Megan Iverson's blog

I recently got to spend a few days with the Sony Reader Daily Edition, Sony's newest digital book. During that time I made better use of my commute, read more than I have since college, and realized that reading glasses should be my next upgrade. Aptly named, the Daily Edition provides access to daily newspapers, in addition to over 1 million books and periodicals.

In my parent's house are boxes of family photos stored in closets, cupboards, and desks. The pictures are loose, in albums, and some still in the sleeves they came back from the photomat in. From time to time when I still lived at home I'd pull the boxes out and sort through all the memories of my childhood, and from the years before I was born: photos of my parent's when they were dating, their childhoods, their parents and their childhoods. A visual family history. Some might call this clutter - but I prefer to think of these boxes as tangible memories.

During the Great Depression President Roosevelt's New Deal brought about many work and aid programs meant to help the American people recover from the greatest economic crisis in our nation's history. The New Deal begat the Works Progress Administration which gave birth to what was first called the Resettlement Administration and later called the Farm Securities Administration. The FSA employed many talented photographers, such as Dorthea Lange and Walker Evans, who were given the duty to document the daily lives of impoverished farmers in the rural parts of the US and the out of work and struggling in the nation's cities. Given our current economic crisis I've been wondering what would happen if the United States brought back such programs. How would the photo world change today if photographers were employed again by the government for such widespread documentation?

On a shelf above my desk sits an enormous binder full of 35mm slides, neatly stored in sleeves. These slides aren’t my work though. And it isn’t the work of anyone I know.

Maybe you've already heard, but in case not, it's official; Polaroid becomes available to the public again later this week thanks to the people at the Impossible Project, in conjunction with Ilford and the Polaroid corporation! If you're a lover of Polaroid film and all it's instantaneous magic, this is awesome news.  If you've got a favorite Polaroid from days of old, post it in the comments section below.  Or feel free to just expound on your love of the medium. This is definitely a victory for film!

 In this tight economy buying new video equipment is painful to contemplate, but if need – or longing – dictates, the pain can be eased with a trip to the B&H Used Department . 

I know it’s a digital world out there, and the general consensus is: adapt or die. But I can’t deny my love of film and all things related. I just have to believe that there’s a place where both can, at the very the least, co-exist. Because let’s face it: digital is probably here to stay. Yes, I said, “probably”. Sorry, it’s taking me awhile to adjust.