USING SLR CAMERA & DEVELOPING FILM

During the second week we used an SLR camera and shot some film in partners. We went around the college and took photos to somehow show order and chaos. Once we had taken all our shots we then had to go into a pitch black room to take out the film and prepare it to be developed. To develop the film we had to follow the steps below.

IN TOTAL DARKNESS: Open the cassette, remove the film spool and trim the end of the film so that it can go into the spiral. After this step you need to load the film onto the spiral (making sure that all the film has been placed in the spiral by twisting it). Then fit the tube in the centre of the spiral and place in the tank body. Fit the funnel top onto the tank and making sure that it is screwed on straight (there should be a slight 'click' if the lid is on straight).

PREPARING CHEMISTRY: Using water at 20C add one part water to one part of X-Tol Developer: If you are only developing one 35mm film it needs a total of 300ml mixed solution- 
150ml X-Tol + 150ml Water = 300ml
If you are developing two 35mm films, or one 120mm films needs a today of 600ml mixed solutions-
300ml X-Tol + 300ml Water = 600ml

DEVELOPING: Pour the mixed developer into the tank and fit the sealing lid. Immediately start the timer as soon as the developer is in the tank, for 100/125 ISO film - 9 minutes and for 400 ISO film - 11 minutes. Give the tank a tap on the bench to dislodge any bubbles on the film. During the film 30 seconds invert the tank fully continuously then every 30 seconds during development avert the tank twice. Will you are waiting prep the same amount (300ml or 600ml) of Stop and Fix ready in separate measuring cylinders. Then 15 seconds before the developing time is up, pour the developer into a waste tank.

STOP: Fill the tank with the stop bath, invert twice and pour the stop back into the same bottle.

FIX: Fill tank the fixer, invert continuously for 30 seconds, Fix for 4 minutes, inverting every 30 seconds, then pour the fix back to the original bottle.

WASH: Fill the tank with water at 20C, invert 5 times, then empty completely. Refill the tank for a second time, but this time invert 10 times and empty completely. Refill the tank for the last time but invert 20 times then empty completely.

RINSE & DRY: Remove lids from the tank, take the spiral out and remove centre tube from it. Immerse the spiral in a Wetting Agent bath  for a few seconds and shake a little. Carefully remove the film from the spiral and at this point it is very delicate. So being very careful, wipe the film once to remove any extra liquid, then add some clips to hang in the drying cabinet for approximately 10-15 minutes or until dry.

SLEEVING: Once the film is dry and the clips have been removed, cut the film into strips of six frames and place it in a sleeve.

TESTING EXPOSURE TIMES

TESTING EXPOSURE TIMES

PHOTOGRAM PHOTOGRAPHER/ MAN RAY RESEARCH

Man Ray was born as Emmanuel Radnitzky in 1892 to a Russian Jewish immigrant family in Philadelphia. The family soon relocated to Williamsburg in Brooklyn, New York. Here, is where Ray spent most of his childhood. In high school, Ray Learned freehand drawing, drafting and the basic techniques of architecture and engineering. While he was growing up you worked hard towards becoming a painter, so he took odd jobs working as a commercial artist.

While he lived in New York, he would often visit galleries and museums; he became attracted to contemporary avant-garde art from Europe. In 1912, he enrolled in the Ferrer School and became developing as a serious artist. His most influential work four example, Glass Tears and most of his photograph/photograms. Also his fashion photography for Vogue and Vanity Fair were produced around this time.

In 1924 Man Ray hired someone to be his assistant artist. She soon became his lover and the subject in his photographs for three years. During their time together, they reinvented 'solarisation'. Solarisation is a photography process in which the image recorded on a photographic print is fully or partially reversed in tone. This means that the dark areas appear light and the light areas appear dark. While he was trying to develop his photographs in the darkroom, Ray discovered a technique to process photographic paper called 'photogram'. This is a process that is also called camera-less photography and emerged in various avant-garde contexts in the early 1920s. A photogram is a process in which you use light sensitive photographic paper and expose it with an enlarger machine, with objects placed onto the paper to create transparency or an opaque colour. He nicknamed this process 'Rayograms'. Ray explored this technique for more than 40 years and in the process he created many of his most important work, including two portfolio books entitled 'Champs Délicieux' and 'Électricité'. Although many of Man Ray's work is in the photography field, he did work in a variety of other media, including painting, writing and film.

Sadly in 1940, Ray was forced to leave France because of the war and so he decided to move to Los Angeles in America. Here he met his last wife, Juliet Browner and they later married in 1946. However, back in 1944, Ray had his first retrospective. This is an exhibition showing the development of an artist work over a period of time. This was held at the Pasadena Art Institute and this showcased most of Man Ray's paintings, drawings, watercolours, and photography from his thirty-year span as an artist. While living in Hollywood, his career still grew and he became very successful. However, Ray was unsatisfied with the city having a lack of interesting or exciting qualities and he felt as if he didn't have the kind of appreciation that he deserved. Ray thought that American critics didn't believe that he could go from one medium to another and ultimately his success in commercial photography confused them. 

Eventually, Ray decided to return back to Montparnasse, France in 1951. And upon his arrival, he began writing his autobiography to explain himself to the people who couldn't understand or misinterpreted his work. Later in 1963, Man Ray released his book called 'Self-portrait'. Shortly after, he died at the age of 86 in 1976 from a lung infection. However, the whole time leading up to his death, he continued to work on new paintings, photographs, collages and more. 

The main subject in this photo is the flower and it's arranged in the centre of the frame. The important elements in the frame is the centre of the flower. It almost looks as if it is an explosion in the centre of the picture. As I look at the image my eye is automatically drawn to the middle. The gentile of the photo is the most in focus and as the flower extends to the petals it becomes more blurry. The petals on the flower are the most blurry because it was not pressed in glass when it was on the light-sensitive photographic paper when it was being exposed. Towards the centre of the flower, there is a strong contrast between the light and dark. However, on the ends of the petals in almost fades into the background. Ray created this photogram by using the enlarger machine to expose the piece of photographic paper with the flower placed on top of it. Then either using a large machine that develops, fixes and then drys the print or just simply using the chemicals in itself with the required time.

DARKROOM HEALTH & SAFETY

Keep work area clean, uncluttered and uncontaminated to prevent tripping over hazardous chemical bottles. Store all chemicals in locations that will minimise the chance of breakage and splashing. 

Clean up any chemical spills immediately! Wipe up with paper towels, cleaning until you are certain the chemicals are gone. Chemistry dries, turns to powder, gets on clothes and books, and then into your lungs or absorbed into your skin.

Don’t eat, drink or smoke in the darkroom. Also no phones allowed as it interferes with the photographic paper.

The darkroom should be well ventilated as there are some fumes from the chemicals - The extractor fan MUST be switched on whenever the chemicals are in use.

Wear appropriate protective equipment whenever possible (gloves, goggles, etc) - You must use tongs when processing black and white paper. The only place you may use bare hands is to remove prints from the water bath or to wash prints. Developers are toxic, especially if absorbed through the skin over long periods of time.

Always wash hands with soap and warm water after working with the chemicals.

Store all chemicals in locations that will minimise the chance of breakage and splashing.

Always segregate chemicals and label all containers. Keep all containers and trays closed or covered when not in use to prevent the release of toxic gases.

When disposing chemicals they should be disposed into appropriate waste containers. 

Keep all chemicals off your skin, out of your mouth, and away from your eyes. If you get any chemicals on your skin, flush the area immediately with cool running water.

Only an instructor or student aid (who has received the proper training) may mix chemistry. If you need chemicals mixed, seek out the instructor. Do not mix or pour chemicals at eye level, as a splash could be harmful.

There is to be NO running within the darkroom at any time. 

 

CAROUSEL/ WEEK 1/ PHOTOGRAPHY

PHOTOGRAPHY

TECHNICAL SKILLS

- Pinhole camera/photography

Using the boxes with pin holes to expose photographic paper when taking the photo.

 

- Changing the Aperture (to change the depth of field)

Using the camera settings to change the aperture before taking the photo to either focus the foreground and not the background or focusing everything in the shot.

 

- Changing the Shutter Speed (to create motion)

Using the camera settings to change the shutter speed before taking a photo to either freeze motion in time or to create a blur from the movement in the shot.

 

 

- Using the enlarger (to create photograms)

Using the enlarger machine to expose photographic paper with objects that I had to create some transparency and some block white colour.

 

PROCESSES (and understanding)

- Exposing photographic paper to light to create a negative image.

- Developing the photographic paper so that the image comes through.

- Inverting the photographic paper so that it becomes a positive image.

 

SHUTTER SPEED

SLOW SHUTTER SPEED: 

 Having a slow shutter speed (creating a long exposure) can blur the moving object to create very interesting effects. The lower the number the slower the shutter speed is for instance 1/15s. I created this image of the red car by propping my camera up on a sturdy table, and when the car drove past I pressed the shutter release button and the photo was taken. The zoom that these photos were taken with was 18mm-24mm. The picture of the red car was taken with a very slow shutter speed of 1/8s. As you can see the red car was moving and due to the slow shutter speed the car became blurred but the background was still in focus as it wasn't moving.

SHUTTER SPEED 1/8s

SHUTTER SPEED 1/8S

FAST SHUTTER SPEED: 

Having a faster shutter speed (creating a short exposure of the film/sensor) makes the image/object freeze in motion. The higher the number the faster the shutter speed,for example 1/1000s. I created these images by holding the camera in my hands with no tripod, then pressing the shutter release button just as the coffee was pouring out or as the water from the tap was running. The image of the coffee was taken with a very high shutter speed of 1/1000s. Here you can see that the image of the coffee is very sharp and everything is in focus, this is because the shutter speed was set up to be very fast to catch the moving coffee with little blur. The other image of the running water was taken with 1/1000s and as you can see the camera has frozen the water in motion.

SHUTTER SPEED 1/1000s

SHUTTER SPEED 1/1000s

APERTURE

LARGE APERTURE: 

Having a large aperture gives shallow depths of field, the smaller the f number the larger the aperture (for example, f2.8 or f4.5). These photos were taken with no tripod just hand-held but zoomed in at 45mm. This photo of the fence was taken with a high aperture of f5 meaning that the background is very blurred however the foreground, is very in focus and has a sharp image. The other image of the flower was taken with an aperture of f5.6, as you can see the yellow flower is very much in focus compared to the background.

APERTURE f5

APERTURE f5.6

SMALL APERTURE: 

However, for smaller apertures to give a wide depth of field, the larger the number the smaller the aperture (for instance f18-f32).The small aperture is best used in landscape photography as everything in the photo needs to be sharp and clean. These photos were taken with no tripod just hand-held but with a zoom of 35mm-45mm. The photo of the coke bottle was taken with a very small aperture of f32 creating a very sharp image in the foreground as well as the background unlike the previous photos. The second photo of the 5mph street sign was also shot with a f32 aperture to make the sign in focus as well as the background building.

APERTURE f32

APERTUREf32

THEORY OF SEMIOTICS

In the darkroom, when it comes to processing film or photographic paper temperature and timing are critical. While processing the film or photographic paper dust and fingerprints can completely ruin the picture so you must handle with care. Do not handle paper with wet hands. If you have the fix chemical on your fingers it would result in white fingerprints if you touch the print. You must fix the prints for the required time to avoid any purple staining. Also make sure that you wash the prints thoroughly before drying to avoid a yellow tint. We went into the darkroom and experimented with positive and negatives using the enlarger to expose the photographic paper with the object placed on top of it.

Materials

Photographic Paper

Enlarger Machine

Developer Chemical

Stopper Chemical

Fixer Chemical

Personal objects

Processes

Place the exposed photographic paper in the developer and leave for 2 minutes. Then remove the paper from the developer and place in the stopper chemical for 10 seconds. After that, place in the fixer chemical for 1 minute. Lastly, remove from the chemical and leave to wash in clean water for 5 minutes. Once it has been washed clean from any chemicals place in a dryer until it is dry.

ANATOMY OF A DSLR

SHUTTER RELEASE:

This is the button you press to take your photo. If your camera is on auto, by half-pressing this button it will activate the autofocus.

-DEPTH OF FIELD (DOF) PREVIEW BUTTON

This allows you to see how much of the scene will be kept in focus with your chosen aperture.

FINGER WHEEL:

Use this to scroll through settings like aperture and shutter speed as well as internal functions (ISO, exposure, white balance etc).

LENS MOUNT:

DSLR's have the ability of changing and shaping lenses, so that you are able to shoot with more flexibility.

LENS RELEASE:

This should be held down while turning the lens to detach it. To attach another lens hold down the release while slotting the lens in and twist till it clicks into place. 

MODE DIAL:

This is used to swap between the different shooting modes. For example automatic, aperture priority, shutter-speed priority , etc.

FOCAL LENGTH MEASUREMENTS:

These numbers refer to the different versatile focal length. All measurements for the lens' are in millimetres. The distance is measured from the inbuilt light sensor at the back of the camera to the lens at the front.

ZOOM and FOCUS RINGS:

These are used to control the focal length (zoom in and out) of the lens and the manually adjust the focus. These also make the subject appear closer or further away.

DIOPTRE:

This is a feature that allows you to alter the focus of the viewfinder to suit your eyesight especially if someone wears glasses, they are able to view through the viewfinder clearer.

VIEWFINDER:

The SLR (single-lens reflex) system allows you to see exactly what the camera will shoot, until the moment you shoot it, as the shutter will go off when you take the photo.

FUNCTION BUTTONS:

These give you access to the main menu and image playback facility, as well as other function short-cuts including zooming in and out of photos.

CARD SLOT:

This part is to be able to insert or remove your memory card. The higher-spec models have a waterproof seal to keep out the rain and moisture.

THUMB DIAL:

This is allows you to change the settings without entering the menu. It also works when you want to increase or decrease settings like the aperture or the shutter speed , etc.

AE (auto-exposure) and AF (autofocus) LOCK BUTTON:

This button allows you to stick with your existing light metering or focusing settings when you change the environment settings (for instance if you move to darker or lighter area) or to change the focal point.

LCD SCREEN:

This screen allows you to view your photos and allows access to the main menu which you can also change the settings on. 

FOUR-WAY SELECTOR:

This is used to navigate menus and on some models it also offers short-cuts to camera settings.

DARKROOM PHOTOGRAMS

In the darkroom, when it comes to processing film or photographic paper temperature and timing are critical. While processing the film or photographic paper dust and fingerprints can completely ruin the picture so you must handle with care. Do not handle paper with wet hands. If you have the fix chemical on your fingers it would result in white fingerprints if you touch the print. You must fix the prints for the required time to avoid any purple staining. Also make sure that you wash the prints thoroughly before drying to avoid a yellow tint. We went into the darkroom and experimented with positive and negatives using the enlarger to expose the photographic paper with the object placed on top of it.

Materials

Photographic Paper

Enlarger Machine

Developer Chemical

Stopper Chemical

Fixer Chemical

Personal objects

Processes

Place the exposed photographic paper in the developer and leave for 2 minutes. Then remove the paper from the developer and place in the stopper chemical for 10 seconds. After that, place in the fixer chemical for 1 minute. Lastly, remove from the chemical and leave to wash in clean water for 5 minutes. Once it has been washed clean from any chemicals place in a dryer until it is dry.