Instant film photographer Tom Robinson founded “Through the Lens and Lead,” a project consisting of Polaroid portraits paired with pencil drawings. In collaboration with Bob Greco and Dan Hureira, the installation opened in the Brooklyn Film Camera (BFC) gallery on Friday, July 5, and will be on view for the month.
“‘Lens and Lead’ was started by my friend Tom in 2017, but it took off in 2019-2020. It involves a Polaroid portrait and a representation in pencil, a self-portrait,” said Greco. “When he started posting these online, it was something that I resonated with. It felt special, intimate and tied to themes of nostalgia within Polaroid.”
Based in Newcastle, U.K., Robinson’s project expanded internationally when other photographers expressed interest in adapting “Lens and Lead” to their city. Hureira joined from Philadelphia, where he was active in the music scene, and Greco photographed fellow instant photographers in New York.
“I reached out to Tom in 2021 to be in the project. My contribution was submitting pages for the book from Philadelphia, and then Bob has his in New York and Tom has his in Newcastle,” said Hureira. “In general, photography is parasitic and one-sided; one person is taking the photo, and the other is not contributing or getting anything from it. The idea of the project, from my end, is a way for both parties to contribute and create a work of art versus it being one-sided.”
The project started with Robinson asking his friend, James, to draw his perspective of a Polaroid portrait Robinson had taken. From there, “Lens and Lead” took shape with Robinson photographing other people and having them draw in pencil beside their Polaroids.
“There’s a beautiful thing in the naivety of people who haven’t held a pencil in years. There’s a beautiful silence at…
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