Seasons, Intuition, and Instant Polaroids

Photography By Camille Guerin

Polaroid photographer Camille Guerin opens up about leaning into what you like, trusting your judgment, and immortalizing the peak of beauty.

Los Angeles, USA

How did you begin your journey as a photographer?

I was about 19 living with my parents. My mom has always put a strong emphasis on her family photos and that if the house burned down, we should try and save them. This inspired me to start taking photos initially. I figured starting with polaroids would be an easy and natural way to have photos around. This was a big turning point for me.

As a young girl, I had taken up an interest in hair and makeup. And although this is art, I saw it as more of a routine and something that I ought to do not necessarily as a means of expressing myself. I had felt like a critic without any real merit and suffered with a lot of imposter syndrome around why I was so particular about the way things looked. The day my camera arrived, a beautiful friend who is very dear to my heart came over and I was instantly more satisfied with the photos I took of Audrey than photos I had gotten back from photographers that had taken my photo. I knew that they would only get better with time and decided to keep practicing.

What have you learned along the way?

I guess the most dramatic thing I've learned is to lean into what I like. I know it may sound obvious but it can be difficult as a young artist to trust your taste and judgement but at the end of the day that is what makes your work distinct to you. When I look back on my photos as a body of work that is the most noticeable difference to me. The photos I reflect on the most are usually the photos I took instinctively, not necessarily something that was planned out.

A lot of your work is focused on portraits taken through an instant camera. Why did you choose this medium of photography? How do polaroids allow you to express yourself?

The decision to commit to polaroid was very easy for me. When Audrey came over that day she brought over her instax wide so I shot that along side my polaroid and it was an obvious preference for me. I did experiment with 35 and 120 for awhile and it was fun and good for my growth. When I first started shooting I would take everything on an Olympus mju and then when something was REALLY good I would take it on my polaroid also. There was a time also where I would keep the mju on me for fun personal stuff and then just take the polaroid to shoot.

There were a couple basic reasons why I decided to commit to polaroid at this point in my photo journey. They were how I fell in love with photography. They always looked the most special and I can hold them. Nobody was really taking them seriously; nobody in Phoenix, Arizona at least. I would think about other photographers and if they were an instinctual photographer they were shooting 35 and if they were a studio photographer they were shooting 120. That was it. I saw a lane that had far less traffic and I figured I might as well take it as serious as I can and learn as much as possible.

Portraits are kind of my “personal mission” and what I’m trying to do is to capture someones essence and beauty in their normal movements and being physically captured in a photo. I have this same thought with flowers. To me, photography is all about knowing when someone or something is at a beauty peak and immortalizing that specific moment. I want to remember people/things at their best and photographing it helps not only me but them. I’ve always considered myself an intuitive person and that also plays a special role with the polaroids, I think. The film, the camera, and my gut have this interesting way of framing the flaws that I just love. I guess me expressing myself is showing you what I notice/appreciate the beauty of.

What makes your perspective different than other polaroid photographers?

Well, I think every photographers perspective is different. Everybody sees beauty differently. So I guess what I think makes my work interesting is the life I live. My mother is very into gardening, cooking, and homemaking. My father is very into cars, motorcycles, and metal. I like to photograph these types of things because it reminds me of them and my childhood. I think the duality adds interest and range. I am very grateful to live a life filled with such beauty and grace so I try to document it as best I can. If my photos are a snapshot memory of my life I just hope that my photos can do it a bit of justice.

How is your photoshoot process like? How do you go about choosing locations, models, etc.

I am the most unserious photographer ever. Sometimes if the model is nervous I tell them that but it’s true. Location is usually an afterthought if I’m being honest. Although it is nice to have a beautiful specifically picked location I don’t think it’s necessary to get beautiful and memorable photos. I don’t know, I think it all just goes back to seeing the beauty in everything. I am from Phoenix living in LA now and the climate is so different and beautiful. Don’t get me wrong, I do totally love both, but that being said I feel like I can go anywhere and I’m at a beautiful interesting location.

I don’t generally like to work with a big team; usually it’s just me and the model. Sometimes there will be an MUA but only if the model really wants one. I usually tell the model that I just want them to wear something timeless and look the way they imagine when they think of themselves. My general style feels a lot more documentarian vs like creative directing. I want to document the model as themselves so they can remember it forever, not model a shirt. We basically just hangout and talk and occasionally I’ll tell them to like turn their head a little bit or something.

I try to keep my camera on me so if I notice something I’ll take a photo of it. It’s spring right now so I’ve been taking a ton of florals. Sometimes models are people that book me, sometimes they’re trades, sometimes they’re through an agency; I’m pretty down for whatever. I think it’s important to have photos of you that you feel like represent you as a person.

Tell the story behind one of your images.

Most of these images don’t really have a grand story.

Harley engine photo I took on a walk around my neighborhood. Harley stuff always reminds me of my dad so I will usually snap a pic to send to him.

Sculpted teeth I took at my friends gallery.

Next portrait is a friend of a friend and I was about to give him a haircut so this is the before pic.

Next are some photos I took at Hollywood forever cemetery. Being there kinda freaked me out and I think I started taking photos to calm myself.

Next is a car in my dad’s yard.

Next these are from my most recent shoot, we did a little tattoo trade.

Next up are these gorgeous strawberries from the farmers market.

Next some gorgeous spring blooms; I pulled over to take these.

Next is a chandelier from one of the units at my apartment.

Finally, this is a photo of a piece I seen at lama on my birthday last year.

Analog forever named you as one of the top 20 instant photographers you need to know in 2024. How did this make you feel?

It’s so crazy because the photos have become so much bigger than just being for me. I think a lot of the feeling I have about it also comes from polaroid being a global brand. Its impact all over the world is so special and I am honored to be apart of a community that spans so far.

I also felt very validated in my decision to pursue instant which is nice because I wasn’t always the polaroid princess; this took a lot of time and experimentation.

If there is one person in the world you want to work with and why?

Baby photos are obviously the most important photos. I think it would be most fulfilling for me to take photos of babies. My favorite photos are the ones that look like love so I don’t really have any sort of like, dream person I would like to shoot; it’s more the more love/beauty is in the photo the more valuable it is to me. So I don’t really have like a person I’m dying to photograph specifically. I think in terms of working with on creative projects, I would love to do something with Maripol. She is truly the polaroid queen and I’d love to do a gallery showing with her or maybe have her help and input on a zine or book.

What are your current inspirations? How are you applying these inspirations to your polaroids?

Movies - I didn’t go to art school, so sometimes I like to focus on things and learn something about art from them. I almost think about it like art homework. I figure even if I don’t love the movie, I’m going to learn something about lighting, color, framing, or human behavior and all of those things will make me a better photographer. Another big thing is how movies capture peoples essence. It all is really helpful.

Color seasons - This has changed the ways I see everything.

Essentially all seasons have corresponding colors that live there and show up in nature. By learning about color seasons, I am more able to incorporate these colors when I’m taking peoples photos. An easy way to start to understand this is thinking about contrast levels, taking into consideration the person’s natural contrast levels and incorporating that into your lighting/setting. Surrounding people in their color season does some major lifting in capturing peoples essence also. Having people come in items they feel most comfortable in are generally going to be their best colors anyway.

Tattoos - My parents have a lot of tattoos and as a kid I spent a lot of time flipping around books in tattoo shops. I’ve been doing a ton of tattoo trades and it’s a win win for me because I love photographing people who are heavily tattooed and I love to get tattoos. It’s super full circle for me and feels important to document the tattoo community.

Food - Food is seriously so important to me and I often think about how what we eat becomes apart of us physically. I see something similar happen with photos but it’s a change of self perception. The way that someone sees themselves can really change and develop through portraits. I would one day like to have food be more apart of my work but photographing food as been a little difficult for me, right now I’m focusing on produce.

If you could tell 10 year old Camille anything, what would you say?

Camille, please take more value on your education. I know that it’s tempting to go to work ASAP and make your own money but you are in this short special time of your life so please take advantage of your intellect and apply yourself in school. A better education will help you for the rest of your life. You are a visual leaner. Keep that in mind when you’re trying to remember things.

Don’t be so hard on yourself. You are literally just a kid! It doesn’t really matter what ever happens to you because you are smart and you have a positive outlook on life and hardships. You will always learn, not only from your mistakes but from others and this will help you understand the flow of energy and how everything that comes up must come down. Everything is constantly evolving at it’s own pace and this isn’t your problem to solve. Life is going to happen and you have to let it.

You won’t have to live your entire life in Phoenix, Arizona. People will eventually notice you because of your creative abilities. You will one day have a much better relationship with food. One day, you will feel at home all by yourself with your cat. As long as you pay attention, work hard, and stay true to your values, you can and will do anything you want. So be yourself! Focus on what you’re truly interested in but also focus on things that you know will make you a better person too.

What’s next for you?

Really I’m just planning on keeping up what I’ve been doing.

At the end of the day I’m just trying to refine my craft and the things I do consistently. At this stage of my life I feel what’s best for me is a focus on a plan and routine. Planning, practicing, and refining is all I’m up to these days.