Welcome to another Paper Cameras interview with a fabulous Polaroid photographer.

This week we spoke to the fabulous Steph Parke about her love of Polaroid and photography.

Steph is a woman after my own heart as she owns 31, yes 31, cameras. Her photography speaks volumes about her outdoorsy life and she has had many exhibits in her home town of Utah. Steph is also the supervising editor for the very popular Light Leaks magazine, a definite read for any low fi camera loving photographer.

PC: What is your favourite thing about photography? What made you decide to have photography in your life?

Steph: I am a very sentimental person and little moments mean everything to me, and photography helps me remember it all.  My grandpa loved photography too and I think the thing that got me hooked was when my grandma gave me his old Fujica AZ-1 SLR almost nine years ago.  It was the camera he used to take a picture of me on my first day of Kindergarten.  I was wearing pink overalls, two long, blonde pigtails, and a huge smile.

PC: When you shoot, what are your thoughts? What are you thinking while you are making the decisions you are?

Steph: Make it count!  I don’t like to burn through film like it’s going out of style.  I try to make every frame count.  When I go out on adventures with other photographers, they’re always amazed at how little I shoot.  I’ll shoot one roll of 120 to their four, one Polaroid to their five, etc.  I slow way down and size up every situation (composition) before I actually shoot it.  It probably drives people nuts.

PC: You are kidnapped by pirates but they are kind pirates who tell you that you can bring one camera to document your abduction. Which one do you grab?

Steph: I assume we’d be going to a tropical island, and Polaroid renders greens so beautifully, so I’d have to say my Polaroid SLR 680.  I’m imagining an island with dense jungle cover and day-long soft, dappled light.

PC: Which one?

Dresses/skirts or pants: Always pants, preferably jeans.

Cupcakes or muffins:  I love a good cupcake, but I’d have to say muffins because they remind me of lazy Sunday mornings in our pajamas and homemade muffins out on the deck.

Shopping or hiking: Ooh, this is a tough one.  I love hiking but have a mean lazy streak.  I’m not crazy about shopping but I’ve recently fallen for World Market and could walk through there daily, picking up new things for my kitchen.  Maybe a morning hike and a trip to World Market?

Edward Cullen or Mr Darcy: I have no idea who Edward Cullen is and just had to Google him (Editor’s note: This is something to be proud of Steph lol), and sadly, I’ve never read (or watched) Pride and Prejudice.  I know, I know.  A girl with a degree in English should have read the classics.  I skipped most of the classics and shy away from books on bestseller lists.  I just like Edward Abbey.  Does that count?

PC: Why Polaroid?

Steph: I’ve answered this question a lot lately.  Polaroid is, quite simply, magic.  I can’t shoot a piece of Polaroid film without smiling.  The noise the camera makes when it ejects the film makes me smile, and it turns heads.  On my first outing with my SLR 680, I was at Delicate Arch in Arches National Park one early morning in March.  A beautiful red rock bowl surrounds the arch and it was still and quiet.  I made a Polaroid of the arch and the noise echoed around the bowl and everyone looked, and most smiled.  I couldn’t help but feel giddy.  That’s why I use Polaroid.

PC: Thanks for doing the Paper Cameras interview, Steph! It is great having you here.

You can see Steph’s work on her website, blog and flickrstream.

Don’t forget to check out Light Leaks! The current feature is on Childhood and includes an interview with one of Paper Cameras’ favourite people, Alison Garnett.

She also has prints for sale in her etsy store.