ALISON GARNETT IS NO STRANGER TO POLAROIDS…in fact, I think she was using Polaroids long before they became the cult phenomenon they are today. Ali was actually one of the first people to introduce me to the world of photoblogging as she has had a small online empire for quite some time. Alison is a Pola Pro. If you want to look through an incredible body of Polaroid work, she’s your girl. Her Polaroids are so good that it may not actually make you feel too good about your own photography when you see them

Being a long time admirer, I hoped Alison would be willing to jump into to this little Pola fest, and she very kindly obliged, so here we go…

PC: Why Polaroid?

Alison: It’s both instant and nostalgic. Watching an image appear as the film is exposed to light, is equal to opening up a gift on Christmas morning.

PC: Which Polaroid cameras do you use? Do you prefer some over others?

Alison: I started my collection with the Polaroid SX70 and the Polaroid 680, but my all time favourite use of Polaroid is the Polaroid back on the view camera. It’s more time consuming than hand held Polaroids, involves more planning and patience, but the results are truly magical.

PC: Genie appears. Pola fun ensues?

Alison: That’s a difficult one to answer, since most of my photographs are not planned ahead of time. So I’d have to say that some late afternoon light, my five year old daughter and a Northern Ontario lake would make me happy. And a few extra film packs of Time Zero would make me even happier.

PC: Please share a couple of your favourite Polaroids and tell us the story behind them.

Alison: I started a series of images of my daughter several summers ago during our holiday time in northern Ontario. The images are incredibly sentimental to me and my hope is that she’ll continue to model for me every year. This image, titled “Blue” and featured in the latest issue of Light Leaks, was inspired by the blue deck. The colour of her clothing matched the weathered paint, so we collaborated on this one without any prior thought or planning. The teddy and the cereal box tattoos, make me smile.

Alison: I’m not sure why I selected this one, except that it’s a personal favourite, and proof as to why one should carry a camera everywhere. I was picking up my daughter from a play date, and spied this in the family’s back yard. The old fashioned clothes pegs match the nostalgic quality of Time Zero film, that we have come to adore. I started photographing diptychs and triptychs in 2004, and love working on arrangement of Polaroids as much as I enjoy taking the photographs.

PC: Can you tell us about some of your favourite Polaroiders?

Alison: Absolutely! Edward Fella comes to mind immediately. A graphic designer and educator, he combines both my love of polaroid and typography in his art. When I flip through the pages of his book “Letters on America”, I think, damn, I wish I’d come up with that idea myself.

PC: Thank you so much, Ali! We loved hearing your thoughts on a medium which you obviously love so much. You and Polaroid were made for each other.

Check out the empire:

Hello, File Magazine, Me Between You and the Flickrstream.