It’s next week again.
And so to get your week off to a cheery start, here’s something which relentlessly upbeat but at the same time impossible not to like:
I had thought that the type of Polaroid camera famously referenced in the song was now, in the age of digital photography, where everyone has a camera on there phone, obsolete. But I was surprised to learn when researching this (Yes! Research! For this!) that they are still widely available on the market, and not just as second-hand, nostalgic collector’s items on ebay.
For those of you unfamiliar with them, this is what they look like:
Nice and pocket-sized, right?
Anyone who was around in the late-70s/early 80s will remember them. The idea was that, rather than have to dash off to Snappy Snaps to get your photos developed, this camera would print them off as and when you took them.
When it emerged from the camera, the photo would be blank, but after a few moments the photo appeared. Users often would shake the photos as they developed, in an effort to speed the process up.
However, in the wake of Hey Ya! Polaroid released an official statement:
“[The image] never touches air, so shaking or waving has no effect. In fact, shaking or waving can actually damage the image. Rapid movement during development can cause portions of the film to separate prematurely, or can cause ‘blobs’ in the picture.”
Killjoys.
More soon.
A History of Dubious Taste 