Solarized Polaroid Type 85 Pos/Neg images from my soon to be released book. 

Title: Sunkissed 85

Forward by Glen Wexler

Zoe Wiseman is a photographer who has been creating fine art nudes for more than 25 years.  A former model, she started shooting in the late-nineties and quickly began experimenting with medium-format Polaroid positive-negative films and a range of extended techniques like solarization, partial processing, and unusual lenses.  Using Holga cameras fitted with a Polaroid back, as well as more conventional cameras fitted with unique lenses, she developed her own visual vocabulary and has continued to refine it over the years.  Working primarily with the female form as her subject matter, often complemented by the organic forms of rock formations, landscapes, and waterscapes, she has forged a style which highlights the common shapes between these elements.  She has always strived to present her subjects so as to convey a sense of boldness as well as beauty, and works to create images which highlight the inherent strength of her models.

 Zoe’s work is created entirely in-camera, at the moment of shooting, by separating the positive print from the negative transparency prematurely and exposing the transparency to sunlight while it is still developing.  This technique, commonly referred to as “solarization”, can create an otherworldly metallic sheen, dark shadows, and areas of unusual contrast, but it’s a risky procedure – there is only one chance to get it right.  Once the film has been solarized, there is no going back, and no amount of post-processing can rescue an image that’s been incorrectly solarized.  But this fully-manual, on-the-fly technique, where the final image is the result of the combination of framing, natural lighting, and her expert manipulation of the developing film while it’s still “live”, produces results that can not be obtained by any other means.  Both the shooting and the solarization are improvisational techniques conducted in real-time.  Guided only by her experience and intuition, Zoe’s technique is the equivalent of an improvised guitar solo.  Played live, in one take, with no overdubs.