What is Polaroid photography?

Polaroid photography is a photographic process in which the processing of the exposed film takes place inside the camera and the print is ready within a minute. It is based on a diffusion-transfer process, which makes it possible to produce a film negative and a positive print in one stage. Developed in 1947 by Edwin H. Land, the process makes use of a special film pack which also contains the printing paper and the processing chemicals. The chemical in the form of a jelly is contained in tiny capsules which burst as the film is moved after exposure. The name Polaroid comes from the name of the company with which Land was associated.

In the Polaroid process, after exposure the film passes through a pair of steel rollers in the camera which releases the developing chemicals. The chemicals convert the exposed silver salts on the negative layer into metallic silver. The unexposed silver salts from the film move to the positive emulsion layer on the paper by diffusion. There they are changed into silver, forming a positive image on the print. Colour film used in Polaroid camera has layers of coloured dyes in addition to negative and positive emulsions.