Not Just a Picture Book: An Interview with Vincent Cianni about We Skate Hardcore

by Barbara Tannenbaum

Portrait of a Neighborhood
BT: How did We Skate Hardcore begin and when did you start to think of it as a book?
VC: I began documenting my neighborhood as a portrait project, photographing mostly the guys; they were the more visible ones. Anthony is one of the reasons why I began. Hes one of the people I met at McCarren Park, where I went occasionally to play handball. About a year later I started photographing some of the girls. Then, in 1995, I met the rollerbladers. I periodically photographed them as they went from skate park to skate park. In 1997 I really started getting to know them well. They had built a makeshift skate park in Public School 84, just down the block from where I live. I started to photograph them quite often, almost on a daily basis in the summer.
As we got to know each other better, they became interested in the project and in what I was doing. I began to loan them my camera, and they also started videotaping themselves. I was doing a workshop in the neighborhood, and one or two of the bladers would over to my studio to learn photography. They would stop by to see prints or bring over photos they had done. They started calling me their photographer, sensing that they were being acknowledged, and that they could have a voice.
Around that time, I was invited to do an exhibition and workshop with students from an art school in Epinal, France. Because I would be working with kids there, my idea was to bring pictures of some of the bladers Id been working with in Williamsburg over to them. Instead of my talking about them, I thought Id ask the rollerbladers to talk about their own lives by writing on the photographs. That was the genesis of
how the rollerbladers began writing on their photographs.
The idea of a book had not taken form at that point. I was still in the midst of trying to identify what the project wastrying to understand what it was about. These kids lives was not only interesting to me,
but also interesting to communicate to others. I needed to find out who they were, how they thought, what obstacles they faced growing up in the Southside, and what their hopes and dreams were.
BT: How did you go about shooting photographs in your own neighborhood?
VC: I used Polaroid black-and-white negative film because of the immediacy of the medium. It opened up and established communication very quickly with the people I was getting to know in the neighborhood. When I pulled the print apart and put the negative in the bucket, people were curious. They wanted to know what it was, and they were able to respond to the picture Id taken almost immediately.
I really like the quality of the Polaroid. Theres something about the negative not being perfect. And, theres the limpid quality of the tones. Theres no grain structure to a Polaroid, so it gives this softness to the image.
BT: What kind of camera did you use?
VC: It was a Polaroid 600 SE camera. It has interchangeable lenses - so the camera is fairly large - and a pistol grip. You carry a bucket of sodium sulfite solution around with you. Youre not walking around with a 35mm camera stealing shots when you can. It was very obvious that I was a photographer.
I think in the beginning, with the portraits, one can see a very strong sense of recognition of me, of my being present, of my making the photographand a very strong relationship and communication between the people I was photographing and me. It became a kind of collaboration. When I began to get to know the rollerbladers more, I started to become
more like a part of the landscape. It became less and less an issue that a camera was present, that I was present.
BT: When youre shooting with a large camera like that, the goal is clearly not a snapshot but something a little more momentous, something meant for posterity. Yet, you seem to be able to catch some very fluid motion shots. Is it a very fast film?

VC: As a matter of fact, its one of the slowest films Ive ever used: ASA 80, and I rate it ASA 50, which is very slow. It limits the range of scene brightness and how deep the shadows are in relation to the highlights. I particularly have to be aware of the type of lighting, of the intensity of light, and of place, whether Im photographing inside or outside.
Over the course of the projecthaving used this camera with its pistol grip for so longI could use it like a 35mm. That all came into place the day I shot the photograph of Anthony backing Giselle up against the fence, with the other girl and the baby carriage in the background. I was looking away, then turned around, saw the scene, and made an instant decision to take the photograph. Thats basically the realm of 35mm shooting. I got to know the different lenses so well that I didnt even have to put the camera up to my eye. I was able to react quickly, to be present as things were taking place instead of putting the camera between me and what was happening.

Building a Narrative

BT: Can you explain for me how the narrative advanceswhat is the plot or structure of the book?
VC: The books not arranged chronologically. I felt it would have more impact, work better aesthetically, if it were not organized along a strict timeline. It starts out with a description of the neighborhood: who are the people; what are the structures shaping the community, for
example, its street life, its family life, its religious life; and what is the look of the neighborhood, the city itself. At the beginning of the book I introduce myselfhow I began the project and how it evolved. Then, early in the book, there is a photograph of Richie Velasquez standing in P.S. 84. It was taken in 1997, a couple of years after I met the skaters, but it was one of the first images that Richie wrote on. Richies words are an overview, introducing readers to what theyll be seeing: What its like growing up in a neighborhood that's primarily Hispanic and doesn't have a lot of resources, basically a poor neighborhood; how he connects with his family and how strong his family ties are; his connection with his friends and how important they are in his life; and how his passion for rollerblading defines his life, shapes him in some way. For Richie rollerblading was a way to let go of the stress. He also had dreams of becoming a professional, which he is today, of attaining his goals, and of making money at something he does really well.
From there, I go on to introduce Uly, another primary figure in the book. Uly and Richie are best friends and, in some ways, polar opposites. Richie was always very motivated, very determined; he was the leader of the group, the organizer in establishing the skate parks and promoting neighborhood competitions. Richie had this direct line for achieving and attaining his goalshe was very mature for his age.

On one photograph with his girlfriend Dee, Uly writes that she is the one who gives him the strength to realize who he is. In another he talks about Richie giving him the motivation to achieve the things he wants, like going back to school. There were times, after he dropped out of school, that Uly was involved in drugs. After he moved out of the neighborhood and went to Florida, he realized that his life wasnt working out the way he wanted and he decided he needed some discipline, so he joined the army.
This difference between Richie and Uly also exists in the neighborhood. The community, the people who live in the neighborhood, accept the good and the bad. Theres no judgment. The two exist together, almost on the same level. And that same dichotomy exists in the book.
The book then turns to the whole clan. They called themselves the PuTang Clan. The group fluctuated from five or seven kids to fifteen, twenty, or even thirty, depending on the day. Theyd stay all day long, practicing, trying out new tricks, all the while building a strong social life with an established group of friends. Richie talks a lot about hanging out with his friends, having good times, as part of his reasons for skating.
BT: Whats amazing to me, and makes their story much richer, is that their association became more than just hanging out. Thanks in large part to Richie, it started having a focus, a very positive goal: to establish a permanent neighborhood skate park. The next section of the book explores why and where they were able to build skate parks, even though all of them were eventually torn down. This part includes color images.
VC: The color shots are from video interviews I shot in 1997. The bladers were trying to get the community board to build a skate park for them. At that point they had been kicked out twice from skate parks that theyd built. The park where I originally met them sat on a vacant lot right on the pier near the East River. A developer bought the place and put up a fence to keep them out.
So they went to another place beneath the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and built another park. It was illegal to have a skate park there, and some people in the neighborhood didnt like having them there. The skaters would stay until 11 oclock at night. Even though they cleaned up after themselves, even though they didnt make a lot of noise, and even though there was some amount of supervision, they kept getting kicked out. They talked about these experiences in the first interview I did with them. Issues of class and race came out as well. Their determination to keep
going also began to take form and is captured in this early video.
BT: The next section shows them going outside their community to skate
in other parts of the city.
VC: Not having any skate park in the neighborhood and wanting something more, they would go to different parts of the city where they could skatepublic spaces with good steps and railsat the Brooklyn Banks or Stuyvesant Rail. This part of the book shows them taking the subway to the Bronx to Mullaly Skate Park, which has big ramps, big rails, and big spires. They could skate as though they were professional skaters. Its right next to Yankee Stadiumvery visible, a bit different from this neighborhood.

BT: You didnt just photograph the group skating. You also spent other times with them and attended some of their social events.
VC: Yes, there's a section in the book that establishes the boys relationships with their girlfriends and shows them partying and getting together for their birthdays. One of the images from a dance is of two guys watching two girlsone guy is whispering something into the ear of his friend. The photograph shows the separation of the sexes, and how they are socialized into the dating scene, into the relationship scene; it also shows a little bit of their immaturity. The sixteenth birthday is very important, especially for girls. It comes from the Hispanic tradition of the quince aos or fifteenth year, but here in the Southside it's been adapted to the American tradition of the Sweet Sixteen party. Even the guys have similar rituals that they go through.
BT: There are two sixteenth birthday parties shown in the book. One is sweet, but the other seems a more ominous rite of passage.
VC: Right, two different parties. The first one is Johnnys. He was a friend of the skaters but not a rollerblader himself. The picture was taken in a church basement, where the walls were all pasted up with images of Johnny from his birth to the present, a big, traditional Sweet Sixteen celebration. Whereas the party for Juanito was just a group of guys getting together in Ulys small bedroom, drinking and smoking pot.
At the stroke of midnight they started going through this ritual they call ghetto birthday punches. Very different celebrations.
There are other paradoxes. Theres an image of a girl named Sugeiry who was not part of the rollerbladers group but lives in the neighborhood. Shes standing with Scarface, and she's touching his face with a switchblade. Theres a very thin line between tenderness and violence in the neighborhood. The book takes the reader back and forth between these opposites, mimicking the gentleness and harshness that exist in the culture of the neighborhood.

The rollerbladers didnt want to get involved with violence or drugsand really the violence comes from the drugs. There are neighborhood memorials made by the friends and families of the people whove died. Most of them were young people, anywhere from fifteen to twenty-four years old, who died typically for one of three reasons: fighting over drug money and drug territory, arguing over girlfriends, or as a result of family arguments.
BT: You say the rollerbladers werent involved with all that, yet a number of your photographs seem purposely ambiguous on that issue.
VC: That ambiguity is important. Theres a photograph where Jamie and Stephen are actually putting a stereo into their car, but its ambiguous. Theres another image that shows a skater doing a Mistyskating up a platform or a ramp and doing a flip at the highest point-after smoking a blunt. (Sometimes it's a 360-degree flip, sometimes a 480 flip.) Adrian in mid-air in the picture is important because it conveys freedom and suspension and risk. Its symbolic of a certain suspension in the lives of kids in the neighborhood. You know, at that age, in adolescence, nothing is really clear or definite.
BT: Richie really changed his life. For me, his leaving home, growing into a man, and starting a family define the main plot action and make him the book's protagonist. Hes also the one who gets to live out his
dream of making a living through his love of skating.
VC: Richie and Pam met at a skate competition. She moved to Brooklyn around 1999 to be with him, and she became pregnant in early 2000. They then moved to the town in Ohio where Pam grew up. They had the baby there because they thought it would be a better place to raise a child. In 2001 they got married. In the book, theres a picture that Richie and Pam write ona picture of their baby shower. Richie relates how he has come full circle. He's moved away and talks about missing his friends, about his memories of hanging out with them, about learning to rollerblade and building the skate parks. More importantly, he knows that he cant go back, that he has to leave the Southside to achieve what he wants. His neighborhood, his family, and friends will always remain in his heart. This feeling goes back to the first image he wrote on; so its come full circle. Richie later moved to California, where he and his wife run an X-treme sports camp.
BT: What happened to Uly?
VC: Uly moved to Florida, moved back to the Southside and kept going back and forth to Florida because his cousin lived there, joined the army, went to Hunter air Force Base in Savannah after basic training. Now hes stationed in Iraq. What will happen when he gets back? I dont know.

Uly and Richie give an idea of the different paths that people can take and yet end up in the same placeadulthood. Richie getting married and Uly joining the army are two ways to make that transition successfully.
Another blader who appears in the book and on the video is Mike Ruiz. He ended up living here in the Southside. He didnt move away like Uly and Richie. Mike really wanted to make something out of rollerblading. He wasnt as good as Richie (Richie was the one who really shone) but Mike had something elsedetermination and passion, and the dream of making filmshis own filmsabout rollerblading. I think a lot of his passion came from using my video camera. Whenever I gave the bladers my camera, it was usually Mike who took it. Some of Mikes (and Richies) photos
and video stills are in the book, and footage he shot appears in the video on this DVD.
Its not really clear what will happen to some of these kids. Some are still here; some are involved in drugs; and some have left but still have a strong connection to the neighborhood. Richie speaks about these changes in a few of the book's last pictures.
BT: There are images in the book of neighborhood memorials to some of those kids who died from drug, family, and girlfriend-related incidents. These boys took a different path from Richie, Uly, and most of their rollerblader friends. Why did you include those photographs?
VC: The images of the memorials are a kind of ballast. In the beginning some images give you an idea of positive aspects of the neighborhood. Then there are the memorialsa more painful reality. The pictures highlight this dichotomy in their lives, the tough circumstances theyre up against.
Designing the Book and Exhibition
BT: Once you decided on a book, how did you come to incorporate all the different mediastill photos, video stills, and video?
VC: In 2000, I had a residency at LightWork in Syracuse. Thats when I started putting the pictures together in a very rough book dummy using photocopies. I realized that there needed to be more than photographs. I wanted to build a narrative: it became more of a story than a picture book.
I also realized that to tell the story I needed to include text and the photos the kids had written on, and I also wanted to use the video I had done. I began to capture video stills on a computer and build an archive of images that could be incorporated into the book. The idea for the DVD came later.
The emphasis on narrative affected how I went about the second step of making a book dummy. After my residency, I worked in my studio on the computer, using Quark, and I got past the limits of only using photocopies pasted in a book. Thats when the whole idea really began to take form.

BT: The layout now includes pages with ruled lines, which suggests a journal. This is a departure from your earlier concept. What inspired that?
VC: I took my book dummy to Yolanda Cuomo, and she had an enormous impact on the design. One of her ideas was to use ruled pages in the color sections to give the idea of a notebook or journal because kids have these kinds of notebooks in high school. Yolanda also decided to use different types of paper for the color sections. Her decision to call attention to this shift from black-and-white to color images makes for a more dynamic book.
BT: Lets talk about the aesthetic of the prints and the way the images appear in the book. One of the things that I love about your work is the richness and beauty of your prints. I wonder how you feel about that transition from the fine print to the book.
VC: I teach at Parsons School of Design. One thing I always talk to my students about is the need to think about their photographs in new ways depending on the mode of presentation. For example, when you develop a portfolio, or a set of prints for exhibition where youre putting pictures up on a wall, you have to be able to take different approaches to the sequencing and the editing. I look at the book as evolving from my images, but the book became something unto itself. In making the initial dummy, I was able to think much more deeply about the process that I went through in making the photographs and about the ideas that were most important to me. The book actually led me to reconsider the presentation of the images for exhibition.
BT: Do you include the kids writings in the exhibitions?
VC: I usually dontthe shows Ive had before were not large enough to do that. And the photographs that are written on are unique objects, so I find it very hard to send these photographs out to the venues where Ive had shows. Thats why I started thinking about digital images. The exhibition that will coincide with the book's publication is a big, expansive show. It will have large mural prints, large digital prints, more traditional gelatin silver prints, ranging from 8x10 to 20x24, and it will have video stills as well as an edited video. I also want to use objects and the bladers' snapshots, so that's a real departure from the ways I have exhibited parts of this work before. I see it in a much bigger framework now.
In Let Us Now Praise Famous Men, James Agee says that the important things are the objectsthe plates, the forks, the clothingevery item that belongs to the people depicted is important. In the exhibition of Raised by Wolves, Jim Goldberg and Philip Brookman incorporated objectsclothing, writing, letters, notes, and various forms of photographyso the exhibition became a visual interpretation of a book. When I started doing my book, I looked again at Raised by Wolves, and also at Bill Burkes I Want to Take Picture and Mine Fields, as well as some books by Larry Clark because these photographers incorporate different media and dont hold with ideas of the preciousness of the photograph or place print quality before the importance of the images content.

Developing a Sense of Community
BT: One of the most important issues inherent in social documentary photography is the photographers relationship to the subject. Are you on the inside or the outside? Are you trying to be objective or an advocate? I admire the way the book interweaves your voice (primarily
through the photos) and the kids voices, portraying very complex relationships. Did your sense of yourself as photographer, your sense of self, change over the course of the project?
VC: Ive always felt that the photographs I take will communicate why they were made and what my approach is. I didnt go in there as a missionary. I was going in there to discover something about the neighborhood I lived in and the people there.
In a very intimate project like this, one wouldnt want to be on the outside, solely an observer, so I became involved in the neighborhood on various levels. I started volunteering at an organization called Musica Against Drugsan AIDS service organization that provides the Latino community with education, referrals, meals, and art and therapy workshops. I started teaching a photography workshop to people who were drug users; they made pictures of themselves and their familiespictures about who they were and about drug use and HIV. The workshop also incorporated writing.
BT: It seems to me that such volunteer work, and the depth of your involvement with your subjects, may relate to your undergraduate degree, which was in Community Development. Can you tell me what that is?
VC: Community Development at Penn State University in the early 1970s was a program geared toward radical social change. One could focus on specific types of communities; I focused on youth. I took what the department called a "practicum" (a field study or internship) working with the drug and alcohol coordinator in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, the same county where I grew up. I evaluated drug education programs and worked in crisis intervention drop-in centers and with kids who were hanging out on the street. I also began to organize a group of kids in my hometown to start a drop-in center. I ended up doing a full year of the practicum, instead of course work, and saw the dropin center through until it was funded by the state and someone else took over its directorship.
BT: How did art come into your life?
VC: From the time I was pretty young, I was interested in drawing and constructing things. I was very ill when I was around nine, and spent three years in bed and in and out of hospitals. I think it was at that time that I developed a sense of independence and risk-taking, and I also developed an interest in working with my hands, to construct things and to draw.

All through college I took non-credit drawing courses at night. In my senior year, I decided that Id be bold enough to take a sculpture class in the art department. I enjoyed it so much I took another class the next semester. I had planned to go to law school, but by the time I graduated, I didnt want to go. I remember visiting my father in the hospital right after the commencement ceremony to show him my diploma. I remember saying, Look, Im not going to law school. Im taking a job in a sculpture studio at a local college. While I studied sculpture, I became more and more interested in photography. I began to teach myself. From there, I went down to the Maryland Institute College of Art, still intending to study sculpture. By the time I arrived at MICA as a nonmatriculated student, I ended up taking mostly photography classes.
BT: Is We Skate Hardcore your first project to combine art with your interest in social development and the structure of social communities?
VC: At the State University of New York at New Platz, where I did my graduate degree, I began concentrating on documentary projects and my photographs were in the social documentary tradition and reflected that aesthetic. One of my first projects was photographing men at a homeless shelter in the nearby city of Newburg. I spent an entire semester working on this project and volunteering at the center, sometimes staying over, spending a lot of time there, and building up a body of images from my association with the homeless men. What's most important to me in my work is that whatever I do is an extension of my experience.
In a way, its very organic. For my thesis project at New Paltz I documented wedding ritualsthese were weddings I had been invited tolooking at them almost as theater. At the time, I was reading structuralist philosophy (mostly Roland Barthes) and a lot of postmodern theory. These ideas influenced my approach to making pictures, so I didnt consider myself a pure social documentary photographer. Four years later, the next experience that really had an impact on me was documenting what was happening in Berlin after the Wall came down in November 1989 and during Unification in late 1990. I was living in East Berlin as a squatter and was photographing other squatters, their battles with police and neo-Nazis, and the changeover from the communist regime and culture. I was documenting history and the change of a way of life.
Then I came back to New York in 1992 and worked in a gallery, not really doing much photography, trying to get established here. Thats when I started getting to know the neighborhood and began playing handball, and thats how this project came into being.

This interview took place in the artists studio in Brooklyn, New York, on September 27, 2003, and lasted over three hours. The text here is a distilled, edited, and somewhat restructured version of that conversation.

600/600SE Camera

User Guide

600/600 SE Camera

Introduction
The Polaroid Models 600 and 600 SE Professional Pack Film Cameras combine the features of a professional camera with the convenience of Polaroid pack film. The lenses are fully coated and color corrected (interchangeable on the Model 600 SE) and each is in a shutter that allows full exposure control with a wide range of shutter speed / aperture combinations. The Shutter is synchronized for electronic flash. The removable pack film holder accommodates the Polaroid Type 100 / 600 film format which offers a variety of film types including black and white prints, color prints, and high quality black and white negatives. This User Guide is illustrated with the Model 600 SE camera. The Model 600 is similar but does not have interchangeable lenses. The numbers throughout the text refer to the pictures at the back of this User Guide. (See page 14.)

Nomenclature

Camera (Picture 1) A. B. C. D. E. F. G. H. I. J. K. L. M. N. O. P. Q. R. S. Flash and viewfinder accessory shoe Neck strap eyelets Flash bracket mount Film holder lock Bayonet lens mount Lens release button* Rangefinder coupling pin Red dot* Cable release holder* Hand grip flash shoe* Shutter release Hand grip Hand strap (adjustable) Cable release Viewfinder indicator* Viewfinder selector switch* Eyecup Eyepiece Tripod socket * Model 600 SE only Lens (Picture 2) A. B. C. D. E. F. G. H. I. J. Red dot* Depth of field scale Distance scale Focusing ring Shutter cocking lever Shutter speed ring Aperture control ring PC flash connector socket Aperture control lever Cable release socket * Model 600 SE only
Film holder (Picture 3) A. B. C. D. E. Dark slide Door latch Film tab slots Camera mounting brackets Developer rollers
Extra film holders (Model #73) are available from your local Polaroid dealer.
Accessories (not illustrated) A. Body cap for camera* B. Lens cap for 127mm lens C. Rear lens cap for 127mm lens D. Collapsible rubber lens hood for 127mm lens E. Neckstrap * Model 600 SE only

Polaroid pack films

Film type Types 669/108 Polacolor ER Speed (approx. ASA / DIN equiv.) 80 ASA / 20 DIN Description
These films yield a positive color print. They are balanced for use in average daylight and with electronic flash units approximating average daylight (5500K). Ideal for both outdoor and studio photography. Very high speed black and white films, which yield a positive print. Ideal for general purpose photography, recording high-speed events or low-light situations. Panchromatic. Prints need not be coated after development. A black and white film which produces a high-resolution negative, in addition to a high quality positive print. Ideal for general purpose photography where a medium contrast instant print and a permanent negative are desired. Panchromatic. Prints must be coated.
Types 667 Black and White

3000 ASA / 36 DIN

75 ASA / 20 DIN Type 665 Positive/Negative
Each pack produces 8 prints, 8.3 x 10.8cm (3 1/4 x 4 1/4 in.). Type 665 film also produces a usable negative.

Assembly (Picture 4)

Attaching the lens (Model 600 SE only) Insert the lens, aligning the red dot on the lens barrel with the red dot on the camera body (4). Turn the lens clockwise until the red dot is directly on top and the lens locks in place. Screw the end of the cable release into the cable release socket on the lens (5). Before removing a lens, unscrew the cable release from its socket on the lens and hang it on the cable release holder on the hand grip (6). (The cable release is permanently fixed to the handle and cannot be removed.) If there is film in the camera, be sure the dark slide is inserted before removing the lens. To detach the lens, press the lens release button and turn the lens counterclockwise (7). Always place the body cap on the camera when storing it without the lens, and keep both front and rear lens caps on the lens. To attach the body cap, fit it into the lens mount and turn it clockwise one-eighth of a turn (8). Eyecup Fit the rubber eyecup over the viewfinder eyepiece (11).
Lens hood Screw the collapsible rubber lens hood onto the lens (12). For best picture-taking results, a lens hood should always be used. For storage, you may fold it back over the lens barrel and put on the lens cap.
Film holder The removable film holder is attached to the camera by means of two sliding locks on either side of the camera body (13). When attaching the film holder, be sure it is properly seated and that the film tab slot is on the opposite side of the camera from the hand grip (14). If there is film in the holder, be sure the dark slide is inserted before removing the holder.
Neckstrap Attach the neckstrap as shown for the Model 600 (9) and the Model 600 SE (10).
Lenses (Pictures 15 through 17)
The Models 600/600SE cameras have a 127mm f/4.7 lens (15). Two additional lenses are available for the Model 600 SE (16 and 17). Each lens comes complete with front and rear lens caps and a collapsible rubber lens hood. All lenses are equipped with a Seiko between-the-lens shutter, with 10 speeds ranging from 1 sec. to 1/500 sec. and Bulb. The shutter is X synchronized for electronic flash at all speeds.
127mm f/4.7 lens (15) (normal)
75mm f/5.6 lens* (16) 150mm f/5.6 lens (17) (wide angle) (portrait)

Lens Construction

3 groups 4 elements

4 groups 7 elements

Apertures

f/4.7 to f/64

f/5.6 to f/45
Closest Focusing Distance

1.1m (3.5 ft.)

1m (3.3 ft.)

2m (6.6 ft.)

Angle of View

41o horizontal

65 o horizontal

35 o horizontal

Screw-in-Filter Size
The 75mm lens comes with an accessory viewfinder.

Focusing

The Models 600 and 600 SE are equipped with a coincidence-type rangefinder in which two images come together within a circle when in focus. To familiarize yourself with it, first set the lens at infinity and focus on a nearby subject, as described below. How to focus View your subject through the bright circle in the viewfinder (18). Position your eye so the entire circle is visible. Within the circle your subject will appear as two images (19). Turn the focusing ring so that these two images coincide (20). Now the camera is focused on your subject.
secure the viewfinder. Focus your subject through the cameras viewfinder, read the subject distance from the lens barrel (25), and set the wide angle viewfinder knob to that distance (26). Now look through the wide angle viewfinder and compose your subject within the bright frame (27).

Depth of field scale

When you focus on the most important part of your subject, some parts in the foreground and background of the scene will also be in acceptably sharp focus in the picture. The distance between the nearest and farthest points in sharp focus is called the zone of sharp focus, or the depth of field. To determine this distance for a particular scene use the depth of field scale on the lens barrel (28). After choosing the aperture setting and focusing the subject, locate the aperture number on both sides of the red focus mark on the depth of field scale (28A). Follow the white line up to the distance scale and read the near and far limits of your zone of sharp focus (28B). For example, with the 127mm lens at f/32, at a subject distance of 1.7m (5 1/2ft.), the depth of field will be approximately 1.4-2.1m (4 1/2-7ft.) (29).
Using the viewfinder (Picture 21)
127mm lens (Models 600 and 600 SE) Compose within the framing lines seen in your viewfinder (21). When focused beyond 3m (10ft.), use the dots outside of the lines. Model 600 SE only The viewfinder frame is adjustable for 127mm and 150mm focal length lenses. Slide the selector switch to match the focal length of the lens in use (22, 23). 75mm lens (Model 600 SE only) When using the 75mm lens, attach the wide angle viewfinder supplied with that lens to the accessory shoe on top of the camera (24). When attaching or removing the viewfinder, be sure the locking device (24A) is unlocked. Once attached, turn the locking knob as far as it will go, in the direction of the arrow, to

Exposure controls (Picture 30)
Setting the shutter speeds (30) The shutter has 10 speeds, ranging from 1 sec. to 1/500 sec., plus a B setting for time exposures. These are set by turning the shutter speed ring. If set at B, the shutter stays open as long as the shutter release button is kept depressed. When setting shutter speeds, be sure that the red mark points directly at the speed number, not between two numbers.
Setting the lens opening (30) Apertures can be varied by turning the aperture control lever. There are click stops at every f-number, but the dial can be set between the numbers.

Making the exposure

Remove the dark slide (34). Set the shutter speed and lens aperture. Cock the shutter lever (35). Focus. Frame the subject in the viewfinder. Depress the shutter release (36).
Neutral density filter In very bright daylight with 3000 speed black and white film, you may want to use a four or five stop neutral density filter (available from your photo dealer) which will enable you to choose a wider range of apertures and shutter speeds, if necessary.

Processing the film

Tab-pulling tips In order for the film to develop properly, the tabs must be pulled out of the exit door straight. Be careful not to bend the film unit towards you or towards the lens as you pull, and do not pull it out at an angle. Here are some recommended techniques. Handheld: Hold the camera in front of you and let the camera hang with the film tab slot down. Then pull the tabs straight down (37). Or, bracing your elbow against your body, hold the camera so the film tab slot is up, and pull the tabs straight up (38). On a tripod: Brace the camera and pull the tabs straight, as shown (39).

Loading the film

The holder may be loaded before or after it is attached to the camera. Pull up on the latch to open the film holder door; the door does not open flat. Always hold the film pack by the edges, not in the center. Slide the pack in at an angle, then push it down into place (31). Check that the white tabs are not caught between the pack and the holder (32). Close and latch the door, with the end of the black tab sticking out. Pull the black tab straight, all the way out of the holder (33). A small white tab will appear.
Caution The Polaroid film process uses a caustic jelly which is safely packed inside sealed containers within the film pack. If accidentally you should get some of this jelly on your skin, wipe it off immediately. To avoid an alkali burn, wash the area with plenty of water as soon as possible. It is particularly important to keep the jelly away from eyes and mouth. Keep discarded materials out of reach of children and animals, and out of contact with clothing and furniture, as discarded materials still contain some jelly.

How to pull the tabs After making the exposure, pull the white tab straight, all the way out of the camera. A large yellow tab will appear (40). Grip the yellow tab firmly. Pull it straight out of the camera at moderate speed, without hesitation (41). The picture is now developing, so start timing. Develop the picture for the full time recommended in the film instructions inside the fim box. Separate the print from the negative in one continuous motion, starting at the end nearest the yellow tab (42). Information on handling of prints and negatives is in the film instructions.
problem can usually be corrected by suitable filtration on the camera lens or the flash unit.
Automatic flash units and color film It is recommended that you keep an automatic flash unit set for manual operation when using color film. When set for automatic operation, exposure is controlled by the duration of the flash. When your subject is close, the flash duration may be considerably shorter than 1/1,000 sec. The resulting reciprocity effects tend to cause a color shift towards the warmer colors. If necessary, this can be corrected with weak cyan or blue and cyan CC filtration.
Electronic flash (Picture 43)
An electronic flash unit can be mounted on the accessory shoe on top of the camera (43A). The Model 600 SE has an additional accessory shoe on top of the handgrip (43B) that can be used for mounting the flash unit using the 75mm lens and viewfinder. If you use a large handle-type flash, a special bracket may be available for your unit that attaches to the flash mount on the side of the camera (44). If you use the bracket that comes with your unit, be sure it does not obstruct the film holder and its operation. Consult your photo dealer for further information. Plug the connector cord from the electronic flash unit into the PC connector socket on the lens (45). The shutter is X synchronized for electronic flash at all speeds. Consult the instructions provided with the flash unit for proper lens aperture settings. There may be noticeable differences in the color quality of the light from various makes of electronic flash units. If your flash produces displeasing colors with Polaroid film, the

Maintenance

Lens care The lens supplied with the Models 600 and 600 SE is a high quality, professional lens that should be kept clean and handled with extreme care. If it should become dirty, blow off any dust, then wipe gently with a clean, lint-free cloth. Fingerprints should be cleaned off immediately with a drop of lens cleaning fluid and lens tissue. Never use siliconecoated eyeglass tissue to clean the lens. Keep the developer rollers clean It is extremely important to keep the rollers clean at all times. Dirt or developer chemicals on the rollers will leave marks on the picture and may even cause the picture to jam in the rollers. To clean the rollers: With both hands, lift the steel loops, and remove the roller assembly (46). Clean both rollers with a damp, lint-free cloth (47). Never scrape them with anything metallic, nor with your fingernail.

Rotate both rollers as you clean and inspect them. Also clean the film tab slot (48). Then replace the roller assembly. Storage To protect the lens and camera parts, be sure to put on lens caps and body cap when not in use. Do not store your lens with the shutter cocked.
To increase exposure (make pictures lighter), use a longer exposure time (slower shutter speed), or a larger lens opening (aperture). To decrease exposure (make pictures darker), use a shorter exposure time (faster shutter speed), or smaller lens opening (aperture). The shutter stays open for the length of time indicated on the ring. The numbers signify fractions of a second; thus, 60 = 1/60 sec., 4 = 1/4sec., 1 = 1 sec., etc. The lens opening can be made larger or smaller. The size of the opening is measured in f-numbers, which are marked on the lens ring. The highest f-number indicates the smallest opening; the lowest f-number indicates the largest opening.

Filters

The Models 600 and 600 SE lenses accommodate standard screw-in filters, available from your local photo dealer. When photographing outdoors, particularly in shady or overcast situations, you may find it helpful to use a UV filter (available from your local photo dealer).

More on film

The importance of the film instruction sheet: The most up-to-date and accurate information on a film will always be found in the instruction sheet packaged with that film. Time, temperature and development: The ideal development temperature for all the films is about 70-75o F (21-24o C). When its much warmer or colder, you may need to adjust the development time or the exposure.

More on exposure

Guide to exposure control Exposure is the amount of light that reaches the film through the lens. It is controlled by the length of time the shutter is open (shutter speed) and the size of the opening in the lens (lens aperture).

Shutter speeds 2 1

Darken/Lighten
Lens openings 4,7 5,44 64

Lighten / Darken 9

Coat black and white prints: Prints from all black and white films except Type 667 must be coated as soon as possible to protect them from scratches, fingerprints and fading, and to prevent changes in tone. For details, see the film instructions. Do not coat color prints. Type 665 negatives: These must be immersed in a sodium sulfite solution immediately after separation from the positive print. See the instructions on the inside of the fim box for full details. Protect film from heat: Keep film away from heat. Extreme heat and humidity can damage it, especially after the pack is removed from its sealed foil wrapping.

Oblong in print: The white tab was not pulled all the way out. When the yellow tab was pulled, the white tab was pulled back into the camera. Many small white specks: Caused by pulling the yellow tab out too fast. This can also cause pink lines, streaks or blotches on color prints. Picture with dull, weak colors: The print was not developed long enough. Underdeveloped color prints may be brownish pink. Picture with reddish tint and muddy colors: The picture was developed at temperatures below 65o F (18o C). Color prints much too red: May occur with some electronic flash units when set at Auto. Very light image or none at all: The film was fogged or extremely overexposed. Do not remove the safety cover from the film pack before inserting it into the camera, and do not remove a loaded film holder from the camera without inserting the dark slide. Be sure your exposure is based on the correct film speed. Nearly black image or solid black: Caused by insufficient or no exposure. Be sure you have cocked the shutter and removed the dark slide. Be sure your exposure is based on the correct film speed. Broad streak or curtain-shaped mark: Due to hesitation or stopping while pulling the yellow tab out.

Troubleshooting

If no white tab appears: Open the door and, without moving the film pack, push the white tab out (49). Then close and latch the door. If no yellow tab appears when you pull the white tab: Do not pull another white tab. Instead, carefully open the holder far enough to get a finger on top of the film pack to hold it down (50). Grasp the topmost yellow tab, and gently pull it all the way out and discard it (51). Inspect the rollers and clean them if necessary. Close and latch the holder, with the next white tab sticking out.
Picture faults and probable causes
Repeated, evenly-spaced spots: Due to dirt on the steel rollers in the film holder. Missing corners or orange-red marks along edges: Caused by pulling the yellow tab out of the camera at an angle. Also caused by dried developer chemicals at the ends of the steel rollers in the film holder.
Three-year warranty (outside the U.S.)
Your Polaroid Professional Pack Film Camera has been thoroughly tested and inspected before shipment. All parts are guaranteed against defects in materials and workmanship for three full years from the date of original purchase. During this period any such defects will be remedied by Polaroid Corporation without charge. To take advantage of this warranty, the camera must be repaired by a Polaroid Service Center. Cameras damaged by accident, misuse, or tampering will be promptly repaired at a reasonable charge. Please pack the camera carefully in a solid container, with plenty of padding, and ship it, prepaid and insured, to the nearest Polaroid Service Center. THE ABOVE WARRANTY AND PROVISIONS DO NOT AFFECT YOUR STATUTORY RIGHTS.

The warranty period is three years from the original date of purchase. To verify the warranty period, you should keep the sales slip or other proof of the purchase date. Without this information, the warranty period is four years from the manufacturing date on the camera. If, within the warranty period, your camera is mailed to us for service from inside the U.S., will be returned with a postal refund approximately equal to the cost of insured parcel post. We will also give you a free pack of film. This warranty does not cover damage caused by accident, misuse, or tampering with the camera, and a charge will be made for such repairs. FOR WARRANTY SERVICE the camera must be returned to and repaired by a Polaroid Service Center. You can return the camera through your Polaroid camera dealer. If that is not convenient, see below for information on how to return the camera, or call Americas Business Center toll-free at 1-800-343-5000 from anywhere in the U.S. We can be reached Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Eastern Time. In Canada call toll-free 1-800-268-6970. This warranty gives you specific legal rights and you may also have other rights which vary from state to state. This warranty excludes all consequential damages. Some states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages, so the foregoing limitation or exclusion may not apply to you.
Information and technical assistance (outside the U.S.)
If you have any question about your camera or any other photographic problem, please contact the Polaroid Office nearest you.
Full three-year warranty (U.S. only)
If your camera proves to be defective within the warranty period we will repair it, or at our option replace it with a similar camera, without charge. The warranty applies whether you do or do not return a registration card to us.

Repairs

If you believe your equipment may need repair, before your send it to us, call Customer Service toll-free: 1-800-343-500 from anywhere in the U.S. and explain the problem. You may be able to use your camera again right away, without repair. Your camera dealer will return your camera for repair, should that ever be necessary. Or, you may mail the camera to Polaroid for repairs. Pack it carefully. Address it to the nearest Polaroid Service Center and send it by insured parcel post. (Upon request, we will send a sturdy pre-addressed shipping
carton to you anywhere in the continental U.S.) Include a note describing the problem and, if you can, pictures that illustrate it.

Information and technical assistance (U.S. only)
If you ever need additional help with your camera or with picture-taking in general, call us toll-free at 1-800-343-5000 from anywhere in the U.S. We can be reached Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Eastern Time. In Canada call toll-free 1-800-268-6970. Or, write to Polaroid, Americas Business Center, 201 Burlington Rd., Bedford, Massachusetts 01730.
Depth of field tables (in feet)

ft f 5.11 16

75mm f/5.6

32 10"

15 10" 312'
1/2" 5 6" 1/2" 3/0" 33 5" 3 5"
4 5" 5 9" 3/2" 3/9 1/5' 8 1/ 2" 3/4" 1/4

8 5"

45 4.11 16

127mm f/4.7

1/2 14' 7 2" 16 10" 6 5' 5 7" 1/6 1/9"
10 6" 26 10" 1/2 40 0" 10 10" 8 0" 133' 1/9 1/2

5 l 1/2

13 4" 19 0" 21 4" 10 8" 9 6' 1/2 102' 7 0
7 6" 8 6" 7 3" 8 11" 7' 4 1/8" 6 3" 1/1 1/2" 20' 4 6" 56'

1/11 1/4

4 4"
24' 40' 21' 53' 18 79' 16' 250' 13'

1/4" 3/2 1/4

6 8" 1/5 1/8' 6 3" 1/6" 5 71/4" 1/9" 1/2 26'
5 9" 6 3" 5 2" 3/5 1/3 1/5 1/7 1/8' 1/3" 4 6" 0" 3/6 1/2 5' 11 1/8 1/4" 8 6' 6 6' 1/9 3/5 1/2" 1/5 3/4" 15' 9 6" 1/2" 1/3 1/8 3/2 1/l 13/11 1/3' 3 91/4" 1/6 1/3 1/3 3/4" 1/2
3' 7 1/2 3/4 4' 5 1/10" 3 6" 1/8' 3/4' 3/1 1/10" 1/7 1/2" 1/2" 1/9 1/4" 3/8 1/11 1/2" 3/8" 5/2: 12 4" 3' 10 3/4 3' 5 1/11 1/6 3/4 3/2' 1/9 1/2" 3 4' 4 3" 1/8 1/3 1/4 1/9" 3 7' 1/6 1/10 1/5 1/9 3/4" 4' 3/3" 1/3 1/2" 1/4" 3 1/2" 1/4" 1/2" 1/2"

8 10"

8 8"
1/2' 8 5" 12 4" 13 8" 1/2" 67 32' 1/2" 44' 1/11 3/4

267' 13 7

169" 13 1" 11 8" 21 4" 1/4" 1/0"

1/2 10,8" 9 2" 11 0" 8 10" 11 6" 1/2" 7' 11 1/4" 1/8"

150mm f/5.6

16 10"
1/8 1/2 8151, T7' 5 1/7 1/7 1/5 1/2 7' 3 1/2 6' 5 1/2 8' 10 1/8" 6 3" 9 4' 1/8" 6 0" 1/3" 3" 9 3" 5 9' 5 3" 10 9
Depth of field tables (meters)

m f 5,11 16

10,02 7,11 5,05 3,59 2,56 1,83 1,32
10 5,06 4,21 3,40 2,69 2,08 1,58 1,19
5 3,39 9,69 2,99 15,94 2,57 2,14 1,74 1,39 1,08
3 2,35 4,17 2,16 4,99 1,94 6.92 1,69 15,47 1,44 1,19 0,96
2 1,70 2,44 1,60 2,68 1,48 3,13 1,34 4,13 1,18 7,56 1,01 0,85
1,5 1,33 1,72 1,27 1,84 1,20 2,03 1,11 2,38 1,00 3,18 0,88 6,14 0,76
1,2 1,09 1,33 1,06 1,39 1,01 1,50 0,94 1,67 0,87 2,01 0,78 2,88 0,69 7,09
1,1 0,93 1,01 0,90 1,13 0,81 1,19 0,82 1,29 0,77 1,47 0,70 1,86 0,63 2,44

4,11 16

34,60 20,00 14,40 10,20 7,30 5,20 3,70 2,65 40,00 28,30 20,00 14,20 10,00 7,18 5,12
7,80 14,00 6,80 19.00 6,00 31,00 5,10 4,30 3,5 2,77 2,16 8,07 13,20 7,47 15,20 6,77 19,40 5,98 31,00 5,14 4,29 3,50
4,41 5,78 4,07 6,50 3,78 7,43 3,44 9,30 3,05 15,00 2,64 2.22 1.82 4.49 5.65 4,31 5,97 4,07 6,50 3,79 7.43 3,44 9,33 3,06 14,70 2.65
2,79 3,25 2,66 3,45 2,54 3,68 2,89 4.07 2,20 4,79 1,99 6,42 1,75 12,50 1,50 2,82 3,21 2,75 3, 30 2,66 3,44 2,54 3,67 2,39 4,05 2,21 4,76 2,00 6,35
2,36 2,67 2,26 2,79 2,18 2,94 2,07 3,18 1,93 3,58 1,77 4,39 1,59 6,49 2,10 1,39 2,38 2,64 2,33 2,70 2,27 2,79 2,18 2,93 2,08 3,16 1,94 3,56 1,78 4,34
1,91 2,10 1,85 2,17 1,80 2,25 1,72 2,39 1,63 2,60 1,52 2,98 1,39 3,77 1,24 6,13 1,92 2,08 1,89 2,12 1,86 2,17 1,80 2,25 1,73 2,37 1,64 2,58 1,53 2,44
1,64 1.77 1,59 1.82 1,56 1,87 1,50 1,96 1,44 2,09 1,35 2,32 1,25 2,75 1,13 3,76
1,45 1,55 1,42 1,59 1,39 1,63 1,35 1,69 1,30 1,78 1,23 1,94 1,15 2,22 1,05 2,80
1,27 1,33 1,24 1,36 1,22 1,39 1,19 1,43 1,15 1,49 1,10 1,60 1,04 1,77 0,98 2,10
1,17 1,23 1,15 1,25 1,13 1,27 1,11 1,31 1,08 1,36 1,03 1,44 0,98 1,57 0,91 1,81
1,08 1,12 1,06 1,14 1,06 1,16 1,03 1,18 1,00 1,22 0,96 1.29 0.92 1,39 0,86 1,56