The camera seemed innocent enough, but failure lurked inside it! Not just any simple glitch or malfunction, but the kind of unexpected and interesting results I call the “FABULOUS FAILURES” or “Fab Fails” of instant photography.

This Polaroid 600 extreme (lowercase branding fail?) camera was part of an auction lot comprised of photographic devices, miscellany, and ephemera. I must confess, this uncommon instant camera is the reason I bid on the mixed lot in the first place…

After the box arrived, I eagerly unwrapped the camera, popped in a pack of fresh Polaroid 600 Color film from my fridge, and grinned as the motor and rollers grumbled and spat out the “dark slide” to my waiting fingers. Then I hustled outside on a cold, sunny November (Black Friday) afternoon to see what this camera could do.

My first test shot glitched hard in the camera — FAIL. Was it the cold air on a camera most likely unused for 20+ years? Quite disappointing after the 25-35 minutes it takes for new Polaroid “instant” films to fully develop these days. But it was not a very good photo to begin with, so I got what I deserved. 🙂

Chagrined, I looked around for a better subject, noticed the benevolent Buddha beckoning, and thought to myself,

“With his [the Buddha’s] face in shadow, it’ll be interesting to see how the built-in, always-on, fill-flash works.”

— Russ Murray

So I knelt in the garden gravel for my second test shot and waited the obligatory half-hour for it to develop. After 10 minutes, the shot had clearly also glitched in camera — undeveloped patch in the top left corner, vertical stripe up the left third of the image area, and a flash flare at the top — but the result was a FAB FAIL!

Hope you enjoyed my fabulous failure.

Camera: Polaroid 600 extreme box/popup instant camera (vintage)
Film: Polaroid 600 Color instant film (new)
Photographer: Russ Murray [aka “remages”]
Location: Stamford, Connecticut

See you tomorrow! 

// russ murray