I'm a Polaroid Junkie

[limr]

How cool! Congrats!

I got an SX-70 and love it, it's a joy to use. Ray and Charles Eames did a film about it back in the day (if you search you should find it). No the film isn't cheap, but guess what I spent a chunk of my tax refund on! Also had out my black rainbow Polaroid the other weekend and we happened by a classic car cruise-in, dropped the camera and out popped a picture! lol Camera still works, decided the photo is an abstract - yeah, that what it is! I did it on purpose (yeah sure).

I haven't used the peel apart much yet, maybe over the summer I'll get to it; haven't tried an emulsion yet. What is it you use?? whatever I read about sounded like something of a toxic mess! lol

I read somewhere that the film Time Zero will be coming out on DVD, I haven't watched it online yet.

Take some pictures of the gallery show and post them to show us will you? I'd love to see.

edit - Great minds, Coop...

Thanks Sharon

The emulsion lifts with the Fuji is pretty easy - they come off the backing paper very easily and the water doesn't even have to be that hot. But they don't stick to the new surface like the Polaroid emulsion does, so I use gel medium, like painters use to help their paint stay on the canvas. It works like a dream and can also add a nice texture. The glossy makes the lifts look almost like glass. The black and white emulsion can be lifted too, but it takes a long time - like, 10 to 15 minutes of soaking in boiling water, and fresh boiling water needs to be added to keep it hot enough. The film is thinner too so it's trickier.

To recover the negative, it just takes bleach and plain water to wash.

Impossible Project doesn't make the kind of peel apart that goes in the 100 series of Land Cameras, so I got an SX-70 so I could at least try a few packs. Gonna have to save up though

 

[terri]

gah, y'all are killing me!! I used to do this ALL the time - lifts, transfers, and image manipulation with Time Zero. It was all so much fun, and I learned to love the apparent paradox of relinquishing "control" over the process while getting more adept with it, and ending up with results I was quite pleased with. Oh, the misery of it all, when Polaroid went down in flames. *sniffle*

Lenny I saw a you tube clip on the emulsion lift with FP-100C film, and it was mentioned how much stronger the Fuji emulsion is, compared to the thin, friable emulsion of Polaroid. I imagine that would, indeed, make it harder to adhere to whatever substrate you're using without a little help from a gel medium. But that stuff works great, and I'm getting twitchy fingers just thinking about giving it all a go again!

 

[Nounboy]

Your Flickr page is very nice. Lovely overall tone to your photographs - wistful, meditative, images of deep substance. Really great work.

 

[limr]

Your Flickr page is very nice. Lovely overall tone to your photographs - wistful, meditative, images of deep substance. Really great work.

Thank you! :goodvibe:

Terri, like any good junkie, I'm going to tell you to just do it, man, ya know ya wanna!

 

[terri]

It's true!! :heart:

 

[limr]

Ready to bring everything to the studio to be hung. I am exhausted.

 

[rexbobcat]

I think I have the same camera (bought it at a flea market, still not sure it's functioning), but where do you get your film? I've looked online and instant film is insanely expensive.

 

[limr]

I think I have the same camera (bought it at a flea market, still not sure it's functioning), but where do you get your film? I've looked online and instant film is insanely expensive.

If it's the peel apart, there is Fujifilm 100C for color and 3000B for black and white. They sell it on Amazon, B&H...all the usual suspects. The color is about $8.50 a box but the black and white is probably up to about $20 because it's being discontinued and so the price doubled since it was announced. Fuji just sent out their last shipment of the 3000B last month so there are stores that have it now. I bought about 25 packs when the price was still at about $12-14.

If you are looking for actual Polaroid film, it's going to be expensive and hit or miss. If it was stored properly, you can still get a lot out of it, but sometimes you might buy a pack from someone who just found it in an attic and wants to sell it. It will most likely be totally dried up.

If you have an SX-70 or something that doesn't take peel-apart, then you're pretty much relegated to expired Polaroid film or the Impossible Project film, which is about $25 per pack.

You also will probably have to convert the battery pack if you have a Land Camera. Once you have batteries, you can check the shutter. The other thing to watch for is the bellows to see if there are any leaks.

If you get interested enough to try to revive the Pola, let me know and I'll tell you about the hacks to get the battery pack converted and to check the bellows.

 

[vintagesnaps]

They look really nice Leonore. With some of them did you frame your original with a scanned enlargement?

I seriously did use a chunk of my tax refund on film - I too got some of the peel apart that's getting discontinued before it got too pricey (and I'd just gotten started using that type film but knew I'd want B&W). But I love my SX-70 - Edwin Land's the man! I buy film thru TIP http://www.theimpossibleproject.com and they email a discount after purchase to use on the next purchase (usually there's plenty of time to use it). Guess it makes you think before you use it since I use it more sparingly than I used to with Polaroid film; I'm more aware of having 8 shots.

You could try FPP Film Photography Project | An Internet Radio Show & On-Line Resource for Film Shooters Worldwide and see what they have in stock. Freestyle Home | Freestyle Photographic Supplies carry batteries for the Land cameras (FPP and TIP might too) but having a camera converted probably isn't a bad idea so you can use more standard batteries.

 

[limr]

Sharon, I focused a lot of the work on the various ways the same subject could be portrayed, so for a few of them, I framed the original print with the recovered negative, and others I framed an emulsion lift with the recovered negative.

Here's one of my favorite examples. I took five pictures of a tree. The prints became an emulsion lift collage and the negatives got printed and became a deconstructed collage. I call them "Reconstructed" and "Deconstructed." (Forgive the crappy cell phone pictures!)





(Btw, what do we think of the placing of the deconstructed tree? I thought at first that I wanted them farther apart, and when I looked at it on the wall, it seemed fine, but now looking at the picture, I am considering a slightly different placement. I'll have a chance to change it on Friday before the studio opens, so any feedback would be welcome )

 

[vintagesnaps]

Oh, that's what was framed, great idea. I like the first one of the tree, and really like the second set, cool idea. I wonder how they might look somewhat closer together? If you can set them out arranged somewhere and come back next day you might see how it looks, judgement call I suppose on how to space them.

 

[vintagesnaps]

Do it Terri, do it! lol I haven't tried one yet, but happened to find a kit from Samy's Camera (their online outlet = ebay store). It was marked way down and looked like something they must have put together for a class or workshop. So now I have a nice thermometer, and glass rods, ooh. Now to get something done with it (since I'm good at egging you on instead of getting something done myself! lol) but with nice weather I've been out taking pictures more than working on other projects. I've got quite a collection of lumen prints in a black box waiting to be fixed some rainy day.

 

[terri]

Looks like a wonderful body of work, Lenny - I wish I could be there and support you!! Hope you have a great time.

I'm with Sharon regarding the "Deconstructed" tree. As much as I like your V-shape idea, it might have worked better with a different frame, maybe vertical (great timing to mention that, I know!). I agree with Sharon about playing with them a little closer together, or stack one directly under the other on each side and then the main trunk in the middle...? Dunno if that would look like anything. Sharon's idea of trying something then walking away to look at later is a good idea. I'm not great with cluster framing like this, so I generally arrange things on the floor several times before something hits me as the best.

The collage is beautiful - very clever. I like your interplay with the negatives as well as the lifts - shows off the creative possibilities with the film as well as your own interpretations with subject. :heart: Again - I would love to be there!!

 

[terri]

Do it Terri, do it! lol I haven't tried one yet, but happened to find a kit from Samy's Camera (their online outlet = ebay store). It was marked way down and looked like something they must have put together for a class or workshop. So now I have a nice thermometer, and glass rods, ooh. Now to get something done with it (since I'm good at egging you on instead of getting something done myself! lol) but with nice weather I've been out taking pictures more than working on other projects. I've got quite a collection of lumen prints in a black box waiting to be fixed some rainy day.

*snicker* Yeah, yeah, I'll jump on it when you jump on it, and we'll road-trip up to see Lenny and have a traveling show! Are ya in?!?

Seriously, I loved these processes and did them routinely, for many years. Got my heart broken when Polaroid died, and spent stupid money on the last-gasp sale of their altered Time Zero, that "ArTistic-Z" that lacked the true titanium white formula - meaning, the colors were severely muted but it manipulated almost as well. I always liked shooting color slide film and using my Daylab to get my Polaroids, so I continue to procrastinate buying Fuji film - even though I'm pretty sure those film packs are the same size as old Polaroids and I could probably do it the same way. Would have to test out exposures with the Daylab, as well as filtration.

In other words, I also need a string of "rainy days" to get my things assembled, as well as get my head back in the game. But Lenny's work is very inspirational in that regard - no doubt!!

 

[limr]

I was too late reviving the Land Camera to use actual Polaroid film (other than what was shot when I was a kid, that is), so I have only shot the Fuji. I have to say, I'm really impressed with the colors and the lifts are really easy to work with. The color ones don't even need super hot water and they lift almost immediately. The black and white can be lifted as well, but that takes probably 10-15 minutes to even start lifting, and the boiling water needs to be refreshed at least once to keep it hot. The emulsion is more fragile, but it's still easier to work with, from what I understand, than the original Polaroid emulsions.

I do have three packs of 669, however, and am looking forward to seeing what it's like!

And now can I just say that I would LOOOOOOOOOVE a traveling show with you two!