Hello, Impossible friends! Welcome back to 8 Exposures, our instant film Q&A series. This week, we bring you Minnesota artist and photographer Jessica Shimek…
1) What Polaroid cameras do you use?
A Polaroid SX-70, A Polaroid Spirit 600, a 240 Land Camera and a Polaroid back on my Hasselblad 501c/m.
2) Why do you like instant photography?
Every photography medium has a different feeling and portrays a different mood. I love the mood that instant photography gives me. It is warm and sometimes a bit faded…this will sound cheesy, but I feel like each image is a tangible bit of a memory.
3) What is your earliest memory of instant film?
I don’t know that I have an earliest memory that I can really remember. Polaroids and instant film were just always there. My parents had a Polaroid 600 camera and took tons of photos of me when I was younger. I grew up with it. It was never not a thing. I don’t remember the first time I watched an instant photo develop, but I remember that it was magical every time.
4) What is your favorite Impossible type film?
Hands down, the new Cool film. I’m seriously in love with everything about that film. My second favorite is the Black Frame PX 600 film. That is my favorite monochrome film produced by Impossible.
5) What are your favorite subjects to photograph?
Mostly, I just photograph life. I have a camera with me all the time. I photograph where I am, I go on photo walks and photograph what I find. I love photographing architecture, and old run down buildings, and empty prairies. I adore night photography and photographing the lights wherever I am. Now that I feel more in sync with my SX-70, I plan to experiment with more long exposures using it. Stay tuned!
6) Tell us about a project you are working on
Digital dreams of life is a series I have been working on for quite awhile now, and I don’t think I’m anywhere close to finishing yet. Using my film images, I layer them together in Photoshop and create different made-up worlds and stories. Recently, I have been using many more instant Impossible images in my compilations. I think a lot of this project comes from being a science fiction geek and being married to one. I imagine what a place might look like through augmented reality goggles, if you could see its history and future together, or what a place wants to be.
7) Who are your favorite photographers, instant or otherwise?
Look through the list of people I follow on Twitter. I follow so many amazing and inspiring photographers, and there are too many of them to list here! Laura Migliorino, Cate Vermeland, Gary Hallman and Bruce Charlsworth were all great influences to me during my college years, and still are. Cindy Sherman, Diane Arbus, Dorothea Lange, and so many more.
8) If you could take a photo of anyone or anything, what would it be?
I think my answer to this question could change daily! My short list today is: the set and cast of Doctor Who, Australia, London, Berlin, and outer space (thanks to Mars Curiosity).
About Jessica
I am a Minnesota girl. I have spent this part of my life living just outside of Minneapolis, creating art, taking photographs, and working at my parents’ restaurant in between.
To see more of Jessica’s work, please visit her Flickr photostream. You can also follow her on Twitter at @Moonsweetie.
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