Working with a Polaroid™ 300 Instant Camera poses quite a number of challenges as a medium, particularly in curating a fotoblog such as Uit de Deur. Striking a balance between the 5Ls (Light, Lens, Location, Look and Language) plays an important role in the success of each post. Having no professional photography experience (or equipment for that matter) and with the sole use of Instant Film, every foto becomes an exercise in perfection.
Man en Kind
Light / Licht
Leidseplein, Amsterdam 
Leidseplein, Amsterdam
Lange Vijverberg,
Pieterskerk,
Leiden
Kinki, Leiden
Leonie
Cliché as it may be, Light can make or break an Uit de Deur foto. Due to the properties of Instant Film, fotos tend to come out overexposed when taken in daylight, giving a unique character to a picture. In a way, you get a blurred glimpse of the subject (in this case, Jordy) as if walking through a crowd, only to stop right in front of you for just a split second. On the other hand, fotos during sunset are more difficult to capture (Man en Kind). This becomes a major problem during Winter when Light is scarce and getting out of bed (early) is a bitch.
Maurits
Merel
Lens
The Polaroid™ 300 Instant Camera (aka the Polaroid™ Classic) is a no-frills, point-and-shoot device with no focus, no zoom and a flash that is better off unused. In order to properly capture a head-to-toe look for Uit de Deur, you literally have to get up close and personal, but even then there are no guarantees. These shots of Maurits and Merel in Amsterdam, showcasing how easy and comfortable they are with their own personal style, are great if not for the obvious extras in the foto (the Mannequins on the left). My bad, guys!
Den Haag
Leiden
Location / Locatie
When they say it's all about "Location, location, location," they weren't kidding. Since the goal of Uit de Deur is to capture and present real people with a personal sense of style, determining where to look can become a daunting task. You can spend hours standing at one spot and not take a single shot. Conversely, choosing a more conducive location like De 9 Straatjes, for example, entails discipline of the highest order. There are only 10 shots per cartridge, after all. And let's face it, Instant Film doesn't come cheap!
Kinki, Leiden
Cindy
Leonie
Look
For me, genuine style is a personal expression of your authentic Self. How to separate this from fashion, trend and hype is a unique challenge posed by Uit de Deur. Having said that, capturing true style is really "hit or miss". Snap judgments and split decisions are necessary while hesitation leads to opportunities foregone.
Leiden Centraal naar Huis 
Haarlemmerstraat, Leiden
Een Meisje
Vrouw met Accordion
Language
Finally, though glamorous at it may seem, walking up to people to ask whether you could take their foto is no easy task. Honestly, it's pretty nerve-racking. How do I inform people about what it is I do without coming off as a Sartorialist © wannabe? I'm just a kid with a Polaroid™. More importantly, at what point is it ok NOT to give them an Instant Foto?
1 comment:
good luck phillip! great idea!
andreea
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