It’s almost over.

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Dr. Edwin Land gave us a huge gift: The Polaroid instant photo. Endemic of our societal needs for “I want it now!, this interactive, yes I said it, immediate photo sharing may have been at the forefront of social networking. By being able to replay the moment in a minute with a print, everyone was able to assess and examine what that moment was, and how to even adjust for the next captured moment.

From the pro being able to test lighting and tonal values, to the general user, to the artists like Chuck Close using the experimental room sized Polaroid cameras, Polaroid has been become a part of our culture. Even Andre 3000 sang about it. Of course the David Hockney created a whole new medium with the collaged and montaged SX-70 portraits.

The process of shaking a Polaroid picture to aid in drying the chemistry on the surface, stayed in line with the pro products, but the consumer version, starting with the SX-70 did away with all that. You can still get some instant cameras though. But for how long?

I still have a Polaroid 110A from the 60’s converted to use current pack film. Originally purchased to test strobe lighting, it’s become a fun relic. Works perfect and still does the job. However when you can shot and have the image appear immediately on a computer screen and send it all over the world..um…I think that takes the win.

And soon even the film will be gone. Along with the little black plastic tubes with the white caps, keeping the sponge wipers moist with the noxious preservation chemistry you would spread onto the B&W prints.

Oh well. I’ll slowly work through the last case with fondness.

Order what you need now. It won’t be around forever.