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| This is my ghost dog, Ollie. |
If you have never gotten out that
little rubber spatula to get the last of the peanut butter, this post
may not be for you. For the rest of us, the idea of leaving any
toothpaste in the tube or wasting leftovers is sinful. You are the
ones I am writing this for.
Instant film has seen a wonderful
little resurgence after digital all but crushed it in the beginning
of this century. Thanks to The Impossible Project (now Polaroid
Originals), most integral film styles that Polaroid made were
rescued. There has been a wonderful photographic/ artistic
renaissance around the new SX-70, 600, Spectra, 8x10, and I-Type
films.
Lately, the Spectra film has been
scarce. As far as I can tell, rumors of bad batches that jam and weak
batteries caused Polaroid to slow distribution to a crawl. As of this
posting, you can find some Spectra black and white film at some
retail outlets.
As you may have guessed from my other
postings, I save everything! There is a part of me that is always
preparing for the post- apocalyptic future. I like to think it is
left over influences of my childhood in the 80s and the nuclear
scares of the cold war, but it likely stems from my two decades
existence as a working artist/odd jobber/educator in Appalachia(
dumpster Christmas is one of my favorite holidays!). When I find a
thrift store Spectra camera, I check the film door. If there is an
old pack half used left in there, it actually helps my buying
decision. Consequently, I have quite a few partially spent packs from
all of the instant film types hoarded in my film fridge.
Most old film is fairly useless, but
occasionally you get lucky. I would like to share this simple trick
with you: This Spectra hack is so you can try your luck with old
film. The first thing to go in old film is the battery. The built in
battery in the pack is what powers the camera and ejects the film. I
have found that I can take a 600 or SX-70 battery from Impossible or
Polaroid Originals that has been emptied, and transplant it into the
Spectra pack! When you finish a pack of Polaroid Originals/TIP film,
there is easily enough battery power to shoot 20 more shots or so.
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| This is a full Spectra pack from 2005 and an empty impossible 600 pack. |
The first thing you need to do is move
the film you want to shoot out of the Spectra pack. You will need a
changing bag for this, and it is a good idea to have a light tight
box to put the film in. This part is really simple- just put the film
pack into the changing bag along with a light tight box. Then slide
your hands into the bag and start unloading the film by sliding it
out of the pack one by one. As you are doing this notice two things:
One, notice the orientation, as you will have to put it back in the
same way you took it out. Two, gently touch the pods on the end of
the film( there are 3 per sheet). If they are hard and crusty inside,
set those shots aside. They may be good for other projects but they
will never be used as film again. If the pods feel soft, like they
may have some viscous fluid inside- those are keepers! Put them in
the light tight box.
Once you are done, and the film is in
the box, remove the Spectra pack from the bag. Now let's get the
batteries out of the packs. The Spectra pack front will unsnap and
fold down easily to remove both the metal spring and the battery. Pay
attention to the orientation of the spring, so you put it back the
way you found it.
I should mention that this is a
battery, and ideally you don't want to short the positive and
negative spots, or handle it carelessly in a way that could deliver a
bit of a shock(or a scare). Next, remove the cardboard back from the
spectra battery. All you have to do is remove a light cellophane and
they come apart. Put the cardboard on the backside of the 600/SX-70
battery and line up the battery holes. Now trace the shape of the
Spectra onto the 600 with a sharpie.
The next stage seems a bit sketchy,
because you will be cutting away the difference. If you carefully
marked your 600 battery, you will be safe. Since you will be cutting
close to the battery, use insulated handled scissors. BTW, this may
be a bit of overkill because the battery isn't really as close to the
edge as it looks.
Now slide the fresh battery into the
Spectra pack, making sure to slide it into the grooves that secure it
and push it all the way in. Put the spring back in and close it up.
If you have already forgotten the orientation of the spring, just
look for the part that has an indent for the film hook in one corner
and match it to the space in the pack for the film hook. Snap the
front, and you are ready to load it!
Put it back into the changing bag with
the light tight box. Re-load the film sheet by sheet, leaving out the
ones with dried up pods. Make sure to put your dark slide in last.
Orient the dark slide by feeling for a tiny slip of mylar on the
takeup hook corner.
Now you are ready to shoot!
In this demo I chose a pack of 2005
Spectra that I knew was going to be a long shot. I eliminated two for
dry pods, and packed the other eight. When you mess with expired
Polaroid integral film, do not expect much! I ended up with two
interesting shots with 33percent and 70 percent coverage.
Personally I love the “bad pull”
look of expired integral film. The harsh orange and purple cast is
pretty great contrasted with the golden curtain, and each of the 3
pods can often behave differently giving a striped look. There is
always something a little unsettling about the interior space in the
image as well.
I , for one, think this was worth it!
Who says you can't get blood out of a stone?
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