I had a feeling something was up when Jon started asking me about my Polaroid camera. I hadn’t taken any photos with it in a while, but was justing started using it again.
Then on Friday, the box came from B&H Photo.
Inside was a Fujifilm Instax, instamatic camera. “It’s the kind of camera’s artist’s use”, Jon told me. A square format, not complicated but a better quality than my Polaroid and with more than one setting.
I read the simple directions, set the camera up, took one photo, then put the camera away until today. I’m not one to jump into things. I usually get anxious when I get something new, so I’ve learned to wait till the creative urge strikes.
That happened this morning. I started by taking a picture of the fruitbowl.
I tried the camera on different settings to see what it would do.
It has a double exposure setting. This was my second attempt at that. First I took a photo of the vase of peacock feathers in the stairway, then a picture of Fate and Bud. I think I’m going to have fun with the Double exposures.
There’s a landscape setting that widens the frame of the photo equal amounts on both sides of a center circle that shows up in the viewfinder. I didn’t know this was how it worked till I took this photo.
The first photo I took was of Jon writing in his study. I think at that point he was more excited about it than I was. He loved the moody photo, that captured the writer at work.
I actually think my best Polaroids are the ones with Jon in them. I’m not really sure why. I think I have to take a lot more pictures before I’ll understand it.
I never would have thought to get a Polaroid camera. And I never would have bought myself this new Instamatic. Jon is a champion for creativity. Whenever he sees a creative urge that needs to be filled, he tries to help make that happen. And he’s often aware of that urge before I am.
