Polaroid 54/59/79

The title of this book with 768 Polaroids refers to the types of peel-apart instant film that Dana Lixenberg used between 1993 and 2010, which could be loaded into a cassette that fit into her 4×5" field camera. These instant Polaroid prints, serving as test and reference material for lighting and composition, provide an intimate glimpse into Lixenberg's work process during photo shoots for numerous clients such as Vibe, The New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, Vrij Nederland, and personal projects. After the Polaroid Corporation went out of business in 2008, Lixenberg finished her last box of Polaroid 54 two years later. Apart from being an ode to this specific material, the large collection of portraits also reflects the American culture and society Lixenberg encountered in the 1990s and 2000s.