Joep Gottemaker is mainly a Polaroid photographer, who uses an original SX-70 camera, from 1972. As he stated, instant pictures have this kind of “magical” colors and special quality which no other medium has, particularly if you are trying to obtain a high-saturated-color picture

If it’s (a travel) to Paris or just a dog walk, the SX-70 is in my pocket.

Did this sentence make you remember something? Maybe a Lomography rule? Well, yes. It’s almost the same idea. This was the first thing I noticed in a Joep’s interview for IMPOSSIBLE project. In fact, Joep is mostly an instant photography lover and user, who likes this particular kind of analog photography mainly because in few seconds the picture is printed in your hands. But it goes beyond this particular feature: what Joep likes is the sound of the motor, how you can’t predict how the picture will turn out like.

As you might know, Polaroid discontinued the production of instant film cartridges. After this not so fair event, a brand new company started studying the chemistry which is the base of instant films and started producing a brand new line of instant cartridges; this company is called “IMPOSSIBLE project”.

IMPOSSIBLE’s films are not identical to the Polaroid ones: they are more sensitive to temperature (the picture can be blacker or whiter because of this parameter), light conditions, and humidity. So when you use IMPOSSIBLE films, you should put the exposed picture in a medium temperature place, with no light and not so warm.

Joel’s passion for instant films started when he first used a Polaroid 600, in a thrift shop for 2 euros; at first, people tend to ignore the technical details about the working of instant photography technology, but it catches you. When I first saw instant Polaroid camera working (when I was 5), I suddenly understood that there was something special about those “strange” pictures. It’s clear that this kind of photography is certainly a cool way to have a series of old school shots (best known nowadays as “vintage”).

Another amazing thing about Joep is that he’s very young: he’s only 18 years old and it’s very strange how a young boy can fall in love with this obsolete and discontinued photography medium.

Joep’s favorite subjects are wild nature (maybe going outside riding a bike), beautiful women, cool buildings (old houses, old cities, etc). Actually he’s working in a project about his country, because he’s planning to travel around it, photographing models dressed with vintage dresses, 60s hairstyle and make-up.

Alessandro Panelli (aka yo.panic or .panic) is a Medicine and Surgery student, a photographer and a writer from Padova (Italy, near Venice). Read more about Alessandro’s work and life here or add him on Facebook or Google+.

Sources:
https://www.facebook.com/joep.gottemaker
http://blog.the-impossible-project.com/8-exposureswith-joep-gottemaker
http://www.flickr.com/photos/joepsx-70-freak/