Dan Finnen

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Let’s Talk About Alkaline Batteries

July 3, 2022 By Dan Finnen

It’s happened to everyone. You open up a drawer, pull out an old piece of electronics, be a remote, toy, game controller, or what have you. You try using it, and you find it’s dead. Just need some new batteries of course. You flip open the battery compartment door, and that’s when you see it: […]

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Filed Under: Photography Tagged With: Film, film camera, film photography

Polaroid Round Frame Has Returned!

April 16, 2021 By Dan Finnen

At long last, Polaroid round frame is back! It’s currently sold out on Polaroid’s site, but new stock should be arriving soon. The Impossible Project introduced the round frame several years ago, and many photographers (including myself) were surprised at how much fun it was to use. What is essentially a round crop actually made […]

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Filed Under: Misc Tagged With: Film, Instant film, news, Polaroid, round frame

The Buyout is now online!

August 16, 2015 By Dan Finnen

The short film I wrote and directed is now online for your viewing pleasure! The Buyout explores the limits of friendship in the face of a financial windfall of unimaginable proportions. At a two-man software startup, one man’s loyalty to his co-owner is put to the ultimate test when Google offers to buy out his […]

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Filed Under: Misc, Writing Tagged With: comedy, Film, short, the buyout

How much is my vintage Polaroid camera worth?

August 3, 2015 By Dan Finnen

Update September 2017: The Impossible Project has renamed itself ‘Polaroid Originals’ as part of a major rebranding effort. The film itself is still the same, so for our purposes in this article the Impossible Project and Polaroid Originals are the same. To clarify, ‘Polaroid Originals’ are the films and cameras developed by the Impossible Project, […]

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Filed Under: Photography Tagged With: 600, eBay, Film, Kodak, peel-apart, Polaroid, selling, Spectra, sx-70, the impossible project, value, vintage cameras

Where do I get my film developed?

September 6, 2014 By Dan Finnen

In this fancy modern digital world we live it, it can be hard to believe that there are places out there that actually develop 35mm film. But exist they do, and if you don’t want to develop your film on your own, you’re going to have to seek one out. If price doesn’t matter, you’ll […]

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Filed Under: Photography Tagged With: 35mm, Costco, development, Film, Walgreens, workflow

How long can you store Impossible Project film?

September 1, 2014 By Dan Finnen

Recently I’ve had a few readers write in and ask how long it is safe to stockpile Impossible Project film. While I have no scientific tests on the subject, according to my experience one should shoot their IP film within 6 months of when it was made for the best results. Because Impossible Project instant […]

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Filed Under: Photography Tagged With: Film, Instant film, Polaroid, stockpile, storage, the impossible project

What I’m Up To: Teenage Ghost Punk

June 9, 2014 By Dan Finnen

I don’t always talk a whole lot about my day job over at ol’ Polymyth Productions here, but I figured that I’d be amiss if I didn’t mention some of the more interesting stuff we’ve been working on. Take for instance, Teenage Ghost Punk, a feature length film written and directed by Mike Cramer that […]

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Filed Under: Misc Tagged With: Film, movie, Polymyth, teenage ghost punk, what I'm up to

How to shoot Polaroid and Instant Film Indoors

January 19, 2014 By Dan Finnen

Polaroid, Impossible Project, and Fuji Instax film works flawlessly outdoors during the day. With bright sunlight illuminating the world, colors pop, cameras focus quickly, and a fantastic image is born. However, bring that instant camera inside, and often everything just falls apart. Pictures come out blurry, underexposed, or are marred by a hideous flash. How […]

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Filed Under: Photography Tagged With: 35mm, Film, flash, indoors, Polaroid, shooting, studio

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Support this Site

When it comes to photography gear, partnering up with companies like KEH, Polaroid, Amazon, and eBay allows me to keep this site going without annoying banner ads. Using my affiliate links when buying anything costs you nothing and helps me out a ton. Thanks! Find cool stuff at Polaroid, KEH, and Amazon in each article.

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Recent Articles

  • Fuji Instax Instant Film Camera Buying Guide
  • Dan’s Guide to Buying New and Used Polaroid Cameras
  • Instax Square SQ1 and SQ40 Camera Guide

Recent Reviews

  • Polaroid Flip Instant Film Camera Review
  • Polaroid Now+ (Plus) Gen 3 Instant Camera Review
  • Boox Palma Android e-Reader Review
  • Nikon Z6 III Camera Review – From a Z6 I Owner’s Perspective
  • Fuji Instax Wide 400 Instant Film Camera Review

Recent Blog Posts

  • New: Polaroid Flip Reviews
  • New: Polaroid Now+ Gen 3 Reviews
  • New: Travel Gallery
  • Why I don’t review ‘hybrid’ ‘film’ ‘cameras’
  • New: Nikon Z6 III Review

Blog Archive

About Me

I’m a writer, photographer, co-owner of Polymyth, host of the Chicago Writers Podcast, Super Gear Land, and more. You can reach me at hello (at) danfinnen.com.

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