Gigantic Polaroid Camera

[rbultman]

Perhaps this has already been shared here, but I found the video fascinating.

http://designtaxi.com/news/363970/Ra...laroid-Camera/

[StoneNYC]

Yea that's the 20x24 studios Polaroid camera. There are 3 or 4 in existence.

Look up 20x24 studios

[Alan Gales]

One of the members here got married and had Frank Petronio shoot portraits of him and his bride with one of those cameras. Pretty neat! The portraits were awesome.

[David Lobato]

Elsa Dorfman used one for several years for portraits. In her 20x24 FAQ page, she says there are 8 in existence.

http://www.elsadorfman.com

[koh303]

Wow, i never knew there was such a camera.

Its a amzing what you can do when you are an extraordinarily wealthy and well known photographer, something like life size portraits on instant film. Incredible. Its almost a novel, never before done type thing. Today the legend continues, and anachronism remains unchecked.
Recently i saw something called "the south as seen through the 20X24" or something like that, and really, what can be seen through a 239LBS camera, lugged around "the south" that we haven't already seen a billion times from Bill Burke, Jim Dow and their polaroid friends of mid 80's fame?

What is important here? The curiosity of a gimmick originally designed to be demonstrator of purpose, or the medium which makes about as much sense as a panoramic image shot on a dedicated camera, when the same frame could have been shot on any camera, then cropped, just like my 35TI "panorama" function does (yes, its totally a stupid thing to take an already tiny format and cut half of it out).

Alas, one question remains: WHY?
Still, the interweb is amazing.

[dsphotog]

Why?
Because each image is an original, one-of-a-kind piece of art.

[koh303]

Why?
Because each image is an original, one-of-a-kind piece of art.

Surely you cannot say that about anything that is not done with a 20X24 polaroid, a pleasure exclusively reserved for photographers with means.

[dsphotog]

Sorry if I wasn't clear... I'm not saying those qualities are exclusive only to a 20x24 Polaroid...
There was one at Calumet in San Francisco, I don't know about now, but that camera/studio was avail. to anyone to rent by the hour, plus materials.
Frank Petronio isn't a rich man, he just had a subject willing to pay what it cost for a special session.

[koh303]

http://www.mammothcamera.com/rental.html
200$ per exposure. I am not sure it includes the rental of the equipment. In any case, i guess thats not so much more then actual cost of a negative 20X24. With that said, i still wonder - why?

[dsphotog]

I would encourage anyone to shoot any Polaroid, now while it's avail... It's just magic!
There was a time when, before shooting 4x5 chrome, we shot 4x5 Polaroid for disposable test shots, I delivered pickup trucks of 8x10 Pol, and Ektachrome to a local industrial studio, and also used to shoot tons of Polaroid passport photos too, it was a great experience, I'll never forget the lovely smell of that chemical.