Last Updated on April 16, 2024 by George Pavlopoulos
I didn’t want to shoot a lockdown edition of Polaroids again, but even though I’m fed up with the situation, there seems to be no other way right now. Therefore, the Polaroid Diaries: Athens was taken under the same horrible conditions. So, despite my wanderlust and need to take a day trip out of Athens, I had to cope once again with restrictions.
As you might remember from my previous entry, I spent the first lockdown in Berlin. This time though, I decided to spend a part of the second lockdown in my hometown, Athens. Unfortunately, there’s no way to visit museums or Athenian landmarks: moving around freely is prohibited by a set of odd regulations. You have to send an SMS to go out, and after 9 pm, you can only leave home if you have a dog. At least, being in Athens translates to fewer expenses and being close to my friends and family.
Moreover, since Barbara is working from home, it means that she could also fly for a couple of weeks to Athens. Life is miserable, and the only thing I do, apart from working, is take long bike rides. On one of these bike rides around the northern part of Athens, I decided to shoot some Polaroids. I had one last roll left, and I thought it might be an interesting addition to my Polaroid Diaries.
Once again, I used the Polaroid OneStep+ for the shots. However, I ordered a new polaroid, so the next entry will be with a new camera. Stay tuned: you’ll see more Polaroid Diaries in the coming year.
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What you’ll see in the Polaroid Diaries: Athens
So, in this edition of the Polaroid Diaries, you will actually see the shots I took while cycling around the northern suburbs of Athens. I try to cycle every day during the lockdown (I did the same in Berlin) because it empties my mind and keeps me sane. Cycling is not a lockdown thing for me: I’ve been doing it for years.
One of the most photogenic spots in Athens is definitely the Olympic Stadium Complex. Apart from being one of the best spots to run/cycle/exercise in Athens, it also has some architectural elements that make it a beloved spot for photographers. The Olympic Complex was refurbished at the beginning of the 21st century on the occasion of the Olympic Games of 2004. It enjoyed some glorious days back in 2004, but after that, it started slipping into decay. One can only wonder if it deserved the expenses.
Apart from the Olympic Stadium’s Polaroids, you will also see a couple of other spots from my bike ride. What makes the Polaroid Diaries: Athens more special is that I used an expired i-Type film. I didn’t do that on purpose. The film was actually in a drawer, and its production date was 12/2018. Although it was not that old, Polaroid claims that the film expires one year after its production date. This was an almost two-year-old film that was not properly stored.
I never shot before with an expired film. And here’s what I made out of it.
Polaroid Diaries: Athens
The expired i-Type film seemed to handle the colors differently. The magentas looked pinker and the blues greener. It started being obvious already from the first shot I took. This is actually a photo of an old water tank in Vrilissia, built in the 1960s. See the color of the stairs and also the sky (it was a sunny afternoon).
After riding the bike for several kilometers, I ended up in front of a building that always impressed me. Here, apart from an architectural photo, you can also see the colors of the expired film once again.
A couple of kilometers later, I entered the Olympic Complex. In this first photo, you can see a section of the Olympic Stadium of Athens.
The next photo from the Polaroid Diaries: Athens is one of the most famous spots in the Complex. The so-called Agora of Calatrava is a walkway in the shade of 100 steel arches. That’s the first impression you get after exiting the nearby Eirini train station, and you can walk through this installation all the way to the Olympic Stadium of Athens.
Close to the Agora, you can also see the Roman Corner. This is one more minimal installation, and I thought I could shoot an interesting polaroid. Unfortunately, it didn’t work as I thought it would, but I’m sharing it anyway. The pink tones were more intense here, even though the installation is pure white.
The next one is probably my favorite polaroid from this edition. It’s definitely a keeper, and I think it turned out nice. It’s a relatively minimal photo, shot close to the Agora. The Agora is on the left, and you can also see Barbara (wearing a mask) in the distance and our bikes. Surprisingly, you can also see the moon in the middle of the image. I never thought that it could appear in a polaroid. The photo is taken shortly before sunset.
I then asked Barbara to take a photo of me. As you have probably noticed from the blog, I’m not a fan of having photos of me here. However, I thought it might be something for the Polaroid Diaries: Athens since this is my hometown. Unfortunately, there was not adequate light, and the polaroid was slightly out of focus and hence a bit blurry. Nonetheless, I thought of presenting it here because the project is about what you can do with the available 8 shots, not only showing the best ones.
When I got back home, I thought of shooting the last polaroid on the roll. There’s a toy windmill on the balcony, and the sunset light illuminated it. I never paid too much attention to it. However, during the windy nights of the lockdown, it was the only sound you could listen to.
So, that’s it with the Polaroid Diaries: Athens and one more lockdown diary. The expired i-Type film produced some interesting photos, and one of them is definitely a keeper. In general, I try to have one keeper from every roll -and when there are more, even better. In low light or indoor shots, the OneStep+ usually struggles, but the results are really satisfying on a sunny day.
For those interested in Polaroid settings, I took most of the photos in Manual Mode by connecting the camera via Bluetooth with my smartphone. The only picture I took in Auto Mode is the water tower one; however, I had to override the flash. I didn’t post-process the photos apart from adding +10 in Clarity and +10 in Sharpness: I find it important for web optimization. The colors are intact.
So, stay tuned for the upcoming polaroid diaries. Also, as I wrote in the beginning, I ordered a new polaroid camera, and I can’t wait to use it.
*If you enjoy my Polaroid Diaries, consider buying your films or polaroid cameras via this link. The link will take you directly to Polaroid’s official website, where you can buy their newest (and freshest) films and cameras at 10% off.
More Polaroids: The full Polaroid diaries, My OneStep+ review, My SX-70 review
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