Photograms experiment
A photogram is a piece of photographic (light sensitive) paper that has been exposed to light, it darkens. Therefore, you can actually create an image on the paper just by putting an object on top of it and exposing the paper to light.
We went in the darkroom and using photographic development paper we chose opaque items (that would not let light through) and also semi opaque objects to see what the outcome would be.
Development process
1 we placed items on the photographic paper in the dark so nothing is exposed to light
2 we shone a bright light on to it very briefly with the enlarger to expose the photographic paper that was left showing - the timing depended on how much light we wanted to have in the photo
3 carefully the paper was placed into the developer chemical for about 2 minutes
4 then the paper was placed into the stop mixture for 2 minutes to stop the picture developing any further
5 finally the paper was placed into the fix mixture and then hung up to dry
Final result
I think this experiment worked very well. There was strong contrast between the outlines of the objects against the background.
the calculator because it blocked out too much light and you couldn't see the details and it looked like a big block. It could have gone better if we'd shone the light for a shorter time - it would have come out less bright and might have been less of a solid shape
the lace cat didn't work because the intricate patten didn't block out enough light and therefore it was fuzzy was very faint I could of improved this by giving it a longer exposure and making sure the light sensitive paper very still so the shape is more clear.
We went in the darkroom and using photographic development paper we chose opaque items (that would not let light through) and also semi opaque objects to see what the outcome would be.
Development process
1 we placed items on the photographic paper in the dark so nothing is exposed to light
2 we shone a bright light on to it very briefly with the enlarger to expose the photographic paper that was left showing - the timing depended on how much light we wanted to have in the photo
3 carefully the paper was placed into the developer chemical for about 2 minutes
4 then the paper was placed into the stop mixture for 2 minutes to stop the picture developing any further
5 finally the paper was placed into the fix mixture and then hung up to dry
Final result
I think this experiment worked very well. There was strong contrast between the outlines of the objects against the background.
- The headphones worked very well because they blocked out the light and had a clear shape
- The hands made a strong outline and depending on how much pressure you put on the paper you get different effects e.g. light pressure gives a ghostly effect and a feeling of movement from the blurred edges. This looked interesting and I'd like to try this again with different objects such as leaves.
- the film worked well because the negative partially let though light so it developed photos
the calculator because it blocked out too much light and you couldn't see the details and it looked like a big block. It could have gone better if we'd shone the light for a shorter time - it would have come out less bright and might have been less of a solid shape
the lace cat didn't work because the intricate patten didn't block out enough light and therefore it was fuzzy was very faint I could of improved this by giving it a longer exposure and making sure the light sensitive paper very still so the shape is more clear.
Laszlo Moholy-Nagy
The Hungarian artist Moholy Nagy was one of the most important modernist artists of the 20th Century and was a pioneer of avant garde photography. He used photograms to experiment with the nature of light and shade and created complex and fascinating images that often look almost 3 dimensional with their layered effects.
Man Ray
Man Ray made his photograms called rayographs by placing objects onto photosensitive paper and exposing it to light, and made abstract and dream like images which also inspired other avant garde artists. He experimented with moving objects as they were exposed and experimented juxtaposing ordinary every day things with unusual objects .
Thomas Ruff is a contemporary German artists who makes photograms on a much larger scale than earlier artists, and using 3d software. He was inspired by artists like Man Ray and Mahology Nagy.