May 14, 2009

Polaroid SX-70

May 14, 2009/ A Restless Transplant

I represent the first generation of photographers who grew up never knowing the dark room or the schlep of buying roll after roll of film. Instead, I grew up frustrated by buyer's remorse, and Moore's law impact on the constant progress in digital photography capacity and quality. Despite the decades of advances in CCD (the device that captures light and record the image) technology, digital photography still struggles to capture some of the magic of film photography, especially the colors of a simple Polaroid.

Last weekend I found a Polaroid SX-70 at my local Goodwill, on the same shelf where I found the switchable panorama plastic camera, for $5. Unfortunately, Polaroid discontinued the SX-70 film five years ago and Ebay is the only place to find film. The high cost of film, $2 to $3 per exposure, delegates SX-70 photography to a cult-like following.

The SX-70 was the first auto focusing Single Lens Reflex camera in wide-scale production. Today cameras rely on color contrasts and the sharpness of lines to quickly focus. These Polaroid SLR's used sonar, identified by the circular gold plate with a mesh cover, to judge the distance from the subject and adjust the lens in the same way that submarines use sonar to aim torpedoes and navigate shallow waters.

The chrome plated steel and leather body breaks down to a 12" by 5" by 1.5" block, roughly the size and weight of a photo book. Its a pretty slick little set up. Here is a video from the 70's showcasing the original SX-70's features. (Please not that this is not the auto focus version as described in this post.)

I have developed my creative photographic process on the assumption that each exposure costs nothing, I will never shoot film because I can't conceptualize spending a few dollars per exposure to get a photo. For example, after about 30 tries, I finally got this right. With an SX-70 I would have spent anywhere from $60-$100. With my Canon G9, it was just a fraction of the price I paid for the camera and memory card.

My inability to shoot Polaroids makes them all the more interesting and desirable. Here are some Polaroids taken by my friends with cameras similar to the SX-70:

Mikael Kennedy

Spencer Philips

The SX-70 was in my possession for a turbulent couple of hours as I toyed with the idea of trying my hand with Polaroids. In the end, I sold the camera to my friend Spencer and decided to stick to my guns.

Here are some more links,
Passport To Trespass,
Jimmy Fontaine,
Spencer Philips,
Porter Polaroid Project.

May 13, 2009

LL Bean Norwegian Sweaters Back for Fall/Winter '10

May 13, 2009/ A Restless Transplant

Yesterday via Twitter, I sent the comments from my post about two LL Bean Norwegian Goodwill finds to Laurie Brooks and Mary Rose MacKinnon at LL Bean. Much to my surprise, Laurie quickly replied with a DM Tweet informing me LL Bean will resurrect the classic sweater for F/W ‘10. It will reappear in its original, 80% wool, 20% rayon, and, like the original, it will be made in Norway. Check out this photo from the F/W '10 look book.

They’re offering two versions of the Norwegian sweater: the Classic Norwegian Sweater (pictured here) available online, in the catalog, and in LL Bean retail locations across the country, and a three-quarter zip available exclusively in-store.

Brilliant move on LL Bean's part. These photos of my friend Edge do a good job of displaying the modern preppy appeal of the sweater and how its easily incorporated into contemporary outfits. Head to toe: Moscot Glasses, Vintage LL Bean Norwegian Sweater, Tom Brown Button Down, RRL Khakis, JCrew Wool Socks, and Common Projects Desert Boots.

Many thanks to Mary Rose MacKinnon and Laurie Brooks (AKA the twitter account LLBeanPR) at LL Bean for giving me the heads up about these sweaters and being loyal followers of A.R.T.

Update 5-15-09: The Norwegian Sweater will be made in the same exact vendor as the original. Advances in wool technology since the sweaters origins in the 70s allow the sweater to be made entirely out of wool, with no addition of Rayon.

Here are some more links,
LLBeanPR (Twitter),
LL Bean Norwegian Sweater Back for AW10 (Picasa),
LL Bean Norwegian Sweaters (ART).

May 12, 2009

LL Bean Norwegian Sweaters

May 12, 2009/ A Restless Transplant

On a 75° afternoon this weekend I was perusing the sweater rack at my local Goodwill and stumbled across two LL Bean Norwegian Sweaters from the 1980's. I first spotted the classic LL Bean Norwegian Sweater in navy and white, made famous during the 1980's as preppy staple and immortalized in the Official Preppy Hand Book. The sweater was next to a Champion Waterville High crew sweatshirt. I grabbed it like a fat kid taking candy from a "Take One" bowl on Halloween.

These sweaters were made in Norway with a blend of 80% Wool and 20% Rayon, a synthetic material usually produced from cellulose derived from wood.

For decades this classic weave identified college students with the LL Bean brand. However, LL Bean discontinued the sweater in the late 90's. Today these sweaters are delegated to eBay, vintage stores and flea markets in Williamsburg for around $40 a pop. Not to brag, but these were just $9 a piece.

Where I come from, Goodwills and other thrift stores are as picked over for vintage clothes as thoroughly as garbage heaps in Bangladesh are for food scraps. Central Maine is hundreds of miles away from savvy vintage shoppers and has no shortage of quality clothes.

Farther down the rack, the thick sleeve of a wool sweater stood out from the cheap fleece and cotton weaves and much to my surprise I pulled out another, less known LL Bean Norwegian sweater.

The Goodwills in Maine put X's on LL Bean labels to avoid potential abuses of Bean's rock solid customer service. I love these buttons, very Sun Valley Idaho circa 1965.

The Classic Norwegian sweater is already spoken for by a friend and loyal blog reader. I plan to wear the other for decades to come. I hope that someday LL Bean resurrects these once great sweaters. Without a doubt, LL Bean fans old and new would buy them. If this resonates with you, leave a comment and I will forward it along to my friends at LL Bean.