Dreamlike painterly images that are created with this process go beyond simply words. Pure enchantment in a few moments and you get such a high - sitting on a pedestal reserved for a watercolor artist, and then again maybe it's best left unsaid for you to discover on your own.

Till today it has been the reaction of the folks who see it for the first time that makes up for the utter madness had to go through before hitting jackpot with the technique. The best piece of advice came from the Polaroid web site which went something like this:

“Image transfer is the result of combining variations of paper texture, time, and temperature. All you have to add is that essential element of greatness Unpredictability.”

So the bottom line would be everyone has to figure out there own working method variations. Consider the following as only suggestions to an amazing process.

. . . . . A story from the past.

POLAROID MANUAL

Legend has it that sometime in the mid - 1960's one of Polaroid 's research photographers inadvertently left a Polaroid negative face down on a countertop, later picked it up and found an image transferred to the counter. He and several of his colleagues began to play with the process until Polaroid founder Dr. Edwin Land found out about it and sternly discouraged this deviant activity. And so Pandora's box was closed …… for the time being.

MATERIAL LIST

01 ::. Polacolor ER 669.
02 ::. Squeegee.
03 ::. Paper acid free 100% cotton (experiment with the different weights).
04 ::. Brayer roller 4".
05 ::. Tray (for soaking the paper).
06 ::. Glass top (heavy) large enough to cover your 6"X 7" (approximate) watercolor paper.
07 ::. Small paper trimmer or scissors (to cut the ends of the Polaroid print).
08 ::. Close up filters set (49 mm) or the size that fits the camera lens front element the best.
09 ::. One 1000 watt or two 500 watt Tungsten light source.
10 ::. Polaroid Pro pack Camera (or any camera that exposes the peel apart type films like the 699 series).
11 ::. Copy Stand & cable release.

PLEASE NOTE ::.

This is just one of the several variations available to you in exposing the film in the image transfer process. I have not come across this method in any of the sources used for information, which is why ended up naming it the C.T.C method (copy to copy).

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS

With the camera set on the copy stand experiment with various heights to get the best focus and image composition. Of the selected print you what to re-photograph.

01 ::. Prepare the watercolor paper by soaking it in distilled water for a few minutes or for as long as it takes for the paper to become transparent (since the weight of the paper requires different timings) remove and squeegee.

02 ::. Place the paper on you working counter (glass top preferred).

03 ::. Expose the Film by using the cable release connected to the camera or by gently squeezing the shutter button. The camera should be preset and leveled with the level finder to the baseboard where the photograph is placed. The lights directed and set as you would for any copy work, making sure you are not getting any hot spots (glare) in the print area.

04 ::. Film development begins as soon as you pull the film out of the camera. Timing is everything now. First pull the white tab on the film then the larger arrows tab straight out and firmly (consult the camera manual for further details). Cut both ends of the film with the cutter (making sure you are clear of the image area) once cut peel apart the negative from the paper (never before 11 seconds or later than 15).

05 ::. The Fusion: Gently but quickly place the negative on the damp watercolor paper; followed by placing the palm of your hand on the negative .The warmth of it helps the transfer. Soon after with out applying too much pressure roll the Brayer in one direction 3 or 4 times on the back of the same negative. Then place a heavy piece of glass on it and let it remain for about 2 minutes before you slowly peel the negative diagonally from the corner of the receptor paper. Hopefully reveling a unique work of art.

PLEASE NOTE ::.

As soon as you pull the film out of the film holder the development begins .The colored dyes start to migrate one after the other (from the negative to the white paper) which is why if you wait too long the image quality would be weak.

T- 669 POLAROID FILM PACK

Locally the film is available easily since it is used extensively for the passport size photography cameras. Each film box has two film packs each with 10 exposures.

FORMAT ::. 3 ¼ X 4-¼  
IMAGE AREAS ::. 2 7/2 X 3 ¾

OPTIONAL STRATEGIES TO REMEMBER

::. Choose a receptor paper sheet that will help you get the type of results you want. The tooth of the paper has an important function to play in the image quality.

::. Remember to remove excess water from the receptor sheet.

::. As a rule, the sooner you peel the film, the better the colors. 10 seconds is the optimum development time. Pulling any sooner than that the dyes might not have had enough time to begin migration. Pulling later than that, the migration of dyes will alter the color balance of the image. After about ten seconds, the negative has almost all of the cyan dye, about half of the magenta dye, and very little of the yellow dye. Unless preferred this can be corrected, use between 10 cc and 20cc red filtration.

::. Apply gentle pressure evenly to the negative against the receptor sheet. In areas where the pressure wasn't applied evenly, the emulsion may peel away more easily. When rolling over your image, don't press too hard. If you use too much pressure, the image will not stick well to the receptor sheet. For best results, start at one end and roll smoothly, with even and moderate pressure.

::. Manipulation of colors can be easily done with filters during exposure. Watercolors are great for spotting too.

::. Clean camera roller routinely. Water ph has an effect on transfers. Images do not adhere as well with water of low ph. For best results, water ph should be seven or higher. When & if in doubt, use distilled water for consistent results.