The second PolaCon NYC event, sponsored by Polaroid, was held from May 17th — 19th, primarily at Worthless Studios in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. I went on Saturday the 18th and had a great time learning, playing with gear, meeting old friends, making new ones, and shooting a bunch of instant photos!

This portrait is of Christopher Bonanos, holding his Polaroid SX-70 with a MiNT Flashbar. He is a City Editor at New York Magazine, author of three books, co-author of several more, well-known (revered) in photographic circles for his books about Weegee and Polaroid.

My first contact with Christopher was in 2023, when giving away (an extra copy of) his book, “INSTANT: THE STORY OF POLAROID” in the group I co-founded/co-admin on Facebook… On a whim, I searched for him, found his profile, messaged about the book giveaway-in-progress, and invited him to join Instant Photography: Gods, Mods & Bods. When I saw him at PolaCon NYC this year, he said he was “tickled” to learn of the book giveaway, and glad to join the group!

Camera: Polaroid SLR 680SE (vintage)
Film: Polaroid 600 Monochrome film (new)
Subject: Christopher Bonanos / @polaroidland
Location: Worthless Studios (Bushwick – Brooklyn)
Photographer: Russ Murray (vintage) 

See you tomorrow… 

// russ murray