Salt & Sky

By Amy van Veen

Instant photography is and will always remain  a special kind of medium for me when it comes to self-reflection in photography. No other specific form of photography, neither digital nor other films, are more similar to the memories I create and save forever in my own mind, just for me. No postproduction is manipulating the incident; the picture I see is an exact likeness of the reality that existed in the moment I made the picture. A Polaroid picture is slightly unsharp. As time passes, the colours fade away so that you have to look closely to recognise all the details of the photo, just like the memories in your mind fade. I like to use my Polaroid cameras in silent moments, focusing on myself and being on my own. I have never been a fast photographer. I like to listen to myself: sitting down, breathing in, and having a close look at everything that is around me. I’m studying the scenario and taking my time until the picture finds me.

The series „salt and sky“ was taken at the Beach of Ahrenshoop with an SX70 Sonar on Polaroid Original film on an unusually cold day in August, 2018.  It was a perfect day for being alone with the love of my life, the ocean. I was born and raised at the shore in the east of Germany, close to the Baltic Sea. So, I need to feel the wind blowing through my hair and taste the salty air on my tongue.  I had perfect conditions on that one day. Just me, a strong breeze, a moody sea, and doves crying.  

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