In case you missed the previous posts, we are celebrating the Polaroid camera with the “Polaroids of May”.

As part of the Polaroid celebration, I am planning a blog post for each Wednesday (previous posts are “Featured” below), AND, I am also posting a 27-day “grid” over on Instagram that is inspired by this vintage camera. I posted the first piece of the “grid” on Monday (May 4). I hope you will check it out because it’s a bit like watching a Polaroid coming to life.

But, for now, let’s talk about the Polaroid Corporation.

How it Began

I mentioned last week, that in 1932, Edwin Land co-founded the Land-Wheelwright Laboratories with George W. Wheelwright, III. Wheelwright was Land’s college physics professor.

The company was intended to be the vehicle to commercialize Land’s light polarizing technology. The company primarily manufactured inexpensive polarizers that were used in multiple applications, from sunglasses, photographic filters, and even 3-D images. The early successes of Land’s inventions led to a contract with Eastman Kodak and a series of investors which funded an expansion of the business.

Polaroid Corporation

In 1937, as a result of the company’s expansion and reorganization, Land-Wheelwright Laboratories became a public company and the name changed to the Polaroid Corporation.

The Polaroid Corporation name was a nod to the company’s polarizing film sheets. The sheet polarizers lent itself to many applications including dark-adaptation goggles, and a way to control brightness of light which we still benefit from today - think about all those LCDs screens in your life.

Land’s primary focus in this early stage centered on developing an anti-glare system which would eliminate glare, and increase safety of nighttime driving. This project is what we might term, his “passion project” in today’s vernacular. However, this project never seemed to take off since it would require a commitment from all three big car companies to implement.

I am sure it was a disappointment for Land that this technology was never implemented. However, he was a disciplined scientist who made a point of conducting daily experiments. This leads me to believe he had other options ready for his focus. Don’t you think that is a great lesson?

Land also surrounded himself with equally driven people. I think that is another lesson in creating a community that encourages each other to stretch a little further. However, Land expected much from his employees, and their families. He was known for his tenacity for solving problems and would hold research sessions that, apparently, lasted for days. During these session there were teams working in shifts with him. That is amazing. Think about that. His intense workdays required teams of people, much like a sports team, replacing players who were spent from his brilliance.

It was also these experiments, as well as his refocusing efforts after World War II that eventually lead to his most famous invention.

The Camera

Back in the day, there was no instant gratification… no pixel peeping at the back of your camera. Photography required patience. Most photographs were captured on film and that required days, if not weeks, to see the results. The film had to be mailed to the lab, developed, printed, and return via mail. So, when Land presented an instant camera to the Optical Society of America in 1947 with film that magically developed before your eyes, well, it was revolutionary.

Shortly after that demonstration, the Polaroid instant camera was released for sale to the public in a limited quantity. The camera and it’s instant film, made it possible for a picture to develop in a minimum of 60 seconds rather than waiting days or weeks. As you might imagine, the small number of those cameras (and film) sold out on the first day. I suppose, from a marketing standpoint, this was the Polaroid Corporation’s market testing campaign. Can you imagine receiving that kind of feedback?!

I am going to stop here for this week because that is a lot to digest when you really think about it all. And, trust me, I left out a LOT of this story.

There are many books out there that I encourage you to read, because this story is packed with lessons… business, marketing, creativity, science, … It inspired Steve Jobs, so who knows how it might inspire you.

I hope you will come back next Wednesday when I share another story from this series. And, don’t forget to visit me on Instagram to see the grid slowly develop - just like a Polaroid.

SOURCES:

Instant: The Story of Polaroid by Christopher Bonanos

American Chemical Society

Wikipedia