The ninth PolaCon, an instant film event hosted by the Instant Film Society, took place from Sept. 27-29 at Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studio in Denton. The conference consisted of three days of demos, panel discussions, workshops and vendors as well as, for the first time, a week-long music festival each night from Sept. 23-29.
“A lot of people think you can’t buy the film anymore, so the more that we do this, the more awareness we raise,” Instant Film Society board member Alexas Monroe said. “When I was 19, I got a Polaroid cool cam and as soon as I took the first photo I loved the sound, pulling the polaroid out of the camera and waiting… it brought me so much joy.”
PolaCon had a variety of demos and workshops, some varying depending on the day attended. For example, Friday had an instant film scavenger hunt, Saturday was primarily Instant Film Society’s zine swap and Sunday had an 8×10 polaroid demo. On Saturday Sept. 28, Jen Brimmage did a demo on cyanolumen prints, showing attendees a variety of examples she has made as well as helping others make their own.
“If you know anyone who has old expired dark room paper, this is a great way to use it, no perfectionism involved,” Brimmage said. “And based on the type of paper, the colors are going to be different… I love it. It’s just a fun way to be creative and see what happens.”
In addition to the demos and workshop opportunities, Saturday’s PolaCon event held space for vendors to sell items such as jewelry, photographs, artwork and zines. Some vendors such as Lu Louve, selling her photography prints and mixed media work, showcased items at PolaCon for the first time.
“I collage on polaroid, I try to use my duds so I can repurpose them,” Louve said. “I started shooting polaroids about five years ago, and then I had a head concussion… I couldn’t really go out to shoot. So, I just started collaging in the meantime while I was in recovery, and that’s how it came to be.”
PolaCon got its start in Denton but throughout the years has progressed to hold events out of Texas as well. Attending PolaCon a few years ago, Brian Brooks from San Francisco helped bring the conference to the Bay Area.
“I own a photo lab in West Oakland, [and] I’m all about analog, chemistry’s in my blood,” Brooks said.“It’s a community, and it’s so niche, last year we closed the street off and had the first polaroid block party, it was good.”
As PolaCon has made its way to different areas of the country, it has gained a steady following from analog photography enthusiasts. Kevin O’Donnell, for example, has attended PolaCon in New York and the Bay Area, with this year being his first conference in Denton.
“There’s a camaraderie and a lot of shared learning [at these events,] I learn something new every single time I come to one,” O’Donnel said. “It’s very niche and incredibly small. It’s just nice to know there’s other people who are adamant or excited about instant photography.”
