The world’s first annual three-day instant film photography convention, PolaCon Bay Area @instantfilmsociety , returned to the Bay Area on March 15-17, 2024. This time back bigger and better than ever including the first ever PolaCon Bay Area Street Fair, Zines & Things Swap Meet, Instant Photography Demos, Workshops, Artist Talks, PolaWalks & more surprises.
Leica Store San Francisco alongside other Bay Area establishments co-sponsored PolaCon Bay Area 2024 where we hosted a Welcome Party and Chinatown Photowalk for Day 1, and a Leica Sofort 2 Demo during the PolaCon Bay Area Street Fair at Thee Parkside for Day 2!
Day 1 – Welcome Party & Chinatown Photowalk
Many instant film photographers gathered at Leica Store San Francisco to kick off the Welcome Party and Chinatown Photowalk. Many conversations about cameras, film, and photography filled the room as we prepared to embark into chinatown. Drinks were provided by Laughing Monk Brewery. We made our way into chinatown and worked our way through the alleys to our end point at Mr. Bings.
Day 2 – PolaCon Bay Area Street Fair
For day 2, we all gathered for the PolaCon Bay Area Street Fair at Thee Parkside just at the bottom of Potrero Hill. The day was filled with zine, camera, and film vendors as well as demos on Tintype portraits, Flash and Shutter Drag on Film, 8×10 Portraits, The Leica Sofort 2, Instant Slide Film, and even 3D printing for photography!
Leica Sofort 2 Demo
Throughout the day, my colleague Lucien and I demo’d the Leica Sofort 2 for everyone that stopped by our table. We wanted to share how fun and easy it is to use the camera. We handed the camera to as many people as we could and encouraged them to make photographs and print their photos!
Congrats to the Winner of our Leica Sofort 2 Raffle! – Daniel Garcia @thecultivator
Thank you again to Instant Film Society and PolaCon Bay Area for including us in this amazing event! We would also like to extend thanks to the instant film community and all the sponsors for this event for welcoming us into the exciting world of instant film photography!
