My 365 Project: One Polaroid Photo Every Day for a Year 📸

It all started on a whim.

It was Christmas Eve. While scrambling to find a few last-minute gifts, I was standing in a Target aisle, debating whether or not to buy a Polaroid camera. My family would soon be heading to my grandparents’ house for our traditional Christmas celebration, and I had this idea that bringing an instant camera could add a fun, nostalgic twist to Christmas Eve 2023. Something about the idea of snapping real, physical photos in the moment just felt right.

So, without really thinking it through, I bought the Polaroid Now Gen 2 and brought it with me. That was how I captured the holiday photos shown above. I was having so much fun, I went out a few days later and also grabbed the new Polaroid I-2. All of the reviewers online were raving about its sharpness.

The first photo I took with my Polaroid I-2 was of my dog, Bentley. I didn’t even know how to use the camera yet—but when the photo developed, it was so vibrant and sharp, I was stunned. That photo would later become one of the most iconic from the entire project.

And just like that, I was hooked.

What started as a fun gadget quickly became a year-long commitment: one Polaroid photo every single day of 2024. And since it was a leap year, that meant 366 days.

Check out all 366 Days here:

Why I Committed to a 366-Day Polaroid Project

2023 was a heavy year. I lost a close friend, and while putting together a memorial photo board in her honor, I had this moment of clarity: I wasn’t taking enough photos. Not the posed, curated kind—but the small, real-life ones. The moments you want to remember but often don’t think to document.

I wanted to change that. I wanted to start living more mindfully and creatively. So I combined that desire with a medium I’d never really explored: instant photography.

Polaroids felt perfect—immediate, imperfect, and totally analog. They forced me to slow down, think, and treat each photo like it mattered. And for the next 12 months, that’s exactly what I did.

The Gear: Cameras That Got Me Through the Year

Throughout the year, I used several different Polaroid cameras—each offering its own unique strengths (and quirks). Here’s a quick look:

• Polaroid Now Gen 2 (occasionally used)
  This was my gateway into the world of instant photography. Simple, point-and-shoot, and easy to use. It doesn’t allow for full manual control, but for the first few weeks, that was exactly what I needed.

• Polaroid I-2 (my favorite Polaroid camera)
  I upgraded to this camera pretty early on. It’s a serious tool for instant photography lovers, offering manual control, a sharp lens, and an OLED display. It’s big and bulky compared to my phone, but the quality? Unreal.

• Polaroid SX-70 (coolest camera used)
  I experimented with this tiny, travel-friendly folding camera a few times. It uses its own film format (SX-70 film) and is great when you want something compact and playful. It develops cooler than the much warmer toned I-Type Film.

The Film: A Year of Chemistry and Color

I mostly used Polaroid i-Type color film, which works with both the Now Gen 2 and I-2. But throughout the year, I also experimented with:

• Black & White i-Type Film – For moody shots or when I wanted to lean into shadows and contrast.
• Polaroid SX-70 Film – Used with a vintage SX-70 camera I borrowed briefly. Super delicate, with a soft, retro aesthetic.
• Polaroid I-Type Film – Less expensive and great for quick shots.
• Polaroid Special Edition Film – Pantone and special artist editions.

I always stuck with official Polaroid film, even though it came at a steep price. In total, I spent over $1,000 on film during this project. Thanks to bulk purchases, promos, and Polaroid’s rewards system, I managed to get my cost per pack down to around $11.33 on average.

The Good, the Bad, and the Blurry

Let’s talk about something most people don’t see: the failed photos.

Instant film is unpredictable. That’s part of the charm. But it also means some shots didn’t turn out the way I’d hoped. I had:

• Overexposed shots where the sun washed everything out.
• Blurry photos from moving too quickly or misjudging the focus.
• Photos that didn’t develop properly—partly due to cold weather, humidity, or who knows what.
• Double exposures I attempted and completely botched.

At first, these failures frustrated me. But eventually, I embraced them as part of the process. They’re reminders that this project wasn’t about perfection—it was about persistence, creativity, and curiosity.

I think the hardest camera to get the exposure correct on was my vintage SX-70 because of how much light the film requires to develop properly. You can learn more about my journey with that camera here:

A Few of My Favorite Photos

📷 Day 2: Bentley 👀

The very first photo I took with my Polaroid I-2. I had no clue what I was doing, but the results were so crisp and colorful it shocked me. Bentley, as always, made for a flawless subject.

🌑 Day 99: Totality

One of my proudest days—vlogging a full road trip to upstate New York to witness the 2024 total solar eclipse. I had my Sony camera, vlog setup, and Polaroid gear all in action. The photo of totality gives me chills. You can watch the full vlog here.

🦴 Day 32: Wishbone

🏳️‍🌈 Day 132: Six26

What It Taught Me

Finishing this project taught me so much about discipline. There were days I did not want to take a photo. Days I forgot. Days I was sick. Traveling. Busy. But I kept going. And the more I stuck with it, the more it shaped how I saw the world.

This was not my first “365 project.” In 2014, I wrote a blog post every single day for a year. I’ve done things like this over the years. But this Polaroid project? This was more challenging. And more expensive. I came really close to giving up several times, especially in the second half of the year. I’m so glad I didn’t give up though.

Each photo now represents a story, a memory, a choice to press the shutter and capture something—even if it was mundane, silly, or unplanned.

Why You Should Try Something Like This

If you’ve ever thought about doing a creative daily challenge—whether it’s photography, writing, drawing, or anything else—I’m telling you: go for it.

Will it be easy? No.

Will you feel stuck sometimes? Absolutely.

But will you grow? Will you have something to look back on that captures a full year of your life?

Without a doubt.

Even if you don’t finish, the memories you do capture will be more than worth it.

Final Thoughts

When I look at all 366 Polaroids now, laid out like a visual timeline, I don’t just see photos. I see proof of a year well lived. A reminder that I kept going. That I found beauty in the everyday. And that I chose to remember it.

Because in the end, life isn’t made up of just the big milestones. It’s made up of the little moments in between.

In the following sections, you can find a rapid slideshow review of every single photo I posted for my year-long project:

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Media Coverage

My project even got featured on The Instant Film Project which was pretty neat!

[If embedded video doesn’t load, watch it on Instagram]

Want to see more from my Polaroid Display project? DM me on Instagram @rockytrifari and I’ll send you a few of my favorite shots. And if you’re thinking about starting your own project—Polaroid or otherwise—I’d be happy to cheer you on.

📸✨ Here’s to life, one instant at a time.