Topic: Solarisation dark spot in the middle of my Specular Highlights - Polaroid

[camcooke]

Hello Filmwasters!

This is my first time posting here! I've recently started a photo-series that I'm shooting on FP-100c, the series is going to be for exhibition and the original polaroids are going to be exhibited (no printing, scanning or post production).

I've done a few tests of ideas I want to shoot, and there is some glassware involved that I'm getting specular highlights on. In the middle of the specular, I'm getting a black spot which as far as I can tell is solarisation due to overexposure.

Does anyone have any ideas for shooting in a way that avoids these? I've considered polarising, but as my flash is moving around a lot I'm not sure that's the best option? Here's a link to a reference picture: https://flic.kr/p/WHrFoS

Any advice would be awesome!

- Cam

[Chalky]

Hi Cam

you're right - 100c is prone to solarisation like that on slightly overexposed areas...  unfortunately I don't have a cure but likely someone here will do.

good luck with the exhibition and welcome!

cheers

[Francois]

Solarization is a bit of a fact of life with many instant films I find. Instax is even worse than fp.
Since you're working with glass, I guess you also want the specular highlights...
Polarizing usually removes reflections..,
One thing that would work is diffusing the light through a large softbox, but I'm not sure that's the results you're after.
You can reduce the reflection of the glass using, if I remember correctly, spray on deodorant or Scotch guard....
You could also reduce the overall exposure to avoid the tone inversion... But I'm not sure if a long exposure would help much while keeping the same results....

I don't know if fp prints take well to localized chemical reduction using farmer's reducer? That would be the simplest and best way around the problem....