Trashy pics
peel-apart prose
Ever since I noticed traces of a latent image on the negative peel-apart piece, aka the trash, of a Fuji instant peel-apart I’ve saved them and scanned them as positives.
They work much like tintypes in that they are negatives on a black backing, giving the impression of a positive. However, they are darker and otherwise more obscure because of the chemical goop and their susceptibility to dust and fingerprints. Also, maybe, because they were intended to be thrown away.
Sadly, for me and many others, Fuji has stopped making their peel-apart instant film. There is talk among its many fans of resurrecting it, in the way that the Impossible Project has resurrected the SX-70 style of instant film. I hope so.
Though I’m not stuck with an otherwise useless camera, having shot these in a 4x5 camera with a Fuji film back — leaving me many options including sheet film, paper negatives, and wet plate tintypes—I like the idea and the images I get from salvaging trash.
In this digital age we don’t often have the opportunity to hold up to light the physical by-products of an analog process, re-imagine them, and re-purpose them.
