Tuesday, February 10, 2009

my camera


so here's the scoop. my polaroid camera of choice is the 680 slr. it is a later generation of the more popular sx-70. i think it is much better, but i'm biased. i'm in love. blinded by 680 love. this guy talks about the 690 slr, which is basically a reissue of the 680. he's got lots of information. a lot more than what i have. i actually pride myself on having as little information as possible. i feel lighter that way. oh, and i should mentioned that i was introduced to the 680 by a really great guy named mike slack. i saw his first book ok ok ok and fell in love with his photos. i thought they must be medium format or something, and just had to contact him to find out. i got his email address and it turned out that he lived around the corner from one of my best friends. he had me over to show me his camera (that is note code for something dirty), his shots, self timer, close up lens, and this amazing video. i was hooked! so i went on ebay and got myself a 680 (they were much more attainable then -- 2003-ish) and started shooting. i took my camera with me everywhere from up the street to palm springs to australia. those photos were the only souvenirs i needed. then i kind of stopped for a while. i got really busy styling, and our apartment got almost no natural light. it was kind of sad, actually. but alas, a stroke of good luck. andrew and i bought a house about a year and a half ago. it was bright, light, airy - - all that good stuff. the first thing we did before we moved in was have all of the hardwood floors painted white. WOW! and so the stage was set. i could take photos all day long. i started saying no to jobs, just so i could sit around and take photos, scan them, put them on flickr and shortly after onto my new blog, that is no longer so new. and now here i am telling you about all of it. so strange, especially since i am no expert. that being said, i am always happy to try to answer any questions. it just might take 6 - 8 months. i am a major procrastinator. so that's a little bit about that. hope it helps. oh, and if you have any questions, just comment on this post. i promise to respond. i can't promise that about any of the other posts, but this one - - i promise.

28 comments:

Anonymous said...

hey lovely! my name is gaby, i e-mailed you a couple weeks ago wondering how you got into being a prop stylist?? it's something i've considered doing but don't know how to fall into that.
you're truely an inspiration <333

Anonymous said...

hi! you were fast at getting back to me about the "love pillow" so you are being hard on yourself :) i was wondering if you can still get film for your 680. i heard they were discontinuing polaroid film but didnt know the details.

vanessa joie said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
vanessa joie said...

this is vanessa... same vanessa that emailed you about a ban.do. :o) (not sure why this makes a difference) I have to confess... after sighing over you beautiful photos for months and months I nabbed a 680 slr (off ebay too). It's been so, so much fun!

where did you get the case for yours? Ebay? i really need to get one.

ok... end of crazy girl fan-esque comment

jen gotch said...

hi gaby. hope my email reply helped!

jen gotch said...

hi girls. yes, you can still get film. ebay and b & h usually have 600 film. it can be pricey, but worth it. hopefully they will start reproducing it or some incarnation of it in 2010. and the case is actually from an army navy surplus store. not sure what it was meant for, but it fits the camera perfectly!

Joyti said...

It all just sounds so wonderful. I have fallen in with polaroids fairly recently...

Unknown said...

I am often amazed how other people sway and influence our lives especially in the arts. It is wonderful how you look back over time and addressed these wonderful people in your life.

Kasey said...

Thanks for sharing Jen.
Your pics are just lovely!
xo

Mathias said...

And boy, you're doing magic with it.

I kinda lost my heart to the SX-70. I also have an SLR 680, but it's not in the greatest shape, so I constantly find myself just using the SX-70. Maybe if I weren't so lazy I would try to get another SLR 680, but my wife wouldn't approve of yet another camera :)

Anonymous said...

thank you so much for sharing what you've learned. your polaroids are really a blessing to me.

Polaroid soph said...

talk to me about the 680? i want one so bad!!!

thought youd dig this painting

http://heyyousaycheese.blogspot.com/2009/02/quiet-time.html

kaitlyn sullivan said...

jen, you're too hard on yourself. your work is a great inspiration, i love to see your flickr uploads; photos happen when they happen- your mind is the first camera, right?

that sounded cheesy, but you know what i mean, i hope. they're great evidence of great moments though.

you do a great job! xo

kerri said...

hi jen! hope you are well. just wondering if you could give me any direction in trying to find a timer for my polaroids? i have a SUN 600 LMS, a supercolour 635 and a closeup 636. I also have an sx70.

love from a very snowed in edinburgh

kerri x

shanon said...

Jen, you're the best! =)
I'd love some tips on getting less blur in my polaroids. I try to keep still, and try to stay 3 ft away, but it doesn't always seem to help. Or do you think blur is just fine?
Thanks!

Anonymous said...

I love the magic of the polaroid. I have an sx-70 right now and my film is getting stuck and ruins the print. Would that be the film pack or the camera itself? It makes me sad :-(

jen gotch said...

love the painting. thanks, soph.

jen gotch said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
jen gotch said...

hi kerri. i know you can get a self timer for the sx-70. i see them on ebay a lot. the other ones, i don't know. sorry.

jen gotch said...

hey shanon.

email me some of your blurry polaroids and i will be able to help you. it might be low light.

jen gotch said...

hi lindsey.

i'm not an sx-70 expert, but it may be the rollers on the camera. they may need to be cleaned. maybe google that and see what you come up with.

Anonymous said...

hey jen... its gaby, i never received an email back :c

jen gotch said...

that is so strange, gaby. can you resend?

vanessa joie said...

Where do you buy your film? I assume you buy (or bought, I guess) in bulk...

jen gotch said...

hey vanessa. i haven't bought film in a while, because yes, i stocked up. i was buying it from samy's here in l.a. when i was in nyc, i saw that b & h has it. you can also find on ebay, but it is getting pricey. good luck!

vanessa joie said...

There's a Samy's here in Santa Barbara! I'm going to call them in the morning. Thanks!!

Anonymous said...

i was wondering what other kinds of cameras you use? film or digital?

Anonymous said...

LOVE this post, thanks for sharing:) I have a 680 slr and didn't know a self-timer existed, is that what I wold be looking for just a self-timer? Ebay? Thanks!