Positives


Positives was a small photography project from Matthew Howell that concluded in 2014.

Each week, a photograph taken with a Polaroid SX-70, on Impossible Project film, scanned in a tiny studio apartment, and shared in the Positives email newsletter.

Most of these were taken in New York City, but a handful were captured in Thailand, Philadelphia, or other places that I happened to be carrying the camera that year. There were 45 photos published in 2014, which are all collected below, along with a few unpublished images from the same year.

Owing to the photographer's lack of skill, the demanding light requirements of the camera, and the sometimes erratic film, only some of the photos were properly exposed and focused. Others were... less so.

A monochrome Polaroid photograph of a cloudy sky over the Atlantic Ocean, a buoy floating in the distance. A color Polaroid photograph of a silver and black camera, a Fuji X100S, the top of camera reflecting pale yellow light, out of focus. A color Polaroid photograph of a white, brightly lit Christmas tree, colored lights surrounding it, out of focus. A color Polaroid photograph of the neon, art deco Sunnyside sign, lit at night, on 46th Street south of Queens Boulevard. A color Polaroid photograph a narrow garden path, framed by green leaves. A color Polaroid of tree branches, nearly bare, stretching out and crossing. A color Polaroid photograph of a large, teak-wood palace in Bangkok, Thailand, a green tree in the foreground. A color Polaroid photograph of a golden pagoda with a tall spire, pushing into a bright blue sky. A color Polaroid photograph an airplane, preparing for boarding, sitting on the asphalt at the airport in Seoul, South Korea.