Development

For my development, I am going to look at photo Cyanotypes, Digital Pinhole, Analogue Double Exposure and an experiment of my own using stencils.

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Cyanotypes

I have used the layering of photographs in photoshop to create these compositions. It gives the double exposure effect and I have also included an image related to my artist John Stezaker. From my original experiment with this I have developed it further by creating my images in photoshop and layering them on there instead of what I previously tried where I printed the images separately and then layered them afterwards. This required several attempts before achieving the right exposure time. The development pieces that I have now done have been exposed for 45 minutes. 

With this cyanotype, I didn't invert it in photoshop before hand. I exposed this piece for 45 minutes. The first image is the non inverted cyanotype and with the one below, I have scanned it into photoshop and then inverted it post process. If I were to reproduce this image again, I would consider running it in the water for longer post exposure and I would also rethink my composition of the two images together and the way they have been overlapped (this is what the solid white/black line is across the centre of the image). But,overall, I am happy with how it turned out.

I imported the inverted cyanotype into photoshop and changed the levels on it to try and make the white and black shades have more of a contrast and both of them stand out more. The result is below.

With the cyanotype below, I inverted this in photoshop before completing the process. I am happy with the way the image turned out but the image could have included more whites as the blues and darker shades are very overpowering. I also exposed this image for 45 minutes and the deeper colours and blues shows that it was run under water for a more suitable amount of time compared to the previous one.

With the above image, I imported it into photoshop and had a play around with the levels in order to make the whites stand out more and to make the blue shades look more bright and sharp.

Analogue Double Exposures

I have taken all the photos needed and filled up my film, I am just in the process of getting it developed so I shall post this work shortly.

Digital Pinhole

To create a digital pinhole, I removed the lens from the body of my camera. I then took the body cap and drilled a hole into it. I took a bit of drinks can and made a pinhole in that which I then taped to the inside of the hole drilled on the body cap. I then fitted the cap onto the body and changed my exposure time. Indoors I found an exposure time of between 10 and 30 seconds worked well but when I tried the technique outside, 30 seconds was too long an exposure so I tired several shorter exposure times and discovered 1.6 seconds was a good amount of time. I shot most of these at Moreton Corbet Castle. 

Painting with Light

For this technique, I used a tripod to hold the camera and used a slow shutter speed in order to capture the photograph. I tried shutter speeds between 10 and 30.

Analogue Photo Shoot

This was my first time experimenting with film camera shooting. The analogue camera I have is a Canon EOS 1000F. It has a Jessop 52mm lens on it. Of the three photos I have chosen, I like the way the colours have come out. I would like to try this type of photography again and I may try it with a different lens. These photos were taken at Moreton Corbet Castle and Colemere Lake

Negatives

Contact Sheet

Analysis

This was my first time shooting analogue and I really enjoyed it. The trial and error and experimentation that was used in this process made the process more exciting. With regards to how the images turned out, I am fairly pleased with the results. I really like the effect that an analogue camera seems to have over these images and with my own images I specifically like the way the colours have come out. I think, with it being my first attempt at this media, that my main theme of surrealism is failing to show through these images but I also think that with the way the colours have come out it also puts a slight surreal twist on it. If I were to do this process again I would take my theme more into consideration and perhaps try to do an analogue double exposure as I think this would work really nicely. 

Cyanotypes

Cyanotypes

Potassium ferricyanide and Ferric ammonium citrate (green) are mixed with water separately. The two solutions are then blended together in equal parts.

You coat a piece of paper or material in the solution and leave it to dry in the dark.

You place an object on top of the material and the negative is produced under a UV light or light box.

Exposure time varies depending on the amount/thickness of the object placed on top.

When exposure time is up, place the negative in running water for 5 minutes to allow the white print to emerge on the blue background.

Artists

Karen Molloy

Tatiana Parniakova

My Own Photos

Exposure time 15 minutes

Exposure time 25 minutes

Exposure time 35 minutes

I tried creating my own composition. I did this in photoshop and gave an exposure time of 35 minutes.

Analysis

I really enjoyed using this process and media and I think the images that I produced using it looked really good and creative. In terms of this primary experiment of this technique, I am happy with the way my pieces turned out in the end after various exposure time trials. I would like to follow this experiment up with some further development in which I will use A3 sized images and longer exposure times. I will also try layering the images in photoshop rather than attempting to layer them once they are printed out. I believe that the work I have created fits in nicely with my theme of surrealism. The way all the different pieces are put together shows that the work isn't trying to show something specific.I think the lack of organisation and 'sense' that these images portray means that it fits nicely with my theme.

Cut Up Technique

Photograms

A photogram is a photograph made with photographic materials but without a camera.

William Henry Fox Talbot is known for creating the first photogram that was fixed. Other photographers were known to produce photograms earlier than Fox Talbot but these are no longer in existence due to the fact they weren't fixed as fixer had not been discovered so they can not be seen in present day and there are no records of them.

In 1843, Anna Atkins produced a book. This was the first book to be illustrated with photographs and these photographs were photograms.

In the 20th century, Man Ray experimented with photograms (naming them rayographs).He experimented with the negatives and gave them all different exposure times depending on the objects that were used.

Artists

Man Ray

James Welling

Adam Fuss

Markus Amm

David Lebe

Here are some examples of photograms from the above artists.