Fading Images

[TomAlf94]

Hello all!

I come to you seeking for recommendations and advice. I am looking for a photographic process that results in image fading after a couple of weeks of it being exposed or process. I find useful in my body of work the bleaching of an image and I'm the search of a medium that can help portray that. To this point, I believe alt processes are probably my best bet. Any suggestions on no-so-archival processes? Any suggestions on variations of stable processes are also welcome!

Thanks for your help!

[nolindan]

Well, the usual photographic fading is 'fade to black' - easily done by eliminating the fixing step.

Anthotypes - made using plant pigments - will fade away with exposure to light. Heck, fading in the light is how the image is made. https://www.alternativephotography.c...otype-process/

[Oren Grad]

Current Polaroid (but not so much Fujifilm) instant films are still quite prone to fading, especially when not stored in darkness. You'd have to test for yourself to see if the effect is strong enough and fast enough to suit your purposes.

[nolindan]

... Polaroid ... instant films are still quite prone to fading ...

The old peel-apart style would fade to a very pale brown if they weren't coated. I don't know if these films are still made.

[Oren Grad]

The old peel-apart style would fade to a very pale brown if they weren't coated. I don't know if these films are still made.

They are not. Only integral films are currently offered by Fujifilm and Polaroid.

[Robert Opheim]

Albumen prints would fade quickly if not fixed property. Unfortunately I am not aware of commercial printing out paper (POP) being available anymore. I used some in the early 1970's

[jnantz]

Hello all!

I come to you seeking for recommendations and advice. I am looking for a photographic process that results in image fading after a couple of weeks of it being exposed or process. I find useful in my body of work the bleaching of an image and I'm the search of a medium that can help portray that. To this point, I believe alt processes are probably my best bet. Any suggestions on no-so-archival processes? Any suggestions on variations of stable processes are also welcome!

Thanks for your help!

use photo paper expose it in daylight to get your image ( it can take 10 mins to hours depending on the light ) like you do with POP paper but don't develop/ fix it .. won't turn black. just purplish grey .. it all depends on the paper or bottled emulsion you might use too, some images don't fade at all ( I have some made this way that are 15 years old haven't changed ). been doing this parlor trick for years .. nothing will fade to black.

[TomAlf94]

Hello guys!

It's been a hectic and crazy couple of days since I've open this thread, so I haven't been able to see all the interactions. I must say I thought it was not gonna bring much attention, but I see it has! I'm glad for it! Thanks to all for your comments. I haven't been able to experiment just yet but I'm looking forward to this week, so I can try out some of this techniques. Keep em coming!

[TomAlf94]

Well, the usual photographic fading is 'fade to black' - easily done by eliminating the fixing step.

Anthotypes - made using plant pigments - will fade away with exposure to light. Heck, fading in the light is how the image is made. https://www.alternativephotography.c...otype-process/

This is what I thought at first, eliminating fixing will just turn it black. Maybe extra fixing will kinda bleach it(?), or at least give that sensation.

Anthotypes! Do you know if there is any mention of this process and various pigments in the Book of Alternative Photographic Processes?

[TomAlf94]

Current Polaroid (but not so much Fujifilm) instant films are still quite prone to fading, especially when not stored in darkness. You'd have to test for yourself to see if the effect is strong enough and fast enough to suit your purposes.

I do know Polaroids fade with time, but maybe they are a little lasting for what I'm looking for. Great suggestion tho.. Maybe I can get my hands on some expired materials that won't be as stable and produce the effect I'm looking for.