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Year 3 Semester 2 Formative assessment.
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Formative Assessment
STEVEN DEMEZA
Graphic Design Yr3Final Major Project
ResearchFollowing on from last semester I wanted to expand into
the realms of alternative photographic processes. Initially I began by researching which procseses are available and narrowing them down to ones which I felt were feasible.
I looked at prints done by people at home on the f295.org forums as the members are usually very helpful and the prints are up to a good standard so it seemed the logical place to start. This also gave me a good indication as to what kind of feel the prints would give.
ResearchThese are just some of the things I’ve been looking at
to gain some insight into alternative processes. They have rather in depth step by step instructions from start to finish. They also show what chemicals are needed and what ratios are needed.
Time Plan
Jan
Build darkroom
Build Suitcase camera
Photograph London Stations
Build Cyanotype camera
Research Ferric Gum prints
Cyanotypes
Panoramic Prints
Put Portfolio together
Scan / Photograph prints
Test Cyanotype cam
Feb Mar Apr May
DarkroomAfter all of the difficulties involved in using the darkroom
on the university campus, I made the decision to build my own darkroom in the garden. I wanted to build the whole building from raw materials but as it was going to cost too much for a temporary building, conveting the shed was a more viable option.
Initial TestsI began to experiment with the Ferric Gum process which
is actually a process developed in the 1970’s but gives the look of a process that could easily be around 100 years old. The first test was done on bleach free and acid free paper under a UV lamp. This didn’t really work at all. I think it was down to the use of the UV lamp which doesnt seem to work well at all. The chemicals are not too difficult to make up but the process is seemingly hit and miss, having tried different exposure times, papers and both UV / Sunlight.
Panocam revistedTo achieve a good comparison between the darkroom
I have created and the darkroom available at university, I decided to use the camera that seemed to have failed me last time. The results I have gotten from the camera this time around seem to be quite good, although I’m not getting much in terms of midtones. I’m not sure if this is to do with the chemicals I have been mixing up. I haven’t been checking the temperatures, threfore the colder temperatures that I have been working with could be the cause of the highly contrasted images.
I also accidentally left my paper open which lead to the large white patch on the first image and the slightly smaller one of the second.
PANOCAM #4
PANOCAM #5
PANOCAM #4
PANOCAM #5
CyanotypeI ordered some chemicals from Silverprint to do my
own Cyanotypes. I coated my own paper but the chemicals seemed to have washed out during the wash process. I also coated the paper that came in the kit I recieved and that paper worked perfectly fine. So I’m also wondering if the paper I bought has something to do with the fact that my Ferric Gum prints also do not work.
After having done some research, it would seem that using a sheet of cyanotype coated paper is not usable as a medium in a lensless camera. Then again, there is a seemingly very limited amount of material on using cyanotypes as a medium in a pinhole camera. But I shall give it a try as I’ve seen some results with a camera that has a lens.
CYANOTYPE PINHOLE #1
CYANOTYPE PINHOLE #2
CYANOTYPE PINHOLE #3
CYANOTYPE PINHOLE #4
DirectionI want to try developing a small quick and easy camera
to try some more cyanotypes. I can base whether or not to see if cyanotpyes can used as a negative. If not I shall use some silver-gelatin and coat my own papers. I’m going to scale up the size of my photographs so its important to find a suitable process.
I’m going to take a suitcase and turn it into a camera. Once I have done that I shall take it around some of the major London overground train stations; Paddington, Kings Cross, Waterloo and Victoria.
Sketch showing what a final print would look like.
Wooden frame to hold photopaper.
Shutter.
BibliographyURL’shttp://www.petapixel.com/2011/08/30/photographer-makes-chlorophyll-prints-using-leaves-and-sunlight/http://figitalrevolution.com/2009/05/06/high-speed-pinhole-and-zone-plate-photography-part-1/http://www.booooooom.com/2011/04/15/booooooom-x-lomography-spinner-360°-camera-giveaway/http://www.clarkvision.com/imagedetail/film.vs.digital.summary1.htmlhttp://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?30923-How-do-i-develop-a-dry-platehttp://www.f295.org/Pinholeforum/forum/Blah.pl?m-1300383738/s-0/http://fotografam.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/photoechnique_2012-01-02_hq.pdfhttp://www.alternativephotography.com/wp/processes/bromoils/making-a-bromoil-printhttp://www.alternativephotography.com/wp/processeshttp://www.freestylephoto.biz/tl_safe_lights.phphttp://janneinosaka.blogspot.com/2010/03/pinhole-camera-ii-daa-a-ark-room.htmlhttp://www.ephotozine.com/article/test-your-darkroom-safelight-4773http://www.alternativephotography.com/wp/processes/gum-bichromates/update-ferric-gum-processhttp://www.f295.org/Pinholeforum/forum/Blah.pl?m-1311353810/http://www.alternativephotography.com/wp/processes/lith/the-lithprint-processhttp://gorga.org/blog/http://www.alternativephotography.com/wp/processes/cyanotype/making-a-cyanotype-pinhole-in-camerahttp://www.mikeware.co.uk/mikeware/main.htmlhttp://lists.altphotolist.org/pipermail/alt-photo-process-list/2010-December/003133.htmlhttp://www.alternativephotography.com/wp/cameras-film/peeping-through-the-magic-of-peephole-lenseshttp://www.alternativephotography.com/wp/darkroom/c-41-film-process-with-coffeehttp://www.feelingnegative.com/darkroom/contact-printing-from-paper-negatives
Books and MagazinesRuscha, E. (1965). Every Building on the Sunset StripDean, T. (2006). Analogue: Drawings 1991-2006Rees, A. L. (2008). A History of Experimental Film and VideoAtget, E. (2001). 55Bailey, D. (1983). Black and White Memories 1948 - 1969
ExhibitionsParadise Row. DrawingsParadise Row. Birdhead.
EvaluationI feel as though I have developed the content side of the
project quite well thus far. I don’t really have much content as such because I have just been using negatives to learn how to print using new processes. At the start of the project I was just creating a technical problem for myself to solve. Albeit, I have managed to solve the problem of not having a darkroom and the results from it have been very good. The darkroom at university was yielding cloudy images where as the ones I have now are clean.
So far I have just been trying to get to grips with printing using different techniques. The Ferric Gum process has been nothing but a failure so far, but I am quite happy with the progress I am making with Cyanotypes. I still need to generate some large scale photography as I have been working to a manageable scale while I am learning.
FMP ProposalI plan to follow the entire photographic process from
start to finish.To enable me to do this I will need to:
• Construct my own darkroom.• Build my own camera.• Process the film in the darkroom.• Generate my own photographic prints in the darkroom.
Process
I plan to convert the shed in the garden into a darkroom. I will be using 2 sheets of MDF screwed together for the door that is missing. Blackout curtain for going across the back of the door and filling in the largeer gaps in the shed. I will also be using expanding foam and black duct tape to fill in the smaller gaps.
Resources
For the darkroom I will need:MDF for replacing the missing door.Red lights.Washing up bowl to fill with water for washing prints.Developing trays, could use cat litter trays.
For the camera I will need:SuitcaseCardHingesWooden frame
The photographic prints that I want to develop initially will be regular black and white photographic prints. Then expanding into some alternative processes such as Cyanotypes and Ferric Gum prints. I would also like to investigate the link between landscape photography and the photographic print by using chlorophyll.
Content
Once the camera and darkroom have been built. The photographs that I want to focus on will be optimising the large scale photography in public areas and trying to remove the public from the images via use of long exposures.
The main areas I want to focus on capturing will be architecture and rural landscapes. I want to focus on these areas because the area where I grew up was extremely rural, surrounded by farmland, fields, woodland, rivers and a warren. I wanted to move to somewhere that heavily contrasted the area that I came from. We spend most of our lifetime in an area that is defined by an architect’s imagination, yet we spend little time analysing the minor details that go into public buildings.
