$Portland, OR Graphic Design and Photography | spirt\’spert\ n : sabrina spirt, graphic designer, photographer$

Retro Cross-Country Polaroids

06.25.2010 // General, New // spirt\’spert\ // No Comments

“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”

–Robert Frost

A few years ago, I embarked on a cross-country trip alone. Thanks to my friend Kate, I was able to chronicle some memories with a Polaroid camera. There is just something so lovely and nostalgic about Polaroid photos that is completely unique. When Polaroid announced they were going to stop manufacturing Polaroid film, I, along with many other people I imagine, was devastated. After doing some research, I was thrilled to find The Impossible Project. They produce new instant film materials, making it possible to continue taking Polaroid photos!

I encourage everyone out there to take a trip across the country at least once in your life. You will see amazing things in the places you least expected. Looking at these photos brings back memories from my travels, and I want to do it all over again! Doing it alone was certainly an experience I will never forget. Along the way, you have a lot of time to think, and you certainly learn a lot about yourself. Here’s to traveling, exploring, and growing!