One of the reasons I wanted to start this newsletter was to push me into my own archives. At some point they became vast; thousands of Polaroids from over a decade, sorted roughly by year. I hoped that deeper reflection on what I had made and was currently making would help reveal more about myself.
Winona, Miss. (made with a Polaroid Big Shot; this was in an alley and said COUNTRY) (all photos 2015)
What strikes me now is the clarity with which I worked in certain time periods. Not all of this is due to personal ability or state of mind; in part it was the tools I used. In 2015, the newly-reconfigured instant film for the 600 and SX-70 by the Impossible Project could still be very volatile. In contrast, the Fuji pack films1 for the Polaroid Land Camera were otherwordly in their color, depth, and reliability.2
Of the 400+ Polaroids I scanned in that year, the following is a good representation of what I would have played live if you had seen me in 2015 and I was just showing Land Camera work. It’s wild to me how cinematic these photos are, how much I played with hard lines and shadow, how bold the framing. This is what I sounded like then, with this camera and this film—I hope you enjoy it.
Jackson, Miss.
Jackson, Miss. (portrait of the golden eagle on top of the New Capitol)
Looking West over the Mississippi River from Vicksburg
Ferriday, La.
Vicksburg, Miss.
‘68 Chevy in triptych, Jackson, Miss.
Jackson, Miss.
Brooklyn, NY
Coney Island, NY
Brooklyn, NY
Tupelo, Miss., birthplace of Elvis Presley, made at sunset on Feb. 7, 2015
Jackson, Miss.
One rainy night in Jackson, Miss.
“2015 SETLIST” is this week’s installment of GORJUS, a newsletter devoted to art and life in the South on instant film. If you like it, consider sending it to a pal. Just like anything, some weeks are better than others. I’m gorjusjxn on Instagram, and you can see more Polaroids at McCartyPolaroids.
The color film in this setlist is FP-100c; the b&w is Fuji FP-3000b.
Unless you were trying to shoot in sub-freezing temperatures and hadn’t warmed the film up enough, which is what happened with the “half-pull” on the Brooklyn Chevy Polaroid. It was too cold for the image to actually stick all the way to the paper. But the Coney Island photo was made when it was just as cold, if not colder; but I kept it in my jacket pocket for a couple of hours and let it warm up.