Hello Friends!  Two exciting things to share this week - we had so much fun in Marrakech, we are going back! Amanda and I will be leading two back to back Instant Love retreats at the beautiful Peacock Pavilions next February and we'd love you to join us. There will be five Polaroid workshops where we will work as a group and one on one with participants to get the best out of your Polaroid cameras and even more out of the wonderful Impossible Project film we will be shooting with (like the beauty above and the shot in the post below) But we'll also be finding some time for a henna party and cocktails, shopping in the souks and an evening at a bonfire lit outdoor cinema under the Moroccan stars - and so much more! You can find more details here. We hope you join us!

Also! I'm giving away an advanced copy of our book Instant Love: How To Make Magic and Memories With Polaroids - it will be available everywhere in May - but I thought one lucky reader might want to get their hands on it early. We've called it "our book of secrets" and I'm excited for you to find out why! Just leave a comment telling me what you love about your old Polaroid camera - or why you want to try shooting instant film and I will randomly choose a winner on 26 March.

Good luck!

Comments

[Meghan @ Life Refocused]

I love shooting my Polaroid cameras but am looking to get better and improve my instant photography. Would super love an early copy of your beautiful book!

[Kristen]

I love my Polaroid. I just love how it makes everything look a little more soft, romantic and beautiful. An element of mystery and magic in every picture.

[Cat Athena Louise]

I'm loving the retro-tastic, vintage vibes the photos have, instantly harking back to an era of bohemian creativity and possibility. A book like this could start a huge revival!

[Mary Catherine]

I had Polaroids in the past and their breaking coincided with my submitting to digital...I'd love to get back into instant photography & of course would love to learn from y'all. :)

[cindy]

i love instant because it's fun to see the film develop right before your eyes. i would totally love to win a copy of your wonderful book! thank you!

[Roxanne]

I love the "moment in time" quality of Polaroids and cannot wait to read your book!

[Lauren]

If magic exists, it is right there in a Polaroid camera. Can't wait for this book!

[christine]

I adore polaroids.....really wish I could learn more about them and this book would be a fantastic step to getting there.

[julie]

The fact that you can´t just delete it and only have that one moment, that one go at it, makes the moment and the result that develops right in front of your own eyes so special. I am so excited and looking forward to all the instant love secrets you have to tell.

[ACG]

I love the mystery of the Polaroid. My husband's birthday is March 22, this would be the ideal gift for him (and selfishly for me as well)!

[Nelson]

For me a big part of the joy I get in shooting instant is the sound of the mechanics. The click and whir of the motor as the film is ejected from my SX-70.

There's nothing quite like it.

[Nicola]

After discovering this blog and that of Susannah Conway I became intrigued by polaroid photography. I am amazed by the beautiful almost otherworldly photos that you can create and having that picture in your hand straight away is so exciting. I am shopping for an SX-70 and would love a copy of your book. xxx

[Linda]

Polaroids and instant cameras make me think of my childhood. And I just can't get over the magic of watching the image slowly appear in front of me.

[Hellogabyj]

There are far too many reasons why I love my sx-70. To name a few, the way it captures beauty in a single frame, the light leaks or scratches give the photo character, the moment of waiting in anticipation for your film to develop, that nostalgic feeling. ♥

[Kallie B]

I love the comforting sound of hearing my Polaroid click and push out an image, and the anticipation in waiting for the memory to emerge.

[gorgeoux]

What I love about my Polaroid camera is that it came to me by chance. I found it in a tiny storage area 3m up the wall in my former rental flat, inside a Prada shoe box, next to an 80s mixtape on an actual cassette tape, and other time capsule goodies like French wine tumblers, Michaud cutlery and a posh English china tea plate with delicate pastel arabesques. I'm not at all surprised that any photo so far has instantly turned sepia regardless of film used...

[Cassie]

I don't have a Polaroid camera, but I would love to start using one. There is something so enrapturing about having just a moment to capture the shot and then hoping you got it as the film develops before your very eyes. I also like the scratched, somewhat textured look that Polaroids get as they age. It feels very nostalgic to use a Polaroid.

[Ramona]

I am struggling with my poloroid and impossible film. I love what you produce and look forward to reading more about shooting with this camera and impossible film

[Valerie Brown]

The tangible process of shooting polaroids offers me the same feeling of right before I laugh happiness. The developing of film was something my Dad & I did together, I want to in all of my pictures find myself somewhere in it reaching for places and people I need, desire and miss.. I don't a single person hanging up in my home they would haunt me.. But having my Dad's camera and opening a drawer to find a polaroid of my Mom laying on the floor from her last visit here.. It does this real thing to me... reminds me who I am. I would enjoy your book I want to do more impossible things.

[Megan Warren]

I was given my first camera - a polaroid - for my 10th birthday, so many memories. Polaroids give you instant gratification!

[Kimi]

The tangible print...to hold in your hands.

[silk]

Thanks for having this giveaway! :)
I love that magic moment when the image starts to appear... Also, shooting with a polaroid feels like you only have one shot at it, unless digital photography. You tend to concentrate more, because you don't want to spoil the film.

[Courtney]

oh! i would love to attend one of the workshops in marrakech next february! i might just start saving now. :) i love my polaroid (680 slr) for many reasons, but the main one being that it sort of transports me back to my days in the darkroom. i love the anticipation of watching it slowly begin to develop and the slight smell of chemicals. it's still a little magical, don't you think? can't wait to see your book!!

[jen]

I would love a copy to help me with my recently purchased polaroid camera!

[Andrea ADC]

I love Polaroids because it's so magical and because of the instant gratification factor. :) You get to hold a memory in your hand!