i have loved cameras since i was little and my dad would snap us with his kodak Instamatic. those freaky little blue bulbs going off, and simultaneously melting before our red, strobed-out eyes. i studied photography in high school, one that was lucky enough to have its own darkroom and my parents gave me my very first 35mm camera when i graduated. i love everything about photography, from the old school processing (i miss those fumes) to the new digital, instant-gratification age. old and new, photography is my biggest passion. here’s a look at some new gadgets, and some vintage gems.

marilyn and her nikon; the Instant Camera iPhone Decal from photojojo.

cmyk diana.

hilda grahnat.

patrick ng.

andy warhols big shots polaroid collection; and the new Polaroid 300 Instant Camera.

scrapper girl.

thinking about wearing long black gloves when i shoot, like shutterbug ms. monroe; and the new Lomo Lubitel 166.

my bella 44.

a bold camera display from shannnnnonlowe; and john kratz’s collection.

ah, the ever-prolific and talented 10 cent designer has done it again! this time, with a brilliant collage of her very favorite polaroids — over 150 of ‘em framed under glass. all the original polaroid images can be found here.

i love this, and it looks smashing in lori’s calgary kitchen, with its bright pops of color, and the way it seamlessly coordinates so well with the george nelson clock. what a great idea!

1. i just can’t say enough about this blah blah blah throw from donna wilson.  2. there’s just not one thing wrong about this gorgeous eames rocker!  3. and, i’d die to wrap myself up in donna wilson’s beautiful new tree cloud blanket this winter.

4. i love this rose floral pillow cover from ada & darcy.  5 & 6. i do believe i need both these ever so lovely polaroid prints from Israel-based photographer Ella K. Sverdlov.

7. i hear all you need is love, so these plates from lou rota at not on the high street seem like a good idea to have around.  8. two eames chairs is always better than just a lonely one, so i’ll take this hot pink eames eiffel chair from modernica, as well! 9. it’s almost 2011, so yep, we all need a new calendar and this one from cats let nothing darken their roar is so rad.

ahhh, san francisco’s chinatown never looked so perfect. remember to look for the beauty, and happy friday, everyone.

*beautiful polaroid via susannah [unravelling]. happy birthday, girl.

something that has been growing in me for while now, is a passion for portrait photography. for so long, my lens has been focused on the world around me, on capturing moments in time, places, light, lines and shapes. but these days, i find myself more drawn to the faces in the world around me, and capturing them is something I’d like to learn and practice so much more than i do now. there’s so much power in a good portrait.

and in the spirit of keeping polaroid film alive, here is a collection of polaroid portraits i’ve fallen in love with lately…and, animals totally count right?

jenifer altman

water&sleep

dom.odonnell

–erica

Leah | salome_st_john

dusdin condren

clumsy bird

Lou O’ Bedlam

[ thanks so much to guest blogger ash from one blue wren. to see more of her beautiful photos, visit her flickr stream, too! ]

one of the things i love most about the holidays is getting to bake and eat lots of delicious food with my family. i love how food can really bring people together. sitting down to enjoy a meal with loved ones is priceless. today i would like to share with you a few polaroid images that i think capture that warm happy feeling good food can give you.

wishing you all a happy new year!! oxox nicolle

frausieben

catherine buca

bird flew

peel apart

rico*oneday

snapawayyoungman

marika .

[ thanks to tuesday's regular guest blogger nicolle from sacred lotus. you can visit nicolle's shop here. ]

hello friends! it’s nicolle again from sacred lotus bringing you a glimpse into the wonderful world of polaroid photography. there are many reasons why i love polaroids and one of them is the fun artistic things you can do after the photo is taken with different types of film. today i’m going to share with you just one of the many techniques for transforming your images into little works of art.

the process is called image manipulation. to get started with this technique you will need a polaroid sx-70 or one-step camera, time zero or artistic tz film, and any object with a blunt tip. start off with taking a colorful photo, then right after it comes out of the camera start drawing on it with the blunt tip of a pen cap or a knitting needle (different objects give different effects) moving around the emulsion ink. the finished product leaves you with a polaroid that looks like a painting!

the amazing polaroids in this post are from flickr photographer silveroxide. heather has a wonderful collection of sx-70 manipulations. stop by her flickr stream to get inspired! see you back here next tuesday for more polaroid love!

[ thanks to tuesday's regular guest blogger nicolle from sacred lotus. you can visit nicolle's shop here. ]

konichiwa, it’s nicolle again from sacred lotus photography. are you ready to take a little vacation? i often dream about traveling and photographing beautiful exotic places, bringing with me suitcases full of cameras and film. today we will be traveling to the land of tea houses and temples. welcome to japan! let’s look at it through the viewfinder of one of my favorite cameras, a vintage polaroid sx-70.

the beautiful polaroid photos in this post were taken by photographer rob spicer while he was traveling around on holiday. each shot to me captures the essence of japan. it is such a mysterious magical place!

hello everyone, it’s nicolle here from sacred lotus photography. i am so excited to begin guest blogging ‘through the view finder with nicolle’ regularly each tuesday here on sfgirlbybay! thank you victoria for having me. today i will be sharing with you some beautiful inspiring images taken with a vintage polaroid pack film camera. pack film cameras have always fascinated me. when i was six i found an old broken automatic 100 in a black vinyl box at a neighbors garage sale. i bought it for .25 cents and took it all around the neighborhood pretending to take pictures. now at 27 years old i have a working automatic 450 that takes me back to my childhood while letting me create little pieces of art. i love peeling apart the film “sandwich” as i like to call it to see what comes out. it’s magic really, polaroid magic!

the shots above and below are from flickr photographer rhiannon adam. her work has a dreamy vintage feel that i just adore and the look you can only get with polaroid id-uv film.

[ thanks again to guest blogger nicolle from sacred lotus. ]