Polaroids

Self-developing photo prints

Polaroids are instant photographs produced by Polaroid cameras, which develop the image within minutes of being taken.

The term evokes a particular aesthetic—square format, soft colors, slightly faded quality—that has become nostalgic shorthand for casual, candid photography from the 1970s through 1990s.

She kept a stack of old Polaroids in a shoebox.

Digital filters now mimic the Polaroid look.

photography

instant

Briefest unit of time

snapshotInformal photograph taken quickly
exposureState of being unprotected
filmMovie or coating

shutter · flash · viewfinder · aperture · lens · print · integral · color saturation · fading · overexposure

cultural

Warhol

Pop art icon

album coverRecord's illustrated sleeve
photo wallDisplay of mounted images
party favorSmall memento for guests

guest book · wedding · photo booth · selfie · shake it · Hey Ya · evidence · proof · souvenir · mementos

aesthetic

washed-out

Lacking original vibrancy

soft focusDeliberately blurred image technique
dreamyVague and pleasantly distracted
lo-fiImperfect audio quality, informally

grainy · muted tones · vignette · light leak · imperfect · artistic · hipster · indie · Instagram filter · tactile

nostalgia

vintage

Quality from past eras

retroEvoking recent past
analogComparable equivalent
memoriesStored past experiences

keepsake · scrapbook · shoebox · faded · yellowed · handwritten · caption · dated · seventies · eighties

Polaroids

instant

Warhol

washed-out

vintage

Polaroids

Opposites

Phrases

Categories

Family