Leica introduced the Sofort 2 in 2023, a compact hybrid instant film camera that brings together digital photography and analog instant film transfer printing.
In celebration of the PolaCon Bay Area 2026, we invited the local artist J. Marie Valdivia to try the Leica Sofort 2 to explore more with her current project Mini Musings and more! San Francisco–based artist J. Marie Valdivia explores human connection through photography, mixed media, and education. J.’s work brings together portraiture, mental health advocacy, and community storytelling. Drawing from a background in the arts and social-emotional learning, she creates analog images that hold space for vulnerability, resilience, and connection—often pairing portraits with text and mixed media.
J. Marie’s Projects
For this project, I focused on both exploring the camera and deepening themes already present in my work. I turned the lens toward community storytelling—capturing moments at the intersection of art, learning, and connection. Photography has always been a way for me to slow down and engage more intentionally, whether with people, my environment, or teaching.
The Sofort 2 introduced a sense of ease that encouraged play. That became the directive: experiment, stay open, and focus on the experience of making rather than the technical.
There’s a distinct satisfaction in watching an image come to life. Instant film—Instax or Polaroid—has always offered that immediacy. I began by learning the camera through use, exploring multiple exposures and working through filters like sepia, monochrome, and color to understand its range.
I’m often drawn to chiaroscuro in my analog work, and the Sofort’s ability to render both full color and deep shadows stood out immediately.
Once I established a sense of the camera’s range, I shifted into something more familiar: still life. I’ve always been drawn to photographing flowers. They are living subjects—active yet quiet, vibrant yet still. They invite a slower pace while challenging me to engage with light, composition, and contrast.
Flowers are intentionally fleeting. They ask to be witnessed in their exact moment in time—symbols of both presence and impermanence.
As an educator, I’m always thinking about how to fully utilize materials—minimizing waste while pushing creative boundaries. This led me to a mixed media series centered on flower pressing. I wanted to hold onto the idea that while flowers are temporary, their transformation carries its own quiet beauty.
I photographed each flower in its living state, then pressed and preserved it. The process evokes both nostalgia and continuity—pairing the vintage act of pressing flowers with the immediacy of instant film.
After a few pieces, I found myself returning to self-portraiture. Playing with black-and-white and sepia filters felt instinctive—these are spaces I naturally gravitate toward as an analog photographer. I’m drawn to the way film holds light.
After a few pieces, I returned to self-portraiture. Black-and-white and sepia remain instinctive choices for me—I’m drawn to how film holds light. At the same time, I was reminded that I find more energy behind the camera. The flexibility of the instant format allowed me to shift, integrating self-portraiture with both fresh and preserved flowers to explore presence and transition.
Unsure of the next step, I returned to a familiar exercise: drawing. I began creating single-line contour portraits until I found forms that felt resolved. There’s something compelling about capturing a person through line alone—distilling presence into something minimal yet expressive. It felt natural to pair those drawings with photographic documentation, creating a record of both interpretation and subject.
From there, I moved into mixed media—introducing acrylics and watercolor to create more abstract portraits. I began working through ideas around perception: how color can emerge from something seemingly colorless, and how that parallels the things we feel but don’t always say.
I’ve always been drawn to Polaroid transfers. With Instax, which functions more as a transparency than a full emulsion lift, you’re left with something closer to a trace—a memory of an image. I leaned into that quality, using the transparencies alongside watercolor and acrylic to extend the idea of a life remembered and reinterpreted.
As someone who navigates mental health challenges, I often return to thoughts of absence—of people, moments, and versions of ourselves that shift or disappear. KEXP radio host John Richards often says, “you are not alone.” It’s a simple phrase, but not always an easy one to hold onto.
Building on earlier experiments, I used transparencies with sumi ink to create work that feels both haunting and hopeful—a visual reminder of something many people need to hear.
One unexpected moment came while I was photographing in a bathroom space. The stall door was covered in handwritten messages—strangers speaking to strangers. I captured three that stayed with me:
- “Looking for a sign to stay? Please do.”
- “Who cares what anyone thinks? This is your life—do something with it.”
- “You got this. I love you.”
There’s something powerful about that kind of anonymous care.
Strangers helping strangers. I’m drawn to how the Sofort 2 bridges digital and analog. It allows for both immediacy and intention—encouraging presence in the act of making rather than perfection in the result. The prints feel less like final products and more like artifacts of exchange.
I was able to capture these moments, hold them, and then revisit them later—transforming them into something more layered through process.
This body of work reflects my ongoing exploration of community, play, and collective creativity. Each image feels both spontaneous and considered, holding the quiet intimacy that continues to shape my visual language.
With the Leica Sofort, I’m continuing to build a practice that exists between education and fine art—where photography becomes not just a way of seeing, but a way of sharing.
With that in mind, I created Mini Musings, available at jmarievaldivia.com. This series pairs Instax mini portraits with recorded audio messages—words people have heard or shared that helped them keep going. Together, they create intimate echoes of resilience through both image and voice.
No one is ever 100% all the time. This work is an invitation—to listen, to reflect, and to pass something forward.
When I took the same image using the Sofort 2, I was curious if I would have the “sunburn” effect…It turns out the Sofort 2 image does not “sunburn”!
About J. Marie Valdivia
J. Marie Valdivia @jmarievaldivia is a San Francisco-based photographer, educator, and curator known for her analog camerawork and plastic camera techniques. She captures fleeting moments of identity, mental health, and emotion using low-fidelity optics, expired films, and handmade mixed-media processes to produce dreamy, textured images that evoke nostalgia and introspection.
J. is currently curating two community exhibitions. Please make sure to check out @seestrasessions for more information.
Discover the new Leica SOFORT 2 in 3 stylish colors. With dual shutter releases for selfies, landscapes, and portraits, 10 lens effects, 10 film styles, and macro mode, unleash your creativity. The Leica UX menu design features a familiar button layout, while Leica FOTOS integration allows you to save Sofort images to the app and print from the FOTOS gallery. Plus, a manual print lever lets you choose only your top images.
