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Everything is impossible until it's not: February edition

Where did the Instagram aesthetic come from? And what encounter was like "visiting a shrine" for Steve Jobs? This month, we look at the Polaroid and how it shaped so much more than photography.

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Everything is impossible — until it isn’t. At Strike, we’re looking back on disruptive moments that changed the world. From technology that has shaped our lives to feats of human strength and resilience that were never thought possible, every month we’ll bring you a moment in history that changed everything.

Pulling out our smartphones and capturing an image in an instant has become second-nature — but what is the origin of instant photography as we know it today? This month we go back to the 21st of February 1947, when the first instant camera was demonstrated at the optical society in New York, changing the landscape of photography forever. 

The Polaroid was born, and photography — and perhaps the entire tech industry — was changed for years to come. Because this moment also introduced us to the founder of Polaroid, Edwin Land, who famously inspired another – perhaps even more familiar – technology giant and fellow disrupter: founder of Apple, Steve Jobs. 

Colour — in an instant

The first polaroid cameras were a little different to those we know and love today. Originally known as a Land camera, it contained a roll of paper with a pod of developing chemicals placed at the top of each frame — and, at about 4 lbs, it was a far cry from the compact cameras that we’re used to.

But for the mid-19th century, it was a revelation. As the cameraman turned the knob at the side of the camera, two rollers spread the chemicals evenly over the exposed negative paper — which was then pushed out of the camera.

After a minute or so, the layers of the photograph could be peeled off and there would be a black and white polaroid image beneath. 

It first went on sale at a department store in Boston for $89.75 and, despite, its bulk, the Polaroid Land Camera Model 95 was so popular that it made more than $5 million dollars in sales in the first year. This model was the prototype for Polaroid cameras for the next 15 years, but in 1963 Polaroid introduced Polacolor film which produced the first instant pictures in colour — and the craze started to gain momentum. 

As we sat together around a large conference table Dr. Land remarked that great products like his Polaroid instant camera aren’t really invented by any of us; they’ve always existed, right there in front of us, invisible—just waiting to be discovered."

John Sculley

‘Just waiting to be discovered’

It’s easy to see why the story of Polaroid’s rise to fame and success has been cited as an important influence to many inventors and businessmen — but there’s one inspirational moment that really sticks out. When Steve Jobs met his hero Edwin Land he described the experience to be: ‘like visiting a shrine’. The two had a lot in common – both being driven perfectionists, with (allegedly) fairly obsessive work habits. They also have a similar outlook when it comes to the process of invention, as John Sculley recalled of the meeting between Land and Jobs:

‘As we sat together around a large conference table Dr. Land remarked that great products like his Polaroid instant camera aren’t really invented by any of us; they’ve always existed, right there in front of us, invisible—just waiting to be discovered.’

That line of thinking — intuitive products that fit seamlessly into our lives — clearly shapes so much of Jobs' inspiration and his influence on the world. Ironically, the introduction of digital photography and mobile phones with high-quality cameras – of the kind that has made Jobs into such a successful icon – seemed to make the Polaroid obsolete. But the rise in popularity of instant, hand-held cameras, much like the Polaroid, shows that its legacy lives on — both on and offline.

We're always looking to dream bigger and find ways to make the impossible possible. Next month, we'll be back with another moment that changed everything.