A Polaroid Adventure with Erik Emanuelson

Ever since I picked up my first instant camera I’ve dreamed of offering Polaroids as a special add-on for portrait sessions, but the unpredictability can be nerve wracking to say the least. It’s not often that someone is willing to pay you to take their picture and be all right with the possibility that the picture might not turn out how they expected… Or at all. Two possibilities that have a pretty good chance of becoming a reality.

But when I got together with Erik Emanuelson to talk about press photos for his band, Grand Lake Islands, he was especially drawn to these mysterious qualities of Polaroid photography, and the timeless feeling they often evoke.

So, we set out for Hood River, OR and wandered the surrounding area with a car full of cameras and film. We played, basically. It was some of the most fun I’ve had since winter hit the PNW. And when I peeled apart the photos for the big reveal, never once was there an utterance of disappointment when a blob of light made its way into the frame, or when a patch of chemicals didn’t develop; just excitement over what chance had dealt us.