Ever since Max was a young child, she has been drawn to old analog camera gear rather than digital tech, and her interest in photography has lasted into her late teens.
Five years before the events of Life is Strange, the Caulfields left Arcadia Bay to move to Seattle. It can be assumed Max spent those years honing her photography skills before being accepted into Blackwell Academy's scholarship program during the summer of 2013. She is happy to have been accepted into such a prestigious art school and is looking forward to Mark Jefferson's class which she describes as being "one of the best photography programs in the country."
Max appreciates all kinds of styles and techniques when it comes to photography, but it is the instant camera selfie that she loves most.
Life is Strange[]
We first see Max's camera in Jefferson's classroom near the beginning of Episode 1, "Chrysalis." During this lesson, the shock of predicting an occurrence (Victoria Chase's phone ringing) makes her accidentally knock it off her desk, breaking it. She manages to fix it by testing her rewind power that has suddenly manifested. The camera is broken once again during a confrontation with Nathan Prescott on Blackwell Academy's parking lot. After failing to fix it at Chloe Price's house, Chloe gives her a replacement instant camera as a belated birthday gift. This camera originally belonged to her father, William Price.
If Max chooses to save Arcadia Bay, Max will revert to her original yellow camera which will never have been broken in the first place. Max will also receive William's old camera from Joyce as seen in the last timestream montage. It is unknown if this is the camera she will use from this moment on.
Alternative Timeline[]
In the alternative timeline, William uses his camera to take a picture of Chloe and Max, the same picture she uses to go back to this moment. Max also has the chance to use his camera to take a picture of Chloe and William cooking.
Before the Storm[]
In the prequel game, Before the Storm, the instant camera that originally belonged to William and was later gifted to Max can be seen in the garage of the Price household. When Chloe looks at it, she wonders if there are still films made for it.
In the bonus episode, "Farewell", Max can pick up and take a selfie with the instant camera that belongs to Chloe's father, and she can use it to take photos throughout the episode. When Max asks Chloe why her dad's camera is in her room, Chloe tells Max that her dad said she could bring it up there for Max to use because he's tired of watching her drool all over herself every time he uses it - "his words."
Trivia[]
Max's cameras seem to be Polaroid models. The model seen at the start of "Chrysalis" is likely based on the Polaroid JobPro and other models from 600 Polaroid camera line; the camera Chloe gave her is based on the Polaroid 1200si from the Polaroid Image/Spectra line of Polaroid cameras.
The Polaroid brand is probably never mentioned during the original game for copyright reasons.[note 1] However, the two final choices in the game are shown as photographs printed on typical Polaroid instant film where the brand name can be seen, which seems to suggest Max uses this film. Since the 11-digit Polaroid code found under the pictures (normally found only on the back of the photographs) doesn't include any letter, it confirms that it is an integral film and not a Peel-Apart Pack Film.[1] The picture being visible on the back side of the film is an inconsistency, whether the art department intended it for aesthetic reasons or not.
Polaroid ceased production of its instant film in 2008 when it filed for bankruptcy protection. Its last-manufactured film stock would expire toward the end of 2009.[2] While it is possible that Max could be using expired film in her camera, there would be a high chance of image degradation if the chemicals developed at all, even if the film had been kept refrigerated.[3]
As the original game is set in 2013, Max is perhaps more likely to use film from The Impossible Project, the only company in the world that continues to manufacture original format instant film for Polaroid cameras.[4] This film is renowned to be expensive due to its exclusivity. Max even comments on this in the game: "Instant film is so damn hard to find and expensive now." In the Alternative Timeline (Life is Strange), Max's mother texts her to ask her if she needs to spend so much, to which Max replies, "I only bought film, not a camera." Max's mother then suggests that "maybe it's time to go digital". It is likely that DONTNOD have based the design of Max's instant film packaging on The Impossible Project's packaging for their 1st-grade-formula 600 film.[5][note 2]
Max's instant film packaging
The Impossible Project packaging (1st Grade)
Whenever Max takes a photograph, she shakes the picture before placing it in her bag. It is not recommended to shake modern Polaroid film formula like the film made by The Impossible Project. Shaking the photograph does not develop the photograph faster and could damage the quality of the image. This doesn't apply to old film before the 70s.[6]
In the Director's Commentary, the moment where Max rips up one of her instant photos is discussed. It is acknowledged that it's very hard to tear apart a Polaroid due to the strong plastic, and it wouldn't normally be possible by hand. They decided to keep it in the game because of the strong symbolism in Max tearing up her Everyday Heroes photo, and perhaps bad film quality made it possible.
In the Before the Storm bonus episode "Farewell", Max mentions the name Polaroid: "I love how Polaroid cameras make every photo look a little nostalgic."
Gallery[]
Screenshots[]
Taking Optional Photo #5 in "Dark Room".
Max with her old camera.
William's camera in "Farewell".
Concept Art[]
Notes[]
↑Only the unspoken attribution tags for the game's localized files mention the Polaroid brand. For example: Act_E1_2A_ArtClass_Polaroid_Look01_Max_010="I do love my analog camera. I should take a quick picture now."
↑In late 2017, all film produced by The Impossible Project was rebranded to Polaroid Originals. The film is still manufactured in Enschede, Netherlands - the last remaining Polaroid factory.
