Instant Camera Essay

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What are instant cameras? An instant camera (Polaroid) is a marvelous tool, with the aid of finely tuned chemistry and physics a moment in life instantly becomes a moment to last. As the title clearly states the function the instant camera became the stepping-stone for a generation of photographers that enjoyed having photos available for display merely four minutes after the push of a button. At the time of development some confused this phenomena with magic, as is the common case when involving science with everyday life, however, the process is simple—to say the least. The process of taking a photo and capturing the image is no different on an instant camera as it is on a normal “roll-film” camera. The factor of viewing an instant through the lens, enabling the aperture to witness light surrounding the image, projecting the image onto a strip of film and storing the image until development—all remain constant amongst both cameras. To truly understand the difference and “magic” behind the instant camera one must first understand how the general film works.
The generic film is made up of a thin plastic base; upon this base is a layer of a chemically coated silver compound. Upon the opening of the aperture, light rays are emitted into the camera and the film quickly captures the desired image using the silver compound as a magnet. A key aspect of this compound is the use of a substance titled silver halide. Silver halides have been the key substance on all forms of films as they play a crucial role on both the exposed film and the printed image. The process begins with a coating of gelatin infused silver halides on to base layer (as seen in Figure 1) just below the first degree of dye developer (Cyan). In order to prevent a fuse ...

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...by opacifiers in order to make-spread reagent opaque.
As light is captured into the process, the pigments shine through above the image dispersing opacifiers towards the edge of film where they are not visible (this is the reason for instant film requiring a white frame). Happening also at this time the opacifiers have been targeted by the acid layer causing (lagged) transparency of the non-opaque layer of reagent (reason film takes four minutes to develop) bringing the image from below to the forefront of the sheet of film.
Through this entire process the timing layer has regulated the speed of which the reagent process through the film. This is done to ensure the non-pre-mature development.
As you wait your four minutes, you view the entire process-taking place, upon completion; you have a tangible record of a specific point of time that will last you forever.

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