~ The Year of the Polaroids ~

01 It has been, without a shadow of a doubt, the year of the Polaroids for me. You didn't see THAT one coming, eh? I know I kept it pretty quiet. I bought my first Polaroid camera in April 2008 and from there the obsession has grown parallel to the increasing scarcity of film – just my luck. Nevertheless, my DSLR sat dejected in its bag for the whole 2009; even my Hasselblad is starting to gather dust, as I expose square after square of Polaroid magic. Yet despite this fetishistic love I have for the cameras, they're simply my medium of choice for recording the things I see. I don't want to take thousands of digital shots – i want to bring home a pocket full of Polaroids instead. They feel more precious to me, and once i've scanned them and corrected the colour, they take on a life of their own. This year I also ventured into Polaroid portraiture, which has encouraged me to start approaching strangers too. With any luck the Impossible Project will make good on its promise and give us new instant film in 2010, because this is one love affair that isn't going to end.

It wasn't easy choosing my favourite Polaroids from this year – there have been so many – but I feel these 14 shots illustrate how my style has developed over the last 12 months… Viva la Polaroid!

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~ New traditions ~

Baubles Sitting on the sofa in my sister's house, watching her wrap presents in the kitchen and promising not to look when she wraps certain ones. A rerun of The Office is playing in the background as i type; Steve sips from a can of Guinness and i'm considering cracking open the fancy bottle of Trinidadian rum i bought for tomorrow. Earlier Abby was sitting beside me and I rested my hand on her tummy, waiting for my nephew's little kicks hello; we are all very aware that this time next year there will be a nine-month-old little monkey shuffling around on the floor. This is the first time in all our life that Abby & I have not spent Christmas Day at our mother's house, the house we grew up in. We were all gung-ho for something new this year, a change around in preparation for all the changes 2010 will bring to our family. Mum and her partner will arrive on Boxing Day, so for now we are cosy in my sister's home, with full stomachs and rosy cheeks, the cats padding around with their muddy paws, the Christmas tree lights twinkling, the bottle of rum calling. New traditions being made…

~ Polaroid ninja ~

Dragonwall1 Sometimes I would stand in the middle of the road to get a picture, looking both ways before making my move, focussing as quick as I could before pressing the shutter and rushing back to the kerb. Some of these photos would come out perfectly; others were underexposed, or crooked; some came out completely blank, but even those i remember – i remember what they could have been. I don't like to look like a tourist. I keep my camera in my bag when I'm not using it and try to blend in with the crowd, not always easy when you're brandishing a vintage Polaroid.

~ Awesome hot cakes ~

Awesome_cakesYou know what i need right now? Some awesome hot cakes. Can you imagine how awesome they must be, to actually be labelled ‘awesome’? I’m thinking they must be the sweetest, most delicious, memory-making plumpcious awesomest cakes in the history of cake making – THAT’s how awesome they are.