Info on DONNA COSENTINO

Image Transfers
Donna works with a Nikon F3 and Scala black and white transparency film to create her Polaroid transfers. These photographs are made on her personal journeys to favorite locations in California such as Death Valley, the Owens Valley and Yosemite. She also photographs on travel adventures across North America in such diverse places as South Carolina, Texas, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Quebec.

The Polaroid image transfer begins with a color, or, in this case, black and white transparency (slide). It is copied onto 4x5 Polaroid Type 59 color film in a machine called a Daylab Slide Copier. After approximately 10 seconds the film with the copied image is peeled apart. The wrong side (not the positive image) is saved. (The image/positive side is thrown away or saved to later make a lift). The wrong/negative side of the peeled-apart film is then ‘transferred’ or pressed onto wet watercolor paper. Transferring renders a somewhat soft result. Different papers/receptors can be used and the resulting colors and textures can be quite varied. Imperfections are embraced. Each result is one-of–a-kind. Copying black and white film onto color film in this process renders colors from blue to brown and the artist strives for creamy warm and cool blue tones within each image.


Silver Gelatin Prints
Donna works with a Rolleiflex 2 ¼ x 2 ¼ Twin Lens Reflex camera built in 1959. It is equipped with a 3.5 Carl Zeiss 75mm lens. She uses Tri X 320 ISO film. She develops her film by hand.

Her prints are made in her very basic home darkroom. The enlarger is a Simmon Omega D2 variable condenser enlarger. She prints on an 11x14 warm paper base made by Forte using warm tone developer then selenium and tea tones the photographs for further duotone effect.