From double exposures to timed in-camera effects, there are many ways you can manipulate a Polaroid picture image--you're limited only by your own creativity. First, though, you'll have to understand the basics of how photography works and use the properties of the art to your advantage to make interesting images.
Instructions
1. Purchase a new digital Polaroid camera if you'll be performing a lot of image manipulations. Computers make it much easier to change everything--from the size and brightness to the framing of your Polaroid picture image.
2. Buy and install a computer-based digital imaging software program, such as PhotoShop, for your home computer. Most computer operating systems also have default imaging software, though the range of operations you can perform on such software is usually very limited. A program like PhotoShop will open a world of possibilities if you want to manipulate a Polaroid picture image.
3. Consider purchasing a book on manipulating film-based and digital Polaroid images for detailed, comprehensive information. Take advantage of the information offered in Kathleen Carr's "Polaroid Manipulations: A Complete Visual Guide to Creating SX-70, Transfer, and Digital Prints"(see Resources below).
4. Use timed exposure effects by manually manipulating the aperture and/or shutter speed on your Polaroid film camera. For example, by closing down the aperture (to allow less light in the camera) while increasing the shutter speed (to leave it open longer), you can manually create interesting visual effects by moving the camera while the shutter is open. Polaroid's instant-picture system also makes the job of learning by trial and error much faster.
5. Read up on the features of your Polaroid model. Some have the capability to perform double exposures (which is, in essence, taking two different pictures on the same sheet of film). However, not all Polaroid models have this feature, as many of them simply print and feed pictures out automatically without giving you the option to go back and put another image on top of the first one.
6. Use the same timed exposure effects with a digital camera as you would with a film camera, though you should expect that the same operation will have a different appearance, depending on whether the image is film-based or digital. For example, moving the camera while it is exposed to a still subject may create a "tracer" pattern behind the image in a film shot, whereas the same operation will likely result in "streaks of light" coming off the subject in a digital picture.
7. Take regular pictures using your digital Polaroid camera, upload them to your computer and use your digital imaging software to perform image manipulations. This approach allows you greater creative control and freedom, permitting endless possibilities that aren't normally available by using a camera alone.
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