I decided to visit Delphi in late October. The weather was still pleasant, and I thought that a travel blog with a strong focus on Greece should have a guide about Delphi. Of course, it also meant that I could shoot another round of polaroids. However, I ran into a problem: I had only one film left. Whenever I spend a couple of days in a place, I always want to have more films. It’s not that I shoot them all; usually, I don’t. But it makes me feel safer knowing that if I want to take more photos, films are not a problem. That said, for the Polaroid Diaries: To Delphi and beyond, I had to search for SX-70 polaroid film in Athens.
It proved to be complicated. Finding polaroid film for the SX-70 in Athens was actually impossible. While it was relatively easy to find film for other instant cameras, it seemed that the SX-70 film was rare. In fact, at this time, there was availability in only one store. I called and asked about the film’s production date. “It’s from January 2020,” said the man. The film was expired. While I don’t mind shooting with expired polaroid film (I shot an i-Type for this edition), I wanted to know if it was correctly stored.
It wasn’t. The man said that it was just standing on a shelf. I thanked him, and I told him I’d think about it. On the one hand, it sounded rather exciting. Shooting an expired film produced in the pre-pandemic world might make a cool addition to the Polaroid Diaries and my zines. But then, my inner boredom took over. Nah, a film that survived two Athenian summers might be dry. Maybe, I thought, the colors would be washed off completely.
I didn’t bother more about it, but I still don’t know if I regret it or not. After deciding not to buy it, I ordered some film straight from Polaroid. However, and this was my fault, the polaroid film didn’t arrive on time. The day I left for Delphi, I called DHL to see if the parcel was already there. “Unfortunately not, sir.”
And that’s how I started for Delphi with just one film in my bag.
What you’ll see in the Polaroid Diaries: To Delphi and beyond
So, in this edition of the Polaroid Diaries called “to Delphi and beyond,” you will see the photos I took with the SX-70. Specifically, you will see all 8 photos I shot during my journey to Delphi. You might rightly wonder why I added the “beyond.” Well, the reason is that I traveled a bit more in the area.
While Delphi was the reason I traveled, I also visited a couple of other places. I stopped at the modern town of Delphi, which lies nearby, and I also visited Arachova. But the place I spent most of the time was Galaxidi. Unfortunately, I only had eight shots, and most of them were taken in Delphi -six of them. However, I saved two photos for Galaxidi, and you will see them here too. As always, I’ll share the settings I used after the pictures.
So, let’s start now with the Polaroid Diaries: to Delphi and beyond with the SX-70.
Polaroid Diaries: To Delphi and beyond with the SX-70
So, in the first photo, you can see the starting point of the archaeological site of Delphi. That’s the so-called Iera Odos (Sacred Street) leading to the main monuments of the site.
Shortly afterward, you will come across the navel of the Earth. That’s one of the most important spots of Greek antiquity. The navel of the Earth was assumed as the epicenter of the world. According to Greek mythology, Zeus released two eagles from the world’s edges. Supposedly, the meeting point of the eagles would show him where the center of the Earth was. That happened in Delphi, and Zeus placed a stone at the spot. The one you see on-site is a replica; you can see the original one in the museum of Delphi.
As I walked towards the famous Temple of Apollo, I saw a decorated column. Oddly enough, it was not a problem coming really close to it (usually, you have to keep some distance). So I thought that a close-up shot of an ancient Greek column might be an interesting addition to the diary. And here’s what I got.
Soon, I reached the Temple of Apollo. That’s one of the most iconic temples of the ancient world due to Delphi Oracle. The name of the Oracle of Delphi was Pythia, and she spoke her prophecies on this very spot. Today, just a couple of columns are standing on the Temple of Apollo, but the area it occupied is clearly marked. So, instead of shooting the whole site of the Temple, I decided to focus on the Temple.
Doing street photography with a polaroid camera is not easy -let alone with the SX-70. The shutter speed is slow, and you can’t easily get details. However, when I saw a kid with a lovely white hat observing the ancient stones, I thought of shooting a photo. It turned out pretty good, I guess.
The last polaroid I shot in Delphi was at the Tholos. The so-called Tholos of Delphi is a circular temple that belongs to the sanctuary of Athena Pronaia. It is one of the most beautiful examples of ancient Greek architecture. Here’s how it looks.
And then, I left Delphi. Forty minutes later, I reached the coastal town of Galaxidi. This little town in the Corinthian Gulf hosted me for the night, and it was a joy being there. The weather was mild, and it was no problem enjoying a meal and a night drink outside, next to the sea.
I shot the last two polaroids of the film in Galaxidi. Honestly, you can’t (probably) cover any place in just two polaroids. Nonetheless, I tried. In the first image, you will see a photo of Galaxidi. Despite being sunset time (it usually doesn’t work with SX-70 landscapes), it turned out pretty well.
As for the last photo in the film, well, it’s a rose. I thought of taking a close-up shot of a flower, and that red rose in Galaxidi seemed beautiful. However, I was slightly off focus, and I think I chose the wrong exposure. Anyway, here’s the picture.
My Polaroid SX-70 settings for this edition
As you might remember, for the previous edition of the Polaroid diaries, I shot several photos in Anafi. The light was harsh in that remote Cycladic island; however, Delphi was a totally different story. Even though the weather was mild, the days were cloudy. That said, I either had to wait for the sky to clear up or shoot without adequate light.
As I wrote in my SX-70 review, all polaroid cameras need light to perform, but the SX-70 needs even more. That said, for almost every photo that you see in this edition, I overexposed by 1/3. I only kept the exposure wheel balanced in two images. To my taste, it worked only for one of them.
Specifically, I kept the exposure balanced in the photo of Tholos (Athena Pronaia) and the rose at Galaxidi. For the first one, I think it worked fine. However, for the latter, I’d probably underexpose by 1/3 if I could reshoot it. You see, I’d instead isolate the subject (rose) and have a darker background. There was enough sunlight, and this was probably a mistake.
Last but not least, here’s a note if you happen to read for the first time my polaroid diaries. As always, there’s no post-processing in any of the polaroids you see here. I just scan them, and apart from a +10 in sharpness for web optimization, there’s no other touch. What makes polaroids fun is the straight-out-of-the-camera result. And I find it refreshing in the digital age.
So, that’s it with one more edition of the Polaroid Diaries and the photos with the Polaroid SX-70 to Delphi and beyond. There will soon be another edition, this time from another country. So, stay tuned, and if you want to see more polaroids, polaroid camera reviews, and tips, don’t forget to subscribe to the mailing list below.
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Last Updated on February 12, 2022 by George Pavlopoulos