I’ve been working on polaroid transfer techniques with my 125 Land Camera and expired peel-apart film. These are my first ‘roids of La Casa. I need to acquire new (to me) film!
(The transfer of the bees photo was not particularly visually interesting. Perhaps next time.)
But what is a polaroid transfer and how do you do it? I want to know more! ! !
oh and have you heard of the impossible project?
Polaroid transfers can be achieved in many ways!
I have been using peel-apart film, which is a specific kid of instant film. Unlike Polaroid 600 film (the kind we all think of when we think “Polaroid” — you take a picture and it comes shooting out of the front and develops in your hands in about 30s seconds), peel-apart film has a different typical proces:
1.) take picture
2.) pull photo out of camera
3.) wait while chemicals develop image
4.) peel apart positive and negative
5.) let the positive dry
The negative is not meant to be used as a photograph. When it is peeled away from the positive, it basically looks like a piece of plastic with jello and ink on it.
With peel-apart film, the most basic formula for a transfer is to peel apart the positive and negative, press the negative onto a surface like paper, apply some pressure, and carefully peel away.
It’s a delicate process that yields different results depending on a lot of things, like: amount of exposure of paper and chemicals, amount of time developed, temperature of environment, amount of pressure applied, steadiness of hand, type of surface used (some papers work better than others).
There are other way more complicated (and awesome) transfers to do, like emulsion lifts, layered images, collages…
It’s an interesting example of how applying constraints to a process makes for a lot of inventive and inspired creation.
awesome. have you ever tried soaking the paper before transferring the emulsion to it?
La Casa Grande Colectiva 
Leave a comment