Polaroid Image Transfer process 1 - Creating the Initial Image

I have been marking Polaroid image transfers for about five years. During that time I have explored many different techniques and made a lot of mistakes, some of which I actually learned from! Strangely, making mistakes and having images turn out quite differently than what you had envisioned is a fair part of the attraction of transfers. However, in the interest of sharing this knowledge I will attempt in the following sections to describe my current techniques.

The first thing to think about for this photographic medium is the original image. I ordinarily shoot in 35 mm format using Canon bodies and lenses. However, it is important to remember as you are composing a shot that the 35 mm frame is longer than the 4x5 format typical for the Polaroid materials (3 ¼ x 4 ¼ , 4 x 5, 8 x 10). Therefore, try to avoid placing important compositional elements at both the top and bottom of the frame, or leave some extra room for cropping.

Also bear in mind that the final image transfer is likely to be quite small and that a very complex scene might not translate well to this size. The image's formal and narrative qualities should be kept rather simple and uncluttered, so that it can be "read" fairly easily. This is especially so because image transfers typically convey a somewhat softer focus and reduced contrast due to the inherent physical processes. Contrast control is an additional point to think about for transfers. Very high contrast images are especially difficult to transfer with high rates of success. The dark shadows and high density blacks are more likely to lift off and be lost during the transfer. Try to keep your image dynamics toward high-key or "flat" lighting by either shooting in diffused light (which we have in abundance through most of the year here in cloudy Seattle where I live) or by persistent use of fill flash in sunny scenes with deep shadows.

The film you use is of course up to you, what you are familiar with and works with your lighting conditions. You need a reversal film (slide film, color positive transparency) for the final transfer process. People primarily use Fujichrome, Ektachrome, Kodachrome, or Velvia. It is also possible to use a positive transparency produced as an "interneg" from a black and white or color negative film, but this extra step makes the process more lengthy. I use Fuji Velvia shot at 40 ASA/ISO for most of my work. It is a bit more expensive and difficult to use due to its slow speed and unforgiving exposure latitude, but its extreme resolution and sharpness along with luscious color saturation help to compensate for the loss of precision and saturation that the image transfer process involves. (After all, the Polaroid materials really aren't meant to be handled this way).

A final note on shooting for transfers-- because the image transfer dyes in the Polaroid materials migrate at different rates, most artists working in this field find that the transfers have a tendency toward a cyan cast. Filters used during the initial exposure of the chrome or during the actual transfer can help to overcome this tendency. I often shoot with a slight warming filter and then make further color compensations during the transfer exposure.

Polaroid Image Transfer process 2 - Making the Transfer