black and white polaroids

This photograph is the first formal polaroid in my portfolio.

Although I love regular polaroids, and have been shooting them for quite a while, I wanted some of them to be a bit larger than the standard 3" x 3" image area. Not knowing what would result from scanning an already imperfect image, I scanned this shot at high resolution, enlarged it to 5"x5" (image area, not white border), slightly cropped the subject, and converted it to black and white.

The result was an incredibly rewarding process. Not only was I able to successfully convert a polaroid to a larger photograph, the black and white conversion really showcased the imperfections without degrading the original image.

"...will I ever enlarge a polaroid beyond 5" x 5" ?"

I'd like to try for 8" x 8" but I don't think it would be smart to try for anything larger than that; I'm not even convinced 8" x 8" will be successful. But in all honesty, I don't know if it would be a good idea to even try. I mean one of the great qualities of a polaroid is the small, almost pocket size dimensions. Although I didn't go too much larger with my print, I don't think taking it farther would be worthwhile...it could really take away from the origins of the photograph.

subject: building and power lines
location: Occoquan, VA



{edit}
After letting the photo sit for a few days, I realized I wasn't happy with the cropping so I re-edited the photograph and uploaded the new crop. It's still 5" x 5" but with a little less of the brick building and secondary building.

© 2008 joe blend. All rights reserved.