I was finally getting to do some proper travelling. Sure it was for work, and only for the day, but I was going on a plane, I was going alone, and I would have time for sightseeing and photography in a way that I haven’t since before I was pregnant. I decided to bring the Polaroid 650 in addition to my new phone. It seemed like the perfect chance to shoot Polaroid before winter; the weather forecast for Bergen predicted sunny and warm for October.

Getting off the bus from the airport in view of the famous Bergen dock, I had some time before meeting my grandmother and sister – who both live in Bergen – for lunch. I had a brilliantly beautiful view in front of me begging to be photographed; blue skies and blue sea and the rust-coloured buildings on the pier in front of the autumnal trees in the background.

As luck would have it, the one pack of film I had brought turned out to be a dud; pressing the shutter I got a weak clink-clonk and no photo. It may sound strange to call this luck. But the thing is, after a lovely meal with my family I still had some time before the work meeting I was there for, and I decided to spend this precious shooting time looking for more film. Having been to Bergen before with my father, also an eager photographer, I knew just where to go.

I’ve been shooting Polaroid for a long while from a stack of now expired, early generation Impossible film. It certainly hasn’t been perfect, but I’ve enjoyed the quirks and the imperfections. Thanks to Antonio Stasi I now got the chance to try the most recent Impossible Project film, and I am astounded by how much the film has improved.

We have a saying in Norwegian that seems appropriate in this case: never so wrong that it isn’t good for something. So thank goodness that the battery on the film I had brought was dead, or else I would not have bought the new one.

(And in case you’re wondering, I did make it to my work meeting on time.)

˜All the best from Jenny Graver.