Fuji Lifts...an alternative to Polaroid

I'm still awaiting the arrival of the Arches, so I thought I'd give you a lift! Ha!

This is the first Fuji Film "lift" I did and I wanted you to see how it looks when you don't get it right. This is a view out of our balcony. Hey! When you have nothing else to shoot, shoot the pool.

But, I think I might have this figured out.

Fuji Instant film is a whole different animal than Polaroid. I don't know what they use for their emulsion substrate, but it is some tough stuff. Normally, making a lift with Polaroid was pretty straightforward, albeit a little dicey, to say the least. Fuji is downright bullet proof!

Trust me. It is not at all like Polaroid. So let me explain the "lift" process first.

Let your regularly processed Fuji Instant film "cure" for about 24 hours.

Immerse in just at boiling temperature water. I use a stainless steel pan and when you see the edges just start to peel, pour off the hot water and add cold water until it is completely cold.

Play with the emulsion from the edges moving toward the center. The film lifts very easily compared to the old Polaroid. When the film is almost ready to completely come off the substrate, slide a piece of Pictorico transparency film underneath and, as quickly as you can, let the emulsion adhere to the film. I tried paper first, then the Pictorico. That explains the wrinkles, by the way and also speaks volumes for the strength of the Fuji.

Let it dry normally. DO NOT USE A HAIR DRYER (which I did on this one assuming quite wrongly that it would act like Polaroid.) The stuff just shrivels up like those liquid plastic bubbles.

Once dry, I find that coating it with a light layer of Premier Print Shield holds it very well.

Don't let your fingers touch the stuff because it will show! Trust me.

Finally, "mount" the transparency on mat board both for permanence and also to make it visually appealing.

The example above is the result. Whew!

I shot this with my Zero 4x5 with 2 extensions for a 75mm focal length and f/216. The exposure was about 3 alligators.

I know I am lifted!