Martin – Austin, Texas

For my second Polariod Portrait, I feature Martin. All photographs are two-dimensional, of course, but this one in particular looks really flat. But flat, not necessarily in a bad way. There are only three colors in this photo, black, white and orange-tan, but they repeat in complex ways which makes an interesting visual tapestry. While it’s a portrait, it doesn’t seem like one.

I noticed that these Polariods require a lot of light. The camera shoots at f8 and the film is only ISO 160. But more than that, I think the muted colors require lots of strong light to look good. In shade, the photos can look muddy.

Unlike most other instant film cameras, the SX-70 is a SLR (Single Lens Reflex) which can be framed and focused precisely. Except, I find it somewhat challenging to focus, which may be due to my eyesight. My model has a matt focusing screen, some modes have a split screen focusing.

While the Polaroid SX-70 is an old camera, it’s very different from the plastic almost toy like instant Fuji Instax cameras. The SX-70 was a serious and very expensive camera at introduction in the 1970s.