She finds “excitement in the mundane” and is “having a torrid affair” with her Polaroid camera. Jen Gotch is one of a kind when it comes to her vision and execution of photography.

In today’s day and age, Jen still believes that prints are essential to get the true feel of photography. She is also perhaps one of the last remaining photographers who hasn’t switched completely to digital. Her preferred format is Polaroids! Meet the very unique and interesting Polaroid photographer!

How did you get started with photography?
As with many things I do, I can’t remember how I got started. I just remember doing it. I’ve always liked taking pictures, but it’s really been about the last 5 or 6 years that it has become such a big part of my life, and the Polaroids… well they are just an obsession. An absolute obsession!

You have a very unique style of photography... how would you describe it?
I may be a bit too modest to try and describe my own style. I just kind of shoot it as I see it. I think I look at the world as a series of little pictures. I’m always pointing them out to my friends and family and I’m quite sure that it drives them all crazy.

What is the one thing about photography that keeps you going?
It’s not one thing, it’s everything. It’s the surprises you get, it’s the preservation of a moment, it’s a constantly evolving process. It’s creativity, self expression.

Your 'Inspiration Board' on the site is an interesting area... what is it all about?
I am so inspired by images. Some people are inspired by music or paintings, but for me it is and always has been photography. I just wanted a place to share that with people. I’m sure I will change it from time to time, as what inspires me seems to change almost daily.

Who are the photographers you admire most?
That is a tough one. I admire so many photographers for so many reasons. I will say that the first photographer that really inspired me was Uta Barth. Her work just really crawled into my consciousness and has never left, oh and Laura Letinsky as well. They’re both up there all the time.

You shoot a lot of film, but do you also work digitally?
I shoot mostly Polaroid, but when I’m not shooting Polaroid, I prefer medium format film. As far as digital goes, I just recently purchased a Digital SLR, but I am still trying to fall in love with it. It is a fantastic camera, but I’m just trying to bridge the gap that is there between film and digital… I’ll get there.

How important are prints for you? Does a print define 'photograph' for you?
It’s kind of a different story for me, because the majority of the time my negative and my print are the same thing (the Polaroid). Otherwise prints are very important. What is a photograph without a print? I need something tangible. I’m not really interested in altering the image for printing, I like to see it as it was shot, but it is fun to play around with sizes. Some images just want to be big, really, really, big.

Have you seen any Indian photographers' work? Your thoughts...
I have. I saw some great work, though I will say, I don’t think of photographers as Indian or American or French; I just think of us all as photographers and artists. We’re kind of from our own little world, wouldn’t you say?

Could you elaborate on the website design you have? It's very unique...
I kind of did it on a whim. I had been looking on a number of different sites and I think little pieces of them just sunk into my subconscious, and then one day I said, “Let’s redo the site.” I came up with handwritten splashpage at breakfast and by dinner the site was almost complete. I just wanted something really personal to show both my commercial and fine art work as well as give visitors a good sense of who I am.

Photos by Jen Gotch | Fotosocial