the edge of logic and intuition

In this post and a couple of subsequent ones I’m looking at how to create frames using Inkscape and GIMP in order to produce vintage / retro and other effects on photos.

Below: creating a frame in Inkscape. This deals with deciding on dimensions, creating the frame and saving it in a suitable format for transparency.

→ view the rest of the post: Creating “instant photo” vintage and other frames in Inkscape

I wrote on here a few months ago about the Fujifilm Instax Mini and how this is the only ‘mainstream’ instant camera on the market. No longer, as Polaroid (who of course used to be the main instant camera/film manufacturer back in the 80s and 90s – retro to me!) are launching the Polaroid 300 instant camera which was developed in partnership with Fujifilm and appears very similar to the Instax Mini (made by Fujifilm).

The CNET article (linked to above) mentions that

It’s unclear whether the Polaroid 300 will accept the same Instax Mini film used for the Fujifilm equivalent. But if you dive into the technical specifications, you’ll realize that both snappers have the same features.

but based on this I would infer that it’s likely that the films will be interchangeable (unless some sort of ‘key’ system or similar is used so they physically can’t be interchanged in the camera) which would be good news for us UK and US based instant film fans who struggle quite often to get hold of the films for the Instax (Mini) without paying ridiculous import prices etc.

At the time of writing it is around $90 USD (from the Polaroid site) and the film cartridge $10 for 10 prints making the film slightly cheaper than what I’ve managed to buy the Fuji films for, but the camera a little more expensive. (If this is the case then over time it works out cheaper of course assuming you take a decent number of pictures!)

Maybe it will remain niche/cult or perhaps instant photography is coming back (in which case it would be a good thing but it’s always a bit of a mixed feeling when something previously ‘cult’ suddenly becomes mainstream.. see also: No Doubt, emo, Linux) as retro and nostalgia always seems popular and people will pay for that!

We recently had a 10 year school reunion (ie 10 years since learning leaving) and it sparked a bit of a wave of nostalgia in general including going back through some old diaries and writings etc that I’ve kept from various places. As I don’t have that much storage space at home (since all available cupboards, drawers, flat surfaces etc are taken up with projects of various sorts, or perhaps just mess!) most of the archive papers and so on are stored at my mum’s house, but around Christmas time I did go through some of them and brought them back with me to have a look through and perhaps remember writing them!

→ view the rest of the post: Diary nostalgia