culture.

Even Polaroid itself subsequently warned against shaking, because it can distort the image.

Don’t shake it. Don’t squeeze it. Shield it from bright light and keep it flat while it develops.

I rest my case, m’lud.

So how do you make a Polaroid last?

Keep it out of direct sunlight. Keep it somewhere cool, dry and dark. And if it’s something you really want to preserve, put it in an album rather than pinning it to a wall.

What’s the magic of a Polaroid?

It’s instant. It’s a positive print.

In a time before digital photography, it was a revelation to be able to see your image immediately, without involving a lab and the additional costs and waiting time that came with traditional photography.

Now, in these modern times of instant everything, it holds a special place — kitsch, nostalgic and deliberately analogue.

I’ve probably shot somewhere in the region of 3,000 Polaroids since I became a photographer in 2018.

I’ve shot them everywhere from parties and events to very cool financial soirées.

People find them hard to resist.

They’re not just a record of what somebody was wearing that night. They’re incredibly usable, immediate and malleable as a photographic tool.

Why I love shooting instant film

These days, my favourite instant film is actually Fujifilm Instax.

I’ve tried, bought and sold various cameras over the years until I found the ones that work for me. I now have one of each size.

There’s definitely a knack to shooting instant film well, with as little wastage as possible.

You have to learn your distances. You have to understand how the camera exposes, and you have to work with the camera rather than constantly trying to correct it.

You’ll often see me on tippy-toes for that reason.

Once you get the hang of that, instant film becomes incredibly liberating.

Instant film at parties and events

The perfect gift for guests – a vibey portrait at your party.

It gives people something physical to take away from the night — a photograph that exists in the real world before they’ve even left the room.

I see people’s faces light up when they get their photo. There’s something about this unique, single, one-of-a-kind piece of film that digital photography just doesn’t replicate.

Want a second copy?

“Sure. Let’s take the photo again.”

That’s my answer.

I stay away from the multi-print digital hybrid ones.

Where’s the fun in that?!

If instant film has made you think about adding something a little different to your next party or event, you can find out more about my event photography and digital party photography, or have a read of Why Birthdays Are My Favourite.