Polaroid and Magnum Photos Team Up for First Partnership

In this age when anyone with a smartphone can pretty much call themselves a photographer, Polaroid and Magnum Photos are encouraging the unheralded with a new initiative.

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Through their first partnership, the photography specialists will launch an open call starting Monday. Sharpshooters will be able to vie for a chance to get some guidance from Magnum photographers Jim Goldberg, Enri Canaj and Newsha Tavakolian. The initiative will focus on storytelling and black-and-white photography. They will have a chance to win the Polaroid I-2 Instant Camera and to be able to glean some expertise from the trio of top-shelf talent via mentorships.

Contenders have until Aug. 12 to submit their photography portfolios – whether that be digital, analogue or Polaroid photography — and an idea for an “empathy-inspired story” via Polaroid’s site. Ten winners will be announced on Aug. 26 and each will be given a Polaroid I-2 Instant Camera and film with a technical primer.

The three Magnum photographers have shown off their skills in Magnum’s “The Imperfectionists,” which highlights work shot by each using the Polaroid 1-2. Goldberg set up a pop-up studio for his “Augusta Community” series, which was shot a few years ago in Augusta, Ga. Having been committed to social practice throughout his career, Goldberg offered his subjects free prints for their time.

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Canaj’s “Albania” reflects the juxtaposition of bunkers from a bygone era against modernism in order to show the challenges that transplants from rural to urban areas are facing. And Tavakolian headed to Iran’s 5,603-meter-high Mount Damavand — two hours south of Tehran — to take photos of sheep herders, nomads, artists, firefighters and others. The end result is “Mount Damavand Community.”

As for the “empathy-inspired” edict — which is a buzzword of choice with marketers and advertisers — Polaroid’s global head of culture marketing, communications and social Anna Dobatkina said, “In today’s hyper-digitized world, it’s critical to preserve a core pillar of photography: human connection. We are looking for real-life storytellers and the stories that reflect the raw beauty and imperfection of life.”

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