John Reuter Type 85 Holga Images

Back in the early 2000s, before Polaroid began its slow final slide, some very interesting products were released. The square peel part format was reborn, and the most amazing film was Type 85 Positive/Negative. A square cousin to the revered Type 665, this film was the alternative photographer’s dream. Coupled with the Holga camera and Polaroid back, Type 85 provided beautiful negatives in a fun and easy to use form factor. As a marketing manager for Professional Products in the early 2000s I got a chance to shoot with Type 85 on many occasions, my favorite shoots occurring in Florida, Santa Fe, NM and California at Point Lobos. I never considered myself a landscape photographer and using a handheld plastic camera offered a strange perversity for me. The images seemed to demand being warmed toned to me, evoking an antiquity that belied their instant heritage.