What is a Photogram?A photogram is a type photograph created by layering objects on-top of light sensitive paper and then exposing the paper for a very short period of time under artificial light. A part from when exposing the paper needs to be kept in the dark at all times as it only takes a few seconds of light for the photogram to become over-exposed. After the exposure the photogram is developed in developer, stopper and fixer chemicals for the usual time of 1:1:5 minutes. A Brief History of PhotogramsThe photogram is yet another early form of photography originating from around 1800, said to be the first photographic negative (though not the first permanent photograph as that was by Nicéphore Niépce). The photogram was invented by William fox Talbot however it is said Anna Atkins also bares some responsibility for her work photographing plants and algae using cyanotypes. Side note- apparently some people class cyanotypes as a type of photogram as you place objects onto the paper but I digress. Initially photograms were made on metal plates however they were soon replaced with photographic paper as the metal plates weren’t viable for commercial use. In the early 20th the process was picked up by modernist artists such as Christian Schad and Man Ray who gave the technique new life, creating their "Schadographs" and "Rayographs". Admittedly a Schadograph and Rayograph are very similar the only real difference I can find is that Schad made his by layering old discarded tickets and recipes he found, whereas Ray focussed more on the surrealist approach. Photographing a range of household items in varying positions and playing with how the light would bounce off them. Historical PhotographersChristian SchadChristian Schad (1894-1982) was a German painter and photographer known for his interest in Dadaism and photograms. Though born in Germany he spent much of his life in the surrounding country’s of Europe including the Netherlands and Switzerland after he was forced to flee the Nazi in 1915 because of his pacifist ideology. However despite this it is really through his travels that his interest in Dadaism and alternative art really took of, having met a few influential artists of this movement. Schad’s first photogram was made in 1918 while living in Geneva. Using his new modernism approach he was able to breath new life into the technique. Though this is not explicitly stated anywhere, it is my believe that Schad may have influenced other artists of the time to take up the photogram. László Moholy-NagyLászló Moholy-Nagy was a Hungarian artist and photographer who lived from 1895 to 1946. During his life he was a keen graphic artist and teacher with an interest in the avant-garde. He took up art following an injury he suffered while serving in the austro-hungarian army. However it was until 1925-1927 that he took an interest in photography. An interest which led him to the photogram. When it comes to his photograms he uses a lot of layering, many of them featuring hands and some kind of wire of grid. He is also said to have used other materials such as graphite, varnish and/or paint on top of his photographic images. Short video I found on the Guggenheim Museums’ website about László Moholy-Nagy Contemporary PhotographersLiz NielsenLiz Nielsen is an American artist and photographer currently living in New York City. She is one of the few photogram artists who work in colour. A result she manages to achieve via a process of different layering papers on top of each other and exposing each part of the photographic separately under different coloured lights. It is in this way some liken Nielsen more to a painter then a photographer as she uses light more as a substitute for paint, to craft an abstract array of shapes and colours. She also works in varying sizes from 100 x 100 inches to 8 x 8 inches. Analysis of WorkThis is an Analogue Chromogenic Photogram on Fujiflex (a reflective silver halide printing paper) titled either “Space Tree” or “Together” (conflicting sources) by Liz Nielsen. It was created in either 2015 or 2017. As with most of Nielsen’s work it was created using coloured lights and piece of paper to block out areas she didn’t want exposed to certain light. As for the meaning, well it’s abstract so as with most pieces of this genre the interruption is up to the viewer. If we go with the idea that this piece is called “Together” then it could be said that perhaps this amalgamation is perhaps meant to be representative of the symbol for gender- with the circle in the middle and the line coming out. Or I could just be over thinking it and perhaps the name is just a reference to how all the shapes in the image come “Together” and converge in the circle. Another interruption is that is could resemble a tool of sorts or even a vanity mirror. Of course I still have yet to look at the angle of this being a “Space tree” and if I’m honest I don’t see a tree anywhere in the image, no matter how much you try to squint. But I suppose maybe thats the point, after all we don’t know what a tree from some alien planet would even look like so I guess in a way this makes sense. Again I am very much looking for answers in a place that may not have had any to begin with. But at any rate I cannot say for certain what the artist’s intention was with this piece. That being said i did however find this statement below about the collection I believe this piece is from. “"The work is made with a lot behind it from my own world, yet the way it is read often comes from what the viewer brings to each piece,” she says. “There are surprises for me sometimes, yet at this point, so much is intentional. My hope for the work is that it opens up a space inside of the person looking at it, and that space is an invitation into a new way of seeing. At its very best, I wish for the viewer to have an ‘ah-ha’ moment, a quantum leap inside the mind.””- Liz Nelson about her Smoke Signals collection to which I believe this image is a part of, as wrote by "It's nice that" Martha MadiganMartha Madigan is an American photographer who has experimented with a wide range of photographic mediums from cyanotypes to the newest digital cameras. She started using photograms in 1972 when she picked up the technique working as an undergraduate. A lot of her work focuses on themes of life, death and “the relationship between nature and culture, and the fleeting existence of the body”- Museum of Contemporary Photography. Analysis of WorkThis is a piece by Martha Madigan titled Clara (Autumn). It is a Chromogenic development photogram print dated from 1991-1994. And is perhaps one of Madigan’s more renown pieces. To create this Madigan says she lay multiple sheets of printing paper outside and had her daughter lie on them while the papers developed in the sunlight. After successfully making a silhouette, Madigan then spread leaves over the print and exposed the image a second time. Before finally adding a third layering of leaves and taking a photo in colour using a large-format camera. To create the finishing look Madigan then combined the all the prints together and created this wonder of layering. As for what Madigan may have been trying to say with the photogram well, since her work deals with a lot of themes around life and death it could be assumed that she was going for a ghostly appearance with this figure. Perhaps one might go as far to say the figure is the embodiment of death in this image. This is of course in sharp contrast to the blooming vivid leaves scattered around the silhouette. But if you really wanted to get morbid you could say this is a burial place, where some lone soul has just laid to be covered in leaves, in the ever continuing circle of life. ‘Tis certainly a more poetic interpretation, again not entirely sure if that is what Madigan was going for but considering her other works near with similar topics, I think its a valid conclusion. Short video from my tutor on how to make photograms. It helped me to pick up any information that may have missed during the lesson. My PhotogramThis is my photogram. To create this I took a sheet of photographic paper, placed it on the enlarger and then placed objects ontop. Before finally turning on the light of the enlarger for about 3 seconds and then developing it. As you can see the objects I choose to use were two peacock feathers, a round glass bowl and a strip of film. I decided to go with a 20s theme for this image for literally no other reason then I like the 20s. The end result I am quite happy with, especially the glass bowl that has casted quite an interesting shape onto the paper below. I also rather like the film too as at the time I choose it I didn't realise you would be able to see what was on the film through the enlarger's light. And so seeing it come up on the image was quite a surprise but nonetheless not an unwelcomed one. This is my second photogram, to create this I took a selection of synthetic leafs and layered them on top of eachother on the film before exposing them under the enlarger. This is the end result. All in all I’m quite happy with it as it looks like an X-ray of a pile of leaves. However upon reflection I think it would’ve been quite nice if i had included a small focal point, say something like a small jewel or something This is my third and final photogram. It is made of a selection of bottles I found and a few pieces of lace-like materials. For this one I decided to go with a Victorian-apothecary vibe for no other reason then I could. Must say I’m quite pleased with how it turned out, especially the right side of the image with the sharp edges of the objects. Future UseIn the future I may make use of photograms in the same fashion as cyanotypes in that I could use it to create relives of items which I could then use in my digital illustration work. Health and Safety![]()
Reference Links
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photogram
https://www.theartstory.org/artist/schad-christian/life-and-legacy/#nav
https://www.theartstory.org/artist/moholy-nagy-laszlo/life-and-legacy/#nav https://www.guggenheim.org/video/moholy-nagy-and-photographic-processes https://canvas.saatchiart.com/art/art-news/the-enduring-influence-of-moholy-nagy
https://www.lensculture.com/articles/liz-nielsen-chasing-light-through-color-a-conversation-with-liz-nielsen https://www.liznielsen.com/About https://www.liznielsen.com/Smoke-Signals https://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/liz-nielsen-photography-220218 https://blackboxprojects.art/exhibitions/6/works/artworks-37-liz-nielsen-space- tree-2015/
https://www.mocp.org/detail.php?t=objects&type=tag&f=1772&s=&record=0&tag=leaves
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What is a Cyanotype?A cyanotype is another type of early photography, consisting of a piece of paper with a mixture of potassium ferricyanide and ferric ammonium citrate painted onto it. To use it you simply place objects on the paper in a dark room and then take it outside to expose in natural light for about 20 minutes (may need more of less depending on the light level). Unlike some of the other early photographic methods to you do not need to use any of the developing chemicals to develop a cyanotype, instead you simply wash it under cold running water. This washes away the water-soluble part of the solution leaving the blue pigment in the paper. A Brief History of CyanotypeThe Cyanotype method was created in 1842 by the astronomer John Hershel. He originated the method as a way of copying his notes however despite this, the Cyanotype would go on to have many different applications including making blueprints and relief-like photographs of objects. The peak of cyanotype usage was during the Victorian era in England however as the century progressed and photographic methods advanced, it’s usage fizzled out. In modern times the cyanotype has slowly come back, being picked up by many contemporary photographers and artists. Historical PhotographersAnna AtkinsAnna Atkins (1799-1871) was a cyanotype photographer, known for her cyanotypes of flora. She is considering to be one of the first female photographers and the first to illustrate a book with photographic images. Atkins had a few major influences in her life that contributed to her interest in plants and photography. Most notable being her father John George Children (a renown chemist, mineralogist and zoologist) and Henry Fox Talbot, a friend of her father’s that taught her about his photographic inventions. Analysis of WorkThis is a cyanotype by Anna Atkins. It is called Dictyota Dichotoma (Forkweed) and is dated 1849-1850. It is perhaps one of Atkins more renown pieces and is currently on display at the New York Public Library. As you can see it is a cyanotype relief of Forkweed Atkins published in her book Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions. This image would’ve been very useful for both the public and the scientific community for identifying such plants as this was the first detailed photograph the likes of which had not been seen before. As for why Atkins might’ve chosen to create this image well, with her scientific background I think it would be safe to assume she did it to document botanical specimens for future reference for whom ever should need it. Henry BosseAnother historical photographer who used cyanotypes would be the German-American photographer, Henry Bosse (1844-1903). Known for his landscape cyanotypes which he created using large glass plates and sheets of french cyanotype measuring around 14” x 17”. Most of his photos are of engineering project along the upper Mississippi river. Contemporary PhotographersAngela ChalmersAngela Chalmers is an English photographer and artist who uses a combination of water based media such as cyanotypes and watercolours throughout her work. Most of her work explores themes of femininity and objects traditionally associated with it such as wedding dresses and christening gowns. When asked why she says she likes to explore “narratives and a sense of history through her work” hence the why she merges old, less-commonly used methods such as cyanotypes with the more commonly used watercolours. Analysis of workThis is a piece by Angela Chalmers called “Something About Mary”. It is a dress ( or a textile sculpture as Chalmers describes it) covered in cyanotypes of flowers, plants, birds and the image of a woman which may have been representative of a Miss Mary Craven. Chalmers created this dress in 2015 for the St Martin’s church in Scarborough after she fell in love with the stories of the church’s founder Mary Craven (1814-1889) and the Pre-Raphaelite artists that were responsible for the interior design of the church. It is for this reason I believe Chalmers decided to make the design out of cyanotypes as that sharp blue and white contrast is very reminiscent Victorian art, particularly the arts and crafts movement. As the long branches and flower pattern on the dress itself look at bit like something you might expect from a William Morris wallpaper of that time. Though with that being said the choice to include flowers could’ve been more of a conscious one as there is a story Mary Craven was once caught stealing flowers from the church grounds. I’m not entirely sure how significant (or reliable) that story is in the grander scope of things but nonetheless it is an interesting anecdote for Chalmers to reference in her piece. Some of the photos Chalmers has taken of the dress have an almost ghostly presents about them, having been taken from the back and framed it such a way that it looks like someone is actually wearing the dress. Perhaps Chalmers meant for it to seem like the ghost of Mary Craven inhabits the dress. Photographing it in such a way it looks like someone is praying at the church’s alter, something which I imagine Craven did a lot being the primary investor of said church. Barbara HazenBarbara Hazen is an Californian photographer who works primarily in cyanotypes and platinum palladium (a type of printing) processes. Her work explores themes of memory and family in an almost scrapbook like fashion. Many of her photos have been featured in publications such as B&W Magazine and Critical Mass. Hazen has also had a number of solo and group exhibitions. Video of my tutor explaining cyanotypes. This helped me to refresh my mind and remember anything I had forgotten from the initial lesson. My CyanotypesThis is the cyanotype I made. It is a layed piece made placing a bike cassette ontop of some lace and then exposing it for about half an hour. I choose these items as I thought they seemed quite steampunk together and I love me a bit of modern vintage. Im quite pleased with the end result, though I must admit I'd had preferred it if the lace and gear came up a bit sharper. I suppose that's probably a byproduct of placing the gear on the lace which could've easily blown in the wind and disrupted the exposure. However with that being said I do like my little cyanotype, especially the bit of lace under the gear as it's come up rather well. This is probably down to the fact that the gear itself was holding that part of the lace in place throughout the exposure. After making my first cyanotype I decided to make a second, this time using items I had at home. For this one I decided use: two necklaces with a lace texture I layered on top of each other, a perfume bottle which I hoped would give an interesting impression with how the light would behave with the liquid and glass. And finally a pair of steampunk-esque goggles I have. I then exposed the entire thing for probably about 5 hours of actual sun light; I didn’t really intent to leave it that long. Initially I was only going to leave it for about an hour or two since it was such a cloudy day, but I just kind of forgot. In the end, it probably is a tad over exposed but all in all I think it turned out alright. I’m particularly happy with the sharp edges of the necklaces and the ghostly imprint of the perfume bottle. Admittedly I would’ve liked there to be more detail on the goggles since the lenses themselves are such a weird shape. But I suppose that is the problem with cyanotypes, in that they capture the shape but not necessarily the texture of an object. Something I did consider but figured would be alright since light can pass through the lenses of the goggles. But regardless I still kind of like it. One thing I did notice after the fact was that my second cyanotype is in fact a light blue in the areas where it should in fact be white. This is probably a result of not washing all of the chemical out which in turn causes the paper to change to a light blue as there was still pigment in the "white" areas. Next time I should probably wash the cyanotype for longer to ensure all the chemical has dissolved. Future UseI might use cyanotypes in the future as I quite enjoyed the process and I also rather liked the end result with blue and white. Though it seems unlikely I will use this technique in the future I could (if I so choose), use it as a means of collecting 2D relives which I could then incorporate into my illustration work either digitally or analogue-ly. Health and Safety![]()
The two chemicals used in the cyanotype process are ferric ammonium citrate and potassium ferricyanide. Though neither pose a risk, some people have been reported to have allergic reactions. T'is for this reason it is advised to wear gloves when handling the chemicals just in case. It is also a good idea to wear a mask if you use the powder solutions to make up your cyanotypes. Though very unlikely it is possible to create hydrogen cyanide gas when potassium ferricyanide is heated to above 149˚C or combined with an acid. As this is a poisonous gas it is heavily advised not to heat or add an acid to potassium ferricyanide. Reference Links
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyanotype
https://arthistoryproject.com/artists/anna-atkins/dictyota-dichotoma-forkweed/
https://americanart.si.edu/artist/henry-bosse-6667 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Peter_Bosse
https://www.axisweb.org/p/angelachalmers/ https://www.friendsofstmartins.co.uk/artist-in-residence/
https://barbarahazen.com
What is Pinhole Photography?Pinhole photography (also known as the "camera obsura") is a type of photography that involves creating a light-tight room or box and then punching a small pin sized hole into one of the sides. The light from outside the box is then projected onto the opposite side of the hole. The image can then be recorded using light sensitive paper or film. A Brief History of PinholeThe first recorded pinhole photo was taken in 1827 by Nicéphore Niépce. However despite this there is evidence that pinhole photography has been around for a very long time, though be it in more rudimentary forms. The earliest description of what we now call “pinhole photography” can be traced back as far as 500BC, where such descriptions have been found in Chinese Mozi writings. Of course pinhole photography wasnt just limited to the Chinese. Over the last 2000 or so years it has spread across the world in various adaptations where it has picked up a few different uses, one of which being its use as a drawing aid for 17th century artists. Historical PhotographersA few notable historical photographers who used this technique include such people as; The 10th century Arab physicist Ibn al-Haytham who described using the Camera Obscura effect to study light and the stars. The Renaissance Artists Leonardo da Vinci, Leon Battista Alberti and Flippo Brunelleschi whom all helped to advance the understanding of the Camera Obscura and the basis of the one-point perspective. Nicéphore Niépce the 19th century French inventor who is believed to have taken the longest surviving photo using the pinhole technique. Contemporary PhotographersDespite its age pinhole photography is still used today by a number of modern photographers, all achieving a wide range of different effects. A few of the more renown photographers who use this technique include; Justin QuinnellJustin Quinnell an english photographer born and raised in Kent and one of the more notorious pinhole photographers of recent. Mainly in part down to his habit of taking photos from inside his mouth, creating some very unique perspectives. Not to say that’s the only pinholes he’s made but they are certainly some of the more striking. Analysis of workThis is a pinhole photograph by Justin Quinnell. Done by placing one of his “smileycams” in his mouth. A “smileycam” is what Quinnell calls his tiny small pinhole cameras he uses to take exposures from inside his mouth. Fun fact he also sells them on his website. In this particular photo he has his finger in his mouth creating an interesting composition in that his finger is the main centre point of the photo that slowly brings you out to his teeth which frame the photo. It’s interesting that Quinnell choose to have a completely black background for this photo, perhaps it was intentional to contrast the light pinks and whites of his hand and finger. Or perhaps it was just so not to over-complicate the image. At any rate the end result is nonetheless striking. As for the colour pallet of the image, its a lot of dark colours with a splash of warmth. For this it could be extrapolated that Quinnell perhaps boosted the saturation of the image though that could just be how the photo looked originally Barbara EssBarbara Ess, an American pinhole photographer known for her dramatic large scale photos. She often left the intention of her photos vague as to encourage people to come to their own interruptions about her work. Ess first got interested in pinhole photography when she stumbled upon a diagram of a Camera Obscura and decided to build her own. She said she was particularly drawn to the technique as “my mind works better when my means are narrowed” referring to the limited capabilities of the pinhole compared to say the modern cameras. Analysis of workThis is a pinhole photograph taken by Barbara Ess. It is from 2000 however I do not believe it has a name, with that being said it was however used as the cover of Ess’s photography book “I am not this body” published in 2005. The subject of this photo is of course Ess herself moving through a field. The composition of this image is quite interesting as you have the blurred image of Ess in the foreground and then the seemingly never ending expanse of field behind, pared with the long glow of the horizon at the very back. All encompassed in this monochrome hue giving the image an almost morbid feeling- as if there was an impending doom about to befall the subject, metaphorically speaking. Considering as Ess has always said she aims to photograph that which cannot be photographed, I’d say this interruption is quite a valid one. Whether or not that was the actual intent behind the image I can not say but nonetheless it is certainly interesting how many interruptions could be conjured up by this image. Now as for the method, from the looks of it it’s just a simple exposure taken by Ess as she was walking through a field- I’m extrapolating as I can’t find anything that explicitly states how she created this image. Tutor’s VideoVideo helped me to understand and visualise how pinhole cameras actually work as I had a hard time understanding how a tiny hole in dark box could even make a photograph to begin with. Also helped to refresh my memory when it came to typing up this blog. My PinholesThis is my collection of pinholes photographs I made. The first pinhole is a photo of the flower bed outside of the college’s main entrance. The second a small wall around the back of college. The third is a tad more complicated in that in was taken under a tree in a flower bed looking up to the sky, it also has a piece of lace that has been placed inside the actual pinhole box but I shall explain more momentarily. To create these pinholes we first selected a pinhole box each (a wooden light-tight box lined with black card with a tiny pin sized hole in the front to allow the smallest amount of light through that is needed for the exposure). Using the dark room we then took a small pic of photographic paper and placed it in the box. Sealed it back up and then took it outside to do the exposure. The day we did the first 2 pinholes it was rather overcast so we did each exposure for roughly 30 seconds. After we resealed the box that we then took it back into the dark room , took the photo out and developed it. I gave my photos each about 1 minute in the developer , 1 in the stopper and 5 in the fix before finally washing the chemicals off for about another 5 minutes. This is the end result. Though I can't say my photos have any hidden meaning or some kind of special merit to them, I do believe these first 2 were good practice for myself in learning what and how pinhole works. As for the third one, I created that one a couple days later, after wondering what and how putting objects in the actual pinhole camera would effect the end result. I decided to use some lace I found, firstly because lace has a lot of gaps and so would let more light in then say other materials, and secondly because I just like lace. As I previously mentioned when taking the photo I decided to place it under a tree in a flower bed. Why? Well I wanted the texture of the lace to come up quite sharp on the image and so figured a more intense exposure might work and because I didn’t want to over complicate the photo by having too much in the background (like a massive building for example). And so the light spotting of leaves seemed like a good alternative. I did also hope to get some of the flowers from the flower bed in the frame for a little extra layering, but it would seem the pinhole camera itself was too big to place between the flowers in such a way that you would be able to see them in the photo. Upon developing I do think this photo may have been a tad over-exposed. Probably because I angled it directly at the sun and didn’t take that fact into account when deciding how long the exposure should be. I exposed it for 30 seconds, the same as the other two photos I had taken previously. Future Use of PinholeIn the future I may make use of the pinhole technique as it goes quite well with my interest in the Victorian aesthetic and the more occult side of things (things like ghost photography for example). I could also use it to create reference images for my drawings if I fancied doing something ghostly and grainy. Health and Safety![]()
Reference Links
https://www.alternativephotography.com/pinhole-history/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinhole_camera
https://www.researchgate.net/figure/The-camera-obscura-sketched-by-Leonardo-da-Vinci-in-Codex-Atlanticus-1515-preserved-in_fig1_291379167
https://www.lomography.com/magazine/64615-a-conversation-with-the-pinhole-wizard-justin-quinnell
https://www.lensculture.com/books/4103-i-am-not-this-body-the-pinhole-photographs-of-barbara-ess https://www.dazeddigital.com/art-photography/gallery/29603/0/barbara-ess |