© Jen Altman 2010The dreamy vintage quality of a Polaroid is precisely why Instagram won my heart in 2012. Jen Altman won me over two years earlier with her photographic work using an original Polaroid Land Camera. In an interview, Jen once said that if she had not pursued photography, she would have become an historian. I purchased this 8" x 8" archival print from a project that married both her passions. The body of work, Feather & Bone, was a compilation of Polaroid images captured at the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History. Jen wrote at the time, "I spent two magical afternoons hand selecting specimens for this project - there was something spiritual about being in the presence of such carefully cultivated history. Opening the drawers of the specimen cabinets to reveal what hidden treasures - in form of feather & bone lay within - inspired awe." I feel precisely that same awe when I discover a bird's nest or a molted snake skin on the trail.