Millennials can now have their Polaroid moment

You maybe grew up with one of your Dad’s lying around. You maybe saw your first one in a Madonna movie (Desperately Seeking Susan), or Christopher Nolan’s Memento, or even Stranger Things 2.

We’re talking about the Polaroid, Edwin Land’s innovative self-developing film and camera that first hit the market in the blow-dried, Star Wars year of 1977. Yes, it went off the market finally in 2008, and decades of digital cameras and effects have seemingly pushed aside its quirky allure. But in our social media age, a gazillion Instagrammers have seemingly developed a crush on its imperfect, insta-photo appeal: that white-cornered photo look that not even a bunch of digital filters can replicate.

And now, the Polaroid is back, thanks to The Impossible Project, a company that purchased all of Polaroid Corporation’s film stock and technology when it went bankrupt in ‘08, and has since rebranded itself as Polaroid Originals. It’s an eerily familiar simulation of the original Polaroid experience. That boxy symbol of all things cool and retro-filmy was launched anew in September 2017 as the Polaroid OneStep 2.

Available in white or graphite i-Type models, the new OneStep looks a lot like the classic Polaroid Land Camera 1000, but there are some changes: no longer a slave to chromium batteries, the OneStep 2 comes with a microUSB charger (boasting a 60-day battery life). There’s also an exposure slider and self-timer, a flash (on or off) and an orange LED showing your charge levels. It’s basically the same Polaroid camera as before: an easy-to-use point-and-shoot with a big red button, high-quality zero-to-infinity lens and powerful flash. Sold exclusively at Bratpack stores for now (retailing about P8,900), the Polaroid OneStep 2 also comes with a variety of film options: color and B&W are available for i-Type and vintage 600 type cameras; SX-70 vintage cameras (the more professional line); and vintage Spectra cameras. (A cool development: in addition to offering film that fits even your old Polaroid cameras, the company also offers a refurbishing service to get them up and running.)

As an experiment, Polaroid Originals handed out new cameras to photographer Patrick Diokno, chef and photographer Nicco Santos and lifestyle blogger Ida Anduyan; the results, exhibited at The Gallery in Greenbelt 5, were as unpredictably artsy as their youthful snappers. The B&W shots remind us of the gritty days of Andy Warhol’s Interview magazine, while the color shots have that worn, retro feel we tend to reach for when we hit the “Nashville” filter on Instagram.

Based in the Netherlands and locally in Hong Kong, Polaroid Originals brought its reps James Lao and Cirry Poon to demonstrate some of the functions over lunch at Greenbelt 5’s John & Yoko. Cirry showed how the OneStep spits out a black photo that self-develops in about 10-15 minutes (an improvement over the 30 minutes back in your Dad’s day). Newbies were interested to note that you place the undeveloped photo facedown, so that the chemicals embedded in its reverse side have time to seep into the frame area and — voila! — your image appears. James, formally from the fashion industry, gamely pointed out that with the OneStep 2, you can actually do double exposures: that’s right, by shutting off the camera right after clicking the red button, then turning it back on a few seconds later, you’re ready for a second exposure. But be wary: Polaroid film ain’t cheap, and each shot should be very carefully considered, because there’s no “Delete” button. Just sayin’.

I asked blogger Ida whether she’d tried doing selfies with the OneStep. Not so easy, she admits; there’s no reverse mirror to see what you’re shooting, so it’s best to let a friend take your Polaroid selfie moment. Also, we’re very used to big camera screens showing us what we’re shooting; the OneStep has an old-fashioned eyepiece that you have to look through carefully to frame your shot. (Things in retro land take time, after all.)

For those millennials and Gen-Zs looking for a nostalgia fix, who knows? The unique nature of the Polaroid experience could open up new ways of seeing the world — without filters.

source:  philstar.com

Heart Evangelista and Senator Escudero in tender, ‘chizzy’ moment

Now we know why Senator Chiz Escudero’s Twitter account is called @saychiz.

An Instagram photo posted by Heart Evangelista with the accompanying post, “I miss you busybee @saychiz” is giving their fans goose bumps with its rather cheesy pose showing the couple alone in a private resort with the actress reaching up to kiss the re-electionist senator on the cheek.

Both are barefoot in the photo, with the senator wearing only a white T-shirt and shorts and Heart wearing her sleepwear. The photo also looks like it was taken early in the morning while the sun was about to rise.

In any case, it shows how very much in love the two are and if the reactions of the fans are any indication, it does not look like anyone’s disapproving.

Heart and Senator Chiz recently spent a vacation together in San Francisco, California where the picture was probably taken. As earlier reported, they have already talked about tying the knot. If the Senator has his way, the wedding will probably take place “within five years”.

For now, it seems like the couple is just happy spending quality private moments, especially now the “busybee” senator is once again back on the campaign trail.

source: interaksyon.com

What's next for the Rich Kids of Instagram?

(CNN) -- They have money, youth, ample amounts of free time and now a bit of fame. So what's next for the much maligned people featured on the hit site Rich Kids of Instagram? Some are grounded from over-sharing on the Internet, others embarrassed by the attention and some might be heading for TV.

The Tumblr blog sprung to life on July 13 and was an instant hit. It is a collection of photos found on Instagram that capture young wealthy people enjoying a life of minimally employed opulence: They're on lavish vacations, taking the most expensive modes of transportation, showing off designer belongings and doing all manner of things with and to champagne. Mixed in with the fun (seriously, who wouldn't want to water-slide off a yacht?) are less creative attempts to brag, like sepia-shaded photos of exorbitant restaurant receipts.

"A few glasses of wine and some misspelled Instagram searches led to its creation," the anonymous brains behind Rich Kids of Instagram, or RKOI, told CNN. Many of the images featured on the Tumblr were tagged with keywords on Instagram that made them easy to find, like #wealth, #mansion and #yacht. There's a Hilton, a Trump and a Brant in the mix, but many of the smartphone-photography enthusiasts are relatively unknown, for now.

While the reaction to the Tumblr has been largely one of disgust and anger -- "Pretty sad how those Rich Kids of Instagram will never know the value of a hard days OH MY GOD I HATE THEM SO MUCH," tweeted Josh Hara -- some of the kids are enjoying the attention. The blog's creators said they've had requests from people who want to be featured on the site. Many Instagramers are unselfconsciously tagging their photos with the #rkoi hashtag, hoping to get featured on the blog.

"I believe that the people who are outraged may be a little jealous," said Tom Ierna, a 19-year-old self-described "entrepreneur, New Yorker, blogger, mogul." Ierna's photos have been featured on RKOI multiple times -- one shows him in front of a large yacht in the Hamptons and another is an image of a Versace gold-plated AK47. (He does not own the gun; he just snapped a photo of it in an East Hampton boutique.)

The public's fascination with these kids has not gone unnoticed by Hollywood, where wealthy personalities are a huge draw on shows like "Keeping up with the Kardashians" and the "Real Housewives" series. Naturally, a reality TV casting agent has been reaching out to many of the blog's subjects.

"They seem to have huge personalities and would be amazing on TV," said Lexi Shoemaker, a casting agent who has worked on hits like "The Biggest Loser" and Bravo's "Tabatha's Salon Takeover." She would not share any details about her current project, but said the kids she had contacted had been receptive so far.

"I would consider doing a reality show, it would be a very smart business decision," said Ierna, who said he has been offered a spot on a reality TV show in the past but turned it down. He did not say if he was contacted by Shoemaker.

Not everyone is interested in the fame. The Tumblr's creators have received a few requests to remove images and other photos have been deleted from Instagram by their owners. Luckily, most of the originals live on in all their gilded glory on the RKOI site.

"My friends and I don't want to be associated with this. This is very embarrassing," Annabel Schwartz told "Good Morning America." The 19-year-old posted an image of herself and four friends in front of a helicopter while on vacation in Saint-Tropez. She has not deleted the public photo from her Instagram.

Alexa Dell, daughter of Dell CEO Michael Dell, had her social media presence quickly scrubbed from the Internet after a photo of her brother on a private plane to Fiji, feasting on a spread of fruit 3-feet deep, made it to the RKOI blog. Bloomberg Businessweek dug into a Dell regulatory filing and reported that the Dell family pays approximately $2.7 million a year for personal security. Between her active Instagram and Twitter accounts, Alexa Dell was leaving a trail of information, including locations and timing of trips, that could have been used by kidnappers or burglars.

Andres Morales,15, thinks being on the blog is a chance to promote his real passion, being a pilot. "Aviation is my life," Morales told CNN. In his RKOI Instagram photo, he is standing in front of a Quest Kodiak airplane, which typically costs about $1.7 million. It's not his, but he is checking it out "for future interest." Though only in the 10th grade, Morales has spent much of his life perusing aviation and flying, starting when he was eight. He is proud of his hobby -- he has 300 hours of flight experience and wants to be a commercial airline pilot when he's older. He's also proud of his lifestyle.

"Yes, my lifestyle is a jet-setter lifestyle," he said. "I travel a lot and love to fly private and in first class." Morales thinks the interest in the Rich Kids of Instagram blog is because "people cant find anything else to do with their lives so they stalk other people's photos and make a big deal out of it."

Ierna speculates the blog has become popular because people are "intrigued to see how the 1% lives." He said he was amused with all the attention at first, but that it has become a headache.

Ierna has family money -- both his father and grandfather were successful businessmen -- but he also has his own brand and career plans. He'd like to attend NYU and study business, eventually opening high-end nightclubs, restaurants and clothing boutiques around the globe.

"I think it accurately represents my lifestyle to some extent," said Ierna of his photos. "For the most part I live a very normal life."

source: CNN