After bringing back their iconic film camera, Polaroid is playing with color. On Friday, November 3, Polaroid Originals launched duochrome instant film.
Like black and white film, duochrome uses two main tones — but mixes one color with black instead. The result is an image with a bright pop of color and creative flair. The look is similar to shooting with a flash gel, but gets slightly different results and also doesn’t require that flash. Polaroid’s duotone film packs also trade the iconic white-framed border for a black frame.
Polaroid Originals is now offering duochrome film in pink and blue in the 600 format, which is compatible with the new OneStep 2 camera as well as older Polaroid 600 instant film cameras. The film sells for $20 for a pack of eight exposures.
“Each pack creates photos with bold contrasts, capturing the light and dark in every scene – perfect for creative flares and moments of passion,” Polaroid Originals wrote in an email to followers. “Not only that, they feature a new matte black frame for some added artistry.”
Polaroid announced the new brand Polaroid Originals back in September after The Impossible Project, a company refurbishing old cameras and making film for those classic cameras, became a major shareholder and also purchased the last Polaroid film factory. The Impossible Project now re-directs to the Polaroid Originals website. That announcement also came with the OneStep 2, a classically inspired instant film camera with a few modern perks, like charging through USB.
The Impossible Project itself launched duochrome instant film over the summer, with options for pink, black yellow, orange, and red, which sells for about $30 for a pack of eight exposures. The version from Polaroid Originals doesn’t have as many colors, but sells for about $10 less.
2017 marks the 80th anniversary of the first Polaroid instant camera, and it’s only fitting to see the company return to those instant roots. While smartphones are replacing point-and-shoots, film is seeing a resurgence as an artistic tool for getting those vintage looks, trading that Instagram filter for an actual vintage camera. Instant film cameras allow for that creativity without the dark room. Like Polaroid’s digital cameras with a built-in printer, instant film is also popular for the ability to actually have a physical photo to hold instantly.
