Photographer's Favourite

Photographer’s Favourite features two specially selected images from a Photographers of Etsy team member, and their personal thoughts about them. The first photo is from their own collection, and the other is from a fellow teammate.

After compiling favourites selected by other photographers for the last few weeks, this week I'm going to give a personal choice.

Starrybluesky is the Etsy shop name used by myself, Rhiannon Connelly, a professional photographer based in Scotland. Over the last few years I have worked extensively with Polaroid film using SX70/Time Zero film. I have a limited amount of film still available, of which quite a lot is expired and so rather unpredictable in terms of results. As I shoot the remaining film I am choosing my locations very specifically and my use of the film has moved from being very carefree to much more deliberate.

Rome in the Rain

The picture I've chosen is one of my current favourites. As with any image, part of the appeal is the emotional connection - a reminder of a rainy but wonderful day on my first visit to Rome. The other attraction for me is that the subject matter is unusual for my Polaroid work. I rarely feature figures and usually shoot much closer to my subject. It was raining heavily but I didn't let that deter me. As I waited until the people with the bright umbrellas were standing in the right place for my composition, I remembered a talk I attended by the Magnum photographer Martin Parr. His advice was to go out and shoot whenever it is rainy as everyone else will be shooting in sunshine. ( It must be said that this is not difficult to do in Scotland ! )

My favourite from another member of Photographers of Etsy is by Elle Moss from Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Have a cuppa tea...

This image appeals to me because it has a quirky quality, reminiscent of a still from a film such as Amelie. There is clearly a story playing out here - but we are able to put our own interpretation on it. I am increasingly drawn to photographs that are in some way beyond a "straight" photograph whether using textures or montage, for example. "Have a cuppa tea" is a good example of the use of these collage/montage techniques.

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Photographer's Favourite is compiled by Rhiannon Connelly. She’s a professional portrait and fine art photographer based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Most of the photographs she currently shows on Etsy are what she calls “Polaroid Paintings” – using the nearly extinct SX70 Polaroid film to create dreamy images halfway between photograph and painting. One of the best things about this technique is that after taking the photograph most of the work is done in a cafe! See more in her Etsy shop , her website and her blog.

Please contact Rhiannon if you would like to participate in a future Photographer's Favourite.