Question about Polaroid Stuff

[sillyphaunt]

I've seen a few of the Polaroid manipulation things, and I love them.. I found this site, and was thinking of trying it

http://www.alternativephotography.com/process_imagetransfers.html

However, it didnt say if that has to be done in a darkroom or not.. I dont THINK it does, but I may be wrong. Does that setup cost a lot? I have a polaroid camera (older one).

Also, I wondered about how they did this effect?

http://www.alternativephotography.com/gall_polaroidsx-70.html

Thanks very much

 

[oriecat]

That gallery is full of manipulated shots. There is a film called Time-Zero that you can manipulate the surface and make it appear paintinglike. Terri and Hobbes are pretty good at it, if you search this forum for manipulations you should find some. I tried it, and I just couldn't do it.

What kind of polaroid do you have? You would need one that used pack film, that's where you tear it apart, and not when it just spits the pic out. I am sure Terri will be along to explain this all much better.

 

[terri]

Here I am....Hobbes needs to weigh in, too.

Sillyphaunt, the Polaroid site is a great place to view these images and get the gist of the technique(s), but I actually don't agree with their recommendations on SX-70 manipuation. It might work for some people, it just doesn't work for me.

You don't need a darkroom. Your main goal is how to produce the Polaroid prints for whatever technique you want to try. So study up on your Polaroid cameras. At the Polaroid site, there is a helpful page about what type films go in which Polaroid cameras. You might want to check that out.


For the SX-70 manipulations, you are, as Orie stated, using Time Zero film. You can shoot it from an SX-70 Land camera (check ebay or the web) or a modified 600 series camera. What you're basically doing is moving the soft emulsion around before it hardens completely. I agree it's quite cool. Any specific questions? I'll be glad to try to help.

Polaroid emulsion lifts and transfers can also be fairly easy to learn, but it takes a lot of practice and patience. You want to learn the basics, then modify them in a way that suits you best.
A simple google search on any of the above will bring you more info than you ever dreamed was out there. :mrgreen: Read it all, and if you're still interested, buy some books. Kathleen Thormod-Carr is great.

 

[sillyphaunt]

THanks Terri! I actually did some searching last nite after I asked the question (I tend to get ahead of myself )

I'm bidding on a camera on Ebay, and I'm going to try it out. I watched a video by polaroid about how to do the manipulations and it looks so amazing. Is it as simple as it looks or pretty hard?

I figure I'll try the manipulation part before I try the lifts/transfers, to see if I like it since the setup for manipulation is a lot less.

I'm so excited, I'm a dork with this kind of stuff.

You all have gotten me into stuff I never would have even known about before!

 

[terri]

You all have gotten me into stuff I never would have even known about before!

Hear that, fellow P-teamers? Our work here is done. :sillysmi:

Is it as simple as it looks or pretty hard?

Fundamentally it is very simple. I promise. What some folks struggle with are things like timing, and tools. Polaroid says grab that print and before the image even appears start squishing that emulsion. Not for me! I found I did more damage to areas I'd just as soon have left alone, and if too much pressure is applied, you get ugly black marks you can't get rid of. Remember that the emulsion isn't going to harden for hours.....hours. Let it develop for 5 minutes or so, and look it over to plan your attack. And have fun when you go to the art supply store....ask where their burnishing tools are, and find things with long handles and knobby points. You'll have better control.

It's highly addictive once you get the hang of it, but you have to be patient with yourself and be fully prepared to throw away a few prints. It can be an expensive learning curve, but don't give up!

 

[sillyphaunt]

I went ahead and bought a camera on Ebay, as soon as it gets here I'm going to try some.. I'll be sure to post them for you all to see.

Thanks Terri, I'll probably have a bunch of questions when I get going.

 

[hobbes28]

Ahhh!! It's so good to see a fellow Polaroider.

Auntie Terri is the master manipulator here...don't let her fool you.

I usually let my polaroids sit for around ten minutes before I start messing around with them. You have to really get a feel for what moves the emulsion around because there's no really good way to explain what it's like. I think I wasted seven of the first pack of ten of the Time-zero film I got. Another method I like to do with the manips is to take the picture then throw it in a zip lock back into the freezer. I'm not usally in the right frame of mind to manipulate the image right after I take the picture. When I get around to wanting to mess around with the image, I pull it out of the freezer and break out the hairdryer to heat it up. You can put a lot more heat on a polaroid than you'd think.

Anyways, let us see what you get and welcome to the polaroid club. Like Terri, I can try to answer any questions you have when you get started too.

 

[terri]

I've never tried the freezer trick. I have questions. Do you let the print fully develop before you bag it, and is there a time after which you'd hesitate to freeze it? After removing it from the freezer, how long do you let it sit at room temp before you take the hair dryer to it, Hobbes? And how long do you apply the direct heat?

I've read this is easily done, but never got any specifics. Thanks!