Drying Fuji FP-100C prints
May 13, 2012 § 20 Comments
Many of you know that I really enjoy shooting instant film. I first got hooked on Fuji’s FP-100C a few years ago when I picked up a Polaroid back for the Mamiya RB67. I was in heaven! I had never shot the stuff before and I was really enthralled with the beauty of the images. Since then, I’ve really gotten into Impossible Project‘s films which are another beast in itself (great film).
The cool thing about Fuji’s instant film is that it is peel-apart film and it works on all 100 series Polaroid cameras & film backs. The not-so-cool thing about this type of film in general, is that when you peel it apart, you remove the print from the negative & the developing solution. That in turn leaves you with a somewhat vulnerable print that has to dry first before it can be touched & stored. It’s not really a problem if you’re only shooting a few and can hand hold the print a few minutes until it’s dry. It does turn into a bit of an issue however when you’re shooting a pack or more of prints fairly quickly and need to store them to dry. I run into this issue …
A while back, I started to brainstorm on how I could keep the exposed prints & negatives in a safe place when I was out and about shooting. One day, I was walking around an arts & crafts store and I stumbled upon a paper mache box that looked to be about the size of FP-100C’s prints. Voila! It was perfect!
– CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE THIS BOX –
FP-100C drying/storage box
Cut slits into the box, pull the end of the spring through and tie the end
Prints held in place by springs without touching the actual image
Once it was complete I finally had a safe place to dry and store the prints/negatives. I just put it in the camera bag when I’m out and about.
Thanks for reading!
-Justin
Justin Goode 
Oh that is without doubt the most creative I’ve seen. At first I was thinking you had slots and the prints sometimes curve as they dry (well here in Sydney humidity they can) but the springs are an excellent idea.
If I’m driving around I usually peel and leave on the back seat of the car where they dry quickly or even don’t peel any till I get home.
Darren – I appreciate it! This method does help prevent the curving that tends to happen with these prints. It also helps reduce the amount of dust and other random artifacts that can get stuck to it.
Love shooting this film as well and greatly miss 100B. Rumor is this film is being discontinued this year (All FP variety’s). Hope that isn’s so!
Brandon – I really REALLY hope they don’t discontinue this film. I think they might have a strong enough hold on the market to continue making it for at least a few more years if not longer.
Until yesterday I have only ever shot FP-100C and FP-3000B near and around my house so I’ve never experienced this issue, despite reading about it. But yesterday we were out for a walk and I made a couple of prints and that’s when the issue really hit home. What a great solution – thank you for sharing!
James – Thanks! BTW – I looked through some of your posts and your website. Really nice material.
I just need to find the right box (or make one) and springs so I can make one for myself! Thanks for the kind words about my blog! 🙂
Oh man, this is great!!! finally a real solution!!
thank you!!
You’re welcome! Thanks!
Awesome idea! Thanks for posting
You’re welcome! I figured some other people might use this option as a way to dry theirs as well. It’s been working great for me ever since I made it (~ 6 months ago).
[…] in which the image sat out and dried on its own. After doing some web surfing, I found a nice DIY solution to this problem found here. I will most definitely be making one of these. To see what I've did with the negative to prepare […]
[…] The shoot was a blast! Stephanie & Sandy were in great spirits the whole time as I took them on a wild goose chase of a photoshoot. I had been to the Heard before with Synthia and remembered where some of the nicer ‘available light’ locations where. The only issue was we had to walk about 2-3 miles total to get to all of them (sorry again ladies ..). About 1/2 way through the shoot, we came to the spot I had planned on using for the collage of emulsion transfers. I had Stephanie sit on a bench and started snapping away with a Polaroid 100 Land Camera. I took 6 images in the style of David Hockney and tucked them away in my homemade box to dry. […]
Such a brilliant idea!!! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Kim! I just picked up another box today so I could make one for my sister. I picked her up a Polaroid 320 a while back and now she’s hooked on FP-100C. I appreciate the feedback! 🙂
Wow!! That’s great! How do you compare the results on this vs a 120 film?
Hey thanks! The prints/negatives of FP-100C don’t have the same detail/clarity as 120 negatives, however it’s a really unique look that you can’t get with anything else. Thanks for reading and checking out my blog. I appreciate it!
You’re a genius. Excited to get my Mamiya rz 67 ii pro with the polaroid back.
Break that RZ out! I love the results I’ve been able to get with my RB & pack film. It’s so worth it! Thanks for taking the time to read some of these posts 🙂
Really clever and creative. Thanks for sharing!