Despite the occasional dousing of rain, last weekend’s Lake Eden Arts Festival in Black Mountain was, by most reports, a heck of a good time. Taking it all in was Mountain Xpress staff photographer Jonathan Welch, who ditched his digital camera for a good, old-fashioned Polaroid, capturing images as unique as the festival itself.
The Polaroid Corporation recently announced that it would discontinue the film, though stock supplies are expected to last for up to a year. Meanwhile, the Web site SavePolaroid.com has been a central gathering spot for Polaroid photo galleries — and the home base for a campaign to urge some other company to begin manufacturing the unique format again.
Welch says he chose to chronicle LEAF with Polaroids because of their signature style — their unvarnished, snapshot quality. “This project focused on color more than anything else,” he explains. Along with the family-photo feel of instantaneous, cherished moments that Polaroids convey, “color becomes the subject.”
Click here to see Welch’s colorful gallery of LEAF Polaroids, and check out Xpress’ growing collection of photo galleries here.
— Jon Elliston, managing editor
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