In depth review of experimental work so far

 


In the AS-A2 project we explored different artists and there style of working. I learned a lot during that time , you can present an image in a variety of different ways such as cutting into it and popping it up in the style of Markus Kisson. This was a simple way of bringing your photo to life but the subject matter u decide to cut influences the end result of the image.

I was taken by an artist called Curtis Mann who bleaches coloured photographs using various techniques such as dipping the entire print into bleach then rinsing it under water, you see the image transform before your eyes as parts of it wash away and you are left with a surreal image with the effects of the bleach reminding you of fire and heat. I experimented in this style by bleaching prints but I first painted clear nail varnish over parts of the image i wanted to save & left it to dry. I then emerged the whole image into the bleach and the parts i hand covered with nail varnish remained whilst the rest dissolved off of the paper. I also dipped a cotton bud in bleach and used it to work into the image this gave me more control over my enhancement of the image. I really enjoyed this process and thought i would use it towards my final piece.

I experimented with pinning holes through images taking inspiration from Amy Friend and this is definitely a pathway I am going to go down to enhance my final piece. I found them so dreamlike and magical, not all of her images are her own some she bought or found but I really like a photo in particular which seemed to have been taken from a low angle. Definitely something i would consider using in my work.

Digital Manipulation on photoshop was one of my favourite experiments as you are not very limited as to what you can do, if you make a mistake you can undo it without having to start again from scratch. It is a very convenient way of working. I really liked how i was able to develop my own style from gaining inspiration from various tutorials and tweaking then to create my own way of working that i felt was suitable for my images.

Toning prints I experimented with using darkroom prints and food dye and also digital images and photoshop. I preferred the use of photoshop as I could easily change the opacity to suit my liking and also it wasn't such a messy job, when using the food dye it was sticky, dust dryer onto the food dye and left the darkroom prints looking messy which I did not like.

Handmade negatives wash an interesting angle to create prints from but I feel that it wouldn't go well with my theme unless i sandwich printed my handmade negative with a camera negative to create a something really interesting and different. I used sugar washing up liquid and food dye to create mine and i was surprised at how good they looked. Once putting the concoction into the negative carrier and enlarging it it reminded me of crystals and diamonds the sugar looked very nice.

Vignetting, Highlighting areas of Interest, Press Printing, Dodging

Original Print - Aperture 8, Exp. 5 Seconds

Vignetting

To vignette in the darkroom i simply cut out an oval shape in some paper and held it above the photographic paper, holding it still it gave a harsh edge to the oval shape. On my second attempt I moved the vignetting card around slowly and slightly to produce a soft edge which turned out to be my favourite. Using different shapes to create a vignette could be interesting, especially if they related to my work e.g. I could cut out londons horizon or something more simple like a cluster of trees which could make the photo more unusual and creative.

Original Print

For this print I used a dodging tool which I created using a piece of wire with black card taped to the end. I needed to dodge part of my photo to reduce the exposure time as the plant on the wall was coming up to dark, to create the desired effect throughout the exposure I slowly kept the dodge tool moving so the lighter part of the image was not a sudden effect which makes it look more realistic. 

Highlighting areas of interest

I exposed the paper for 3 seconds, put the coins on then exposed it for a further 4 seconds. I am not keen on this experiment, i like how key parts of the image show extra detail because they were exposed for a shorter time so the fact that i reigned in on the brickwork is more interesting but it isn't an experiment i enjoyed.

Press Printing

Using objects that relate to landscapes for press printing, I decided to use a brick as I have photographed a lot of urban landscapes so i decided it would be a good object to experiment with. I enjoyed press printing as you can decided more or less which part of your photo gets developed and it gives it an element of mystery as your left wandering what is missing. I would improve by using different methods of applying the developer.

Handmade negatives

A handmade negative is a negative made without the use of a camera. This could be drawing on tracing paper or acetate, also placing objects on photographic paper and exposing it to light which creates a photogram.

I used cellophane to act as the negative for my handmade negative, i then put washing up liquid sugar and blue food dye on top which made a beautiful pattern when i exposed it for 5 seconds on an aperture of 8. I experimented further by placing objects on top of the photographic paper but i think it would of been better if i cut out a stencil of a landscape/ some buildings. This was a good experience and i could also overlay the handmade negatives with normal negatives to create some really interesting prints.