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| New55 photographed by Polly Chandler |
Here is some more information by Michael Kirchoff about New55:
There’s a new Kickstarter campaign on the block,
and they want your hard earned money to help them bring about a new film for
photographers to make images with. Film?...yes film. Some brief info on what it
is and what they plan to do, before letting you watch the video and explore
further on your own. The name of the film is New55, and it is a re-imagining of
sorts of Polaroid’s legendary Type 55 positive/negative film, which ceased
production back in 2008. That end was a shock to the system and careers of a
great many photographers out there, as it was used for both commercial and
artistic purposes. It was the film with the famous deckled edge and
identifiable border that came in single sheet form for 4x5 view cameras. It had
incredible tonal range and sharpness. It was loved by so many photographers out
there that petitions to keep it in production flooded the halls of Polaroid.
None of that worked however, as you might have guessed. Some, myself included,
purchased and literally hoarded box after box of the film and put it into cold
storage to be used sparingly until even now, because the thought of not having
it is, well...sort of incomprehensible.
So what is New55? It is a film that uses Type 55
as a template for something similar, but quite different, and in some ways, an
improvement. It still comes in single sheets of 4x5 black and white film. It is
still a positive/negative film...meaning that upon peeling the shot sheet open,
you are presented with a black and white positive print, and a high resolution
negative of the same size, for either printing or scanning. One improvement is
of a “green” nature, in that the redesign of the actual film packet means that
less trash is created after it’s used. The possibility that the ISO of the film
will be higher than Type 55’s ISO 50, maybe even as high as 200. Lastly, the
film is exposure balanced, meaning that when you shoot a properly exposed
sheet, you get a tonally rich print AND a perfectly exposed
negative...something that Type 55 could never do. Cool, right? You’re damn
right it’s cool, and quite beautiful as well! It’s also worth noting that there
is no 4x5 black and white instant film currently in production anymore. Even
Fuji has bailed on it. That leaves a big hole in what is a seemingly declining
film market...or is it? Now is the time to get in on this Kickstarter, and
hopefully, when fully funded, it will bring us a new and improved film worthy
of making new art.
There is something quite special that occurs
when using a product like instant film, especially one that gives you both a
print and negative. Creating an instant tangible object with so much soul like
that is the closest thing to magic that I can even think of. Even digital
photography cannot instantly give you both a print and a negative! A long time
ago in the very early days of my career I started working for an incredible
photographer and mentor by the name of Alan Ross. Alan was one of Ansel Adams’
former assistants, and was (and still is) the guy who gets to make prints from
Ansels original negatives that are sold in the Ansel Adams Gallery in Yosemite.
On a couple of occasions I even assisted him in the darkroom during the making
of these prints. I still have in my mind the very vivid memory of holding one
of these hallowed negatives, ‘Moon and Half Dome’ to be exact. Let me tell you,
I may as well have been holding a Fabergé Egg or the Hope Diamond as far as I
was concerned. That negative was such a physical object of incredible history
and culture, that it still resonates with me today. I think the new
photographers out there willing to try something different than digital will
see this in a film like New55. They get to create something tangible that has
the potential to ignite their passion like nothing else.
This is what brings me to another reason I have
for writing this article. One of the things that had been mentioned to me by
the team behind New55 was that they felt a new, younger audience would be in
the forefront of making pledges and showing support of their new endeavor. I was
a little surprised at this initially, being one of the older, and past users of
the original Type 55 Polaroid. However, the more I thought about it and the
more I looked at what was happening with the analog photographers out there, I
changed my view and now feel that they are absolutely right.
I recently read a post made on a Facebook page
regarding New55 and the idea of bringing back a little of the old technology.
The person responsible for the post stated that he liked having as broad a
range of materials as possible to use in making our art, however, to not look
to the old trends in using these materials. It seemed so contradictory to me,
and made me think that a younger photographer would never think in those terms.
It’s like saying that the original Ford Mustang or Chevy Camaro were so
unbelievably great, but the contemporary versions have nothing to offer the new
buyers, or the changes in technology could not possibly have made any
improvements to them. Perhaps referring to New55 as a reinvention is not as
accurate as saying that it is more of an evolved version of its predecessor,
with some improvements, but still exciting and different. Honestly, the days of
discussing the validity of what you shoot with are over. I don’t care what you
use, just make the imagery the best you can with whatever it is that suits your
vision. Truly, it is the newer generation of artists that are embracing the
ways of old and trying out the things that often appear difficult or
problematic. I suppose that some would simply call them hipsters, but really,
that’s just another label for people to put on those who do things differently
than they do. When you’re younger, you tend to be more optimistic about the
world, and certainly more willing to get behind something you feel passionate
about. Youth also seems to be more likely to take on risk. As “they”
say...better to have tried and failed, than never to have tried at all. There
are never any guarantees, but at least something was learned in the process. I
know that as I find myself getting older, I try to remain young at heart and
optimistic still. It gets harder every year, sure, but I do my best. I prefer
to remember myself in those terms, when I was wide-eyed and excited about
photography and the career I had chosen. That’s why I find myself getting
behind the efforts of those responsible for New55 Film.
So now that you’ve read about me and my crazy
romantic feelings towards analog photography and using film, I think it’s about
time to move on and let you do some investigating of your own and draw some
conclusions. Some may be with me, and some may not. The great thing is that
everyone gets to have their opinion, and I’m more than willing to listen to
yours. I’ve been doing this for a very long time, so you probably won’t be able
to change my thoughts or opinions, but I definitely want you to form your own.
Every now and then I hear someone write or utter the phrase “Photography Is
Dead”. I can’t even seriously consider something like this to ever be true.
With so many new and talented photographers out there willing to explore the
limitless possibilities, how can it? Photography can only die if we give up on
it and let it die. I don’t give up, and neither do the people behind New55
Film. Watch the video, do some research of your own, and consider the pay it
forward aspect of this incredible opportunity. Thank you so very much for
reading.
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