Foundation
Early history of photography
Ideas of exploring and representing the reality of nature became popular amongst artists such as Leonardo Da Vinci during the renaissance period. The camera obscura was created for this purpose. It is a dark room/space in which an inverted image was projected onto a surface. Artists such as Caravaggio used camera obscuras to sketch art, and by the 1700's they were very popular.
The camera lucida was a smaller apparatus developed to be a portable optical device. This was much more convenient for artists as it was more controllable and did not require a dark room at all times.
The first photograph was taken by Joseph Niepce in 1827. The 19th century saw the rise of the industrial revolution, which saw scientists endeavouring to reproduce reality in a fixed format. Niepce's partner Louis Daguerre created the Daguerreotype, a type of photograph which was laterally reversed and monochromatic printed onto a metal plate. In 1839, the French government bought the Daguerrotype and declares it free to the world.
Around the same time the Daguerrotype was invented, an Englishman named William Talbot developed another type of photograph called the Calotype. The Calotype was winning the competition between Britain and France at this point due to the fact that it could be reproduced as as a negative as opposed to being a single, unduplicatable image. The Calotype was improved over the years as technology advanced . This type of photography is still used today.
Early photography was much like potraits at the time. Many photographers were concerned with documentation and focused on traditional fine art themes such as portraiture and landscape.
By the end of the 19th century photographers started to assert their own identity, separate to that of contemporary artists.
Ideas of exploring and representing the reality of nature became popular amongst artists such as Leonardo Da Vinci during the renaissance period. The camera obscura was created for this purpose. It is a dark room/space in which an inverted image was projected onto a surface. Artists such as Caravaggio used camera obscuras to sketch art, and by the 1700's they were very popular.
The camera lucida was a smaller apparatus developed to be a portable optical device. This was much more convenient for artists as it was more controllable and did not require a dark room at all times.
The first photograph was taken by Joseph Niepce in 1827. The 19th century saw the rise of the industrial revolution, which saw scientists endeavouring to reproduce reality in a fixed format. Niepce's partner Louis Daguerre created the Daguerreotype, a type of photograph which was laterally reversed and monochromatic printed onto a metal plate. In 1839, the French government bought the Daguerrotype and declares it free to the world.
Around the same time the Daguerrotype was invented, an Englishman named William Talbot developed another type of photograph called the Calotype. The Calotype was winning the competition between Britain and France at this point due to the fact that it could be reproduced as as a negative as opposed to being a single, unduplicatable image. The Calotype was improved over the years as technology advanced . This type of photography is still used today.
Early photography was much like potraits at the time. Many photographers were concerned with documentation and focused on traditional fine art themes such as portraiture and landscape.
By the end of the 19th century photographers started to assert their own identity, separate to that of contemporary artists.
Photograms
A photogram is a photographic image made without a camera by placing objects directly onto the surface of a photo-sensitive material such as photographic paper and then exposing it to light. The result is a negative shadow image varying in tone, depending on the transparency of the objects used. Areas of the paper that have received no light appear white; those exposed through transparent or semi-transparent objects appear grey.
Solarisation (or solarization) is a phenomenon in photography in which the image recorded on a negative or on a photographic print is wholly or partially reversed in tone. Dark areas appear light or light areas appear dark. The term is synonymous with the Sabattier effect when referring to negatives.
A pinhole camera is a simple camera without a lens but with a tiny aperture, a pinhole – effectively a light-proof box with a small hole in one side. Light from a scene passes through the aperture and projects an inverted image on the opposite side of the box, which is known as the camera obscura effect. I made a positive print of one of the photos I took via creating a sandwich print. This is done through combing two negatives or slides into the film carrier of the enlarger and printing on one sheet of paper as one image.
A photogram is a photographic image made without a camera by placing objects directly onto the surface of a photo-sensitive material such as photographic paper and then exposing it to light. The result is a negative shadow image varying in tone, depending on the transparency of the objects used. Areas of the paper that have received no light appear white; those exposed through transparent or semi-transparent objects appear grey.
Solarisation (or solarization) is a phenomenon in photography in which the image recorded on a negative or on a photographic print is wholly or partially reversed in tone. Dark areas appear light or light areas appear dark. The term is synonymous with the Sabattier effect when referring to negatives.
A pinhole camera is a simple camera without a lens but with a tiny aperture, a pinhole – effectively a light-proof box with a small hole in one side. Light from a scene passes through the aperture and projects an inverted image on the opposite side of the box, which is known as the camera obscura effect. I made a positive print of one of the photos I took via creating a sandwich print. This is done through combing two negatives or slides into the film carrier of the enlarger and printing on one sheet of paper as one image.
the following 10 images are pictures I took while talking through East London and Fifth Avenue in New York City. I like modern architecture and urban landscapes very much and these are the best out of all the ones I took. I took all of them on my iPhone 5s.
The Film Camera
In a film camera, the light passes through a lens, which sharpens the image and controls the intensity of light through a control known as the 'aperture'. The light is allowed to hit the film for a period of time, which is controlled by a shutter mechanism.
The Contact Sheet
For every great photo there are plenty of other ones taken before and after that often goes unseen. The contact sheet is a a sheet that contain those photos. In a darkroom an exposed and developed piece of photographic film is placed emulsion side down, in contact with a piece of photographic paper, light is briefly shone through the negative and then the paper is developed to reveal the final print. These photos are often only seen by the photographer, and it's said that a lot can be learned about a photographer by judging their contact sheet.
In a film camera, the light passes through a lens, which sharpens the image and controls the intensity of light through a control known as the 'aperture'. The light is allowed to hit the film for a period of time, which is controlled by a shutter mechanism.
The Contact Sheet
For every great photo there are plenty of other ones taken before and after that often goes unseen. The contact sheet is a a sheet that contain those photos. In a darkroom an exposed and developed piece of photographic film is placed emulsion side down, in contact with a piece of photographic paper, light is briefly shone through the negative and then the paper is developed to reveal the final print. These photos are often only seen by the photographer, and it's said that a lot can be learned about a photographer by judging their contact sheet.
Using a Spool Funnel
I put my film into a spool and close the lid of the developing tank tightly. There is a funnel above the film. I then proceeded to mix chemicals with water (30ml chemicals and 270ml water). This results in 300ml of solution that I poured through the funnel to mix with the film. I kept the solution mixed with the film for 9 minutes and 25 seconds, shaking it about 5 times every minute. Afterwards I poured stop (a different liquid) into the spool and did the same thing for 6 minutes. After that I poured Fix in it briefly before pouring water and leaving it out for about half an hour. I took the film out after this and proceeded to make a contact sheet with the film I have in hand.
I put my film into a spool and close the lid of the developing tank tightly. There is a funnel above the film. I then proceeded to mix chemicals with water (30ml chemicals and 270ml water). This results in 300ml of solution that I poured through the funnel to mix with the film. I kept the solution mixed with the film for 9 minutes and 25 seconds, shaking it about 5 times every minute. Afterwards I poured stop (a different liquid) into the spool and did the same thing for 6 minutes. After that I poured Fix in it briefly before pouring water and leaving it out for about half an hour. I took the film out after this and proceeded to make a contact sheet with the film I have in hand.