'Mr. Polaroid' takes a look at the story behind the iconic camera

Edwin Land was always a dreamer.

At 14, after a near-accident on a dark road, he made a plan to invent a solution for headlight glare. He later figured out that polarization would do the trick.

By the age of 28, in 1937, he was already at the helm of his own company.

At the time Polaroid made sunglasses, glare-free windshields, headlines and camera lenses.

It wasn’t until a trip to New Mexico that the idea for the Polaroid camera popped into his head.

“Edwin was on vacation with his daughter and she spent the day taking pictures at the resort in Santa Fe,” says Christopher Bonanos, the author of “Instant: The Story of Polaroid.” “She turned to him and asked why can’t she see the pictures now. He spent that evening walking around the streets of Santa Fe thinking how to accomplish this. His patent lawyer was also on vacation in Santa Fe and staying at La Fonda. That night, they made sure there was going to be a disclosure on file.”

American Experience is deep diving into Land’s life in the documentary, “Mr. Polaroid,” which will air at 8 p.m. Monday, May 19, on New Mexico PBS, channel 5.1. It will also be available to stream on the PBS app.

Land’s contribution to the world is having a resurgence as the Polaroid camera is having a moment — again.

“Yes, we have instant access to taking a photograph with our phones,” Bonanos says. “But there’s no way to print them instantly. A new generation has found the Polaroid camera and understands what it’s all about.”

According to American Experience, the Polaroid camera would launch not only instant photography mania but also become the model for Silicon Valley’s tech culture. And it began with the Polaroid Model 95, which was first offered for sale in the fall of 1948.

Land was aided in making his dream a reality by female researchers and scientists. Eudoxia Muller, who would make the first successful Polaroid instant photograph in 1943, and Meroë Morse, who ran the Film Research Division for almost 30 years, were among that pioneering group.

Bonanos — who has written a book on Land’s life — said Land was dreaming up the camera long before anyone else.

“Edwin is influential and was successful on his own terms,” Bonanos says. “He was much more interested in the science behind everything. It was more to him than simply making money.”

Bonanos says Land was an interesting character.

“At a time when it seemed like Polaroid was done, it seemed like technology was finished with it,” he says. “I was recently at a party in Brooklyn where this group is devoted to analog photography. The amount of energy in the room for something that is supposed to be obsolete was felt. You have these young, cool people that are shooting with cameras. There was a guy shooting footage on 16mm color film. This goes right to the appeal of Polaroid photography. You don’t really have to wait, you get instant feedback. It also helps make you a more conscious photographer.”

Bonanos says Polaroid was known for more than its instant camera.

“It was really the place you wanted to work as a scientist and chemist,” he says. “It was a really cool place to do interesting work and they advanced technology all on their own. Kodak did briefly and Polaroid sued them for patent infringement. The business was so successful because of Land’s ideas.”

As the documentary is gearing up to air on PBS, Bonanos hopes that the story will resonate with audiences.

“Edwin Land was on the cover of magazines,” he says. “While he’s not the figure that Steve Jobs became, he belongs there. I would like people to know more about him. He really wanted to understand the science of the invention. He delighted in the demonstration of the science that he made.”

Bonanos says the Polaroid camera made people more judicious about what they were taking photos of.

He says there was a little more effort in making each photo.

“I don’t know if it makes you a better photographer or if it makes you think about the moment,” he says. “The great thing about a Polaroid is that you take a photo and you give it away. It’s a small gift. It can be an icebreaker if you don’t know the person. There’s an act of generosity when you give a photo away. It is an edition of one.”

'Mr. Polaroid' takes a look at the story behind the iconic camera