Some rare and beautiful insights into the cinematography of the great Russian filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky.

It’s no surprise that so many of our favorite filmmakers and cinematographers began to learn their craft with photography. Not only does the practice help you learn and understand film, lighting and image capture, it also forces you to appreciate the delicacies of composition.

From Stanley Kubrick’s photojournalistic developmental years to these awesome and rare polaroids captured throughout Tarkovsky’s career (and nearly up until his passing 1986), we get some beautiful insights into how the famous director, writer and theorist was able to develop his signature styles and eye for composition.

Taken from Tarkovsky’s personal collection and compiled together for the Instant Light: Tarkovsky Polaroids (1st Edition), these polaroids span some of Tarkovsky’s most productive years while working on classics like Stalker and Nostalghia.

Andrei Tarkovsky’s Polaroid Diary