In the 1970s, Frank started to make still-photographs once again, often with a Polaroid camera that used black-and-white positive/negative film. He frequently layered the images with text, which he inscribed by hand onto the Polaroid negative. Frank found that these works allowed him more freedom to 'destroy that image, that perfect image'.

The photographs are largely concerned with the people, places and things in Frank's life, including the tragic death of his daughter in a plane crash in 1974. Their titles, and the words written over them, often describe states of mind or emotions which relate to his personal circumstances, and yet which have a universal resonance.

In 1971, Frank moved to Mabou in Nova Scotia, and began to take photographs of his house and the wild, surrounding landscape. Objects and ephemera he had collected over the years become props. Mirrors and doorways act as frames within the photograph and provide a backdrop against which Frank grapples with the significant issues of life.

The large photographic sequence Home Improvements is taken from Frank's video of the same name. It shows Frank's son and wife, as well as his own murky reflection. He has commented: 'I am very interested in photography crossing over into video. Video, Polaroids, film, Polaroid on TV - back to photography - I played a lot with that.'