Camera-less Photography
Imaginary Photograph
The image I have taken is full of lines, moving in their own direction, it is based around the corner of two tables that meet. There is a chair to the right and a cable ring to the left. In the background there are other chair legs on the floor creating more intersecting parallel lines. The light is coming from in front of the photo, this creates a highlighting effect on the back of the chair, which picks out the rim. I chose to include this because the light emphasises the curved line of the chair. If I had a camera, I would put sharp focus onto the objects in the foreground, so the chair and anything on the two tables would be clear. On the other hand, I would make the objects on the ground, in the background blurred, because I want the for front images to be the main subject of focus because they are the subjects that this photograph is based on. There is no colour in my photograph, the only colour that is present, is a slight hue of yellow gained from reflection from the light above, and red coming from a multicoloured pencil case to the right which out of shot. This slight hue of colour would be the reason why I would take this photograph in colour rather than in black and white. Even by having the slightest amount of colour adds an extra shade and level of detail to the picture and since there is a lot of blank white space created on the tables, the coloured shadow fills it up making the photograph more interesting to the viewer. I would take the photograph from above the tables, part of my reasoning for this is because I wanted to capture line, and no other shape and by taking it from above, excludes the shape of the chairs on the ground and only includes the lines created by the chair legs. The chair legs create an interesting shape of shadow. Because there are two windows, one to the left, one to the right, the shadow coming from the legs, is split into a cone shape because it is cut off by the different directions of light.
The second part of this task was to take a photograph of another persons camera-less photo. The photograph that I took of my partners vision was interesting because of the line, light and extension of the scene outside of the window. The main focus of the photograph is the light shining out of the window onto the floor and also the lockers creating geometric patterns. The light shining onto the floor extends the photograph giving the illusion of extra space. Along with the window, opening up the corridor to display the outside world, the effect the illusion gives to the photograph extends what is a cramped space, to a more open detailed room. The window enhances the photograph because it opens up the corridor to display the outside world. The illusion created by the reflection of light onto the floor and the window work together well because they extend what seems like a cramped space into a more open and detailed area. The lockers and subtle lines on the ceiling have a very interesting effect on the photograph.
Pierre Cordier
Pierre Cordier was a Belgian artist who was the inventor of the Chemigram. He is also the most famous artist to use the Chemigram. The Chemigram as said by Cordier is not a form or Photograph nor Photogram. To split up the words Photograph and Photogram we get two very different translations. 'Graph' in Greek translates to 'draw' where as 'gram' means to 'Carve'. To carve is a very interesting description of the process both the Photogram and Chemigram uses. When photographing something you are seeing the world and then capturing it. On the contrary, when using the Photo/Chemigram technique you are blocking the light from hitting the photosensitive paper. This is almost as if you are carving the light into the paper. The main difference between the Chemigram and Photogram techniques is that the Chemigram is drawing or carving with chemistry. The use of different chemicals create a different effect to the Photogram because it allows the image to gain more accomplished results.
Chemigram Process
The process of making a Chemigram doesn't require complete darkness to create an image like a Photogram does. The chemical applied is an actual physical thing that is put and stays on the paper. This means that like in the Photogram, the top layer will be of an image. Except with Chemigram the image created isn't just blocked light forming a shape, it is an applied substance that works as a physical, constant blocker that stays on the paper after being processed. The process can be done in a dark room to create different varied effects. When I created mine which are displayed below, they were created in the light. You start by applying your chemical onto the photographic paper. Different chemicals create vastly different reactions with the paper. For the Chemigrams below, I used both hand cream and nail varnish. An up side of the Chemigram is that you have a greater amount of possibilities such as different colours and textures. Some may say it is an upside or downside but an underlying factor when creating Chemigrams that distinguishes it from any other medium is that you can never control how it comes out. You can make an image on the paper but you can't predict how the chemicals will react and change on the paper. The end product can be surprising and that is why I believe it is very difficult to create a very well accomplished Chemigram due to the unpredictability of the photographic medium. Once the chemical has been applied, you carry out the same process as you do with the Photogram. I left my Chemigram in the developer until the background had turned black so for about 30 seconds. The paper turns colour quickly because it has been exposed to the light for a long amount of time however if you leave it in for a shorter time it will be a lighter tone of grey. The next step is to soak it in the stopper. I left my Chemigram in this bath for 2 minutes. The next stage is where you can further edit your Chemigram. If you don't put it in the fixer then the Chemigram has the potential to change even further and any colours of the chemicals will be enhanced if it is still being exposed to light. After exposing the Chemigram for about 2 hours extra I put it in the fixer bath for 2 minutes. Once this has been done I washed it with water and then hung it up to dry.
My Chemigram Evaluation
This Chemigram is composed of subdued colours consisting of abstract strokes which don't represent physical objects but chemicals. This particular piece hasn't got much structure to it apart from the obscure 'S' at the centre of the image. The surrounding content works as a backdrop to this. The difference between any texture in the Chemigram is clear. Anything that is part of the photosensitive paper has turned black and the rest has either turned grey or a dirty pink. I would describe the paper as smooth and cool to touch because of its relation to the other abstract details in the Chemigram. The details look as though they would be slimy because of their oily texture. This oily texture makes me think that the background would have a strong relation to the forefront details. This is because the range of colours is small. This image doesn't explore any other type of colour other than a subdued range which also has implications on the look and feel of what the details in the Chemigram are perceived to be. The similar set of colours impact the texture by separating the Chemigram into three different layers. The main subject which is the 'S' in the centre is brought to the front of the image because of how it is highlighted by the black and the detail around it. The next layer is the detailed backdrop, this is the surrounding strokes around the 'S'. Behind this is the black backdrop which helps to highlight the rest of the strokes in the Chemigram.
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This chemigram was made using hand cream, the same type as I used in the piece above. I used a cotton swab to create the waved effect. The most surprising part about this Chemigram was how the large mark in the centre was created. I only gathered a small amount of cream on my hand and spread it across the surface of the paper and a very thick shape appeared after development. This created a surprising central focus which I didn't intent to come about. There is space in this Chemigram where there is not much going on. If I were to continue my experimentation and practise with this medium then I could grasp an understanding on how to better fill that space such as the artist Pierre Cordier has done. This empty space could be filled to add a deeper, fuller effect to the Chemigram. Despite this, the black background of the paper enhances and illustrates the other shapes in the Chemigram. Because black contrasts strongly with most colours, every other shade seems to come to life as it is highlighted and brought forward by the background. Since I smudged the cream onto the paper with my finger, my fingerprint is visible. This is an interesting effect Chemigrams can have because they pick out precise details of your markings especially. The effect my fingerprint has given to the Chemigram has added another focus and level of detail. This effect blurs and masks colours. The result of this is an addition of detail into the overall shape of a subject in the Chemigram. Its like a photograph of a building. When its zoomed out you see just the side of a building. However, when you zoom in to reveal the detail of what is going on inside the building, is when you are introduced to another dimension of the photograph. This effect applies to the detail Chemigrams bring out which has been displayed in my piece to the right. With this Chemigram you see the large vertical shape but only when you look closer do you see the detail inside this subject. This Chemigram reveals that there is a lot more going on in an image than what first meets the eye.
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Marco Breuer
Marco Breuer is a German photographer who's work is mainly created without the use of a camera. In the Camera-less Photography world you have to ask is this still photography? I believe the answer to this is that since you are using a negative in the same way as you do when you take a photograph it is still photography. People may be hesitant in accepting this answer but I believe this is because in Breuer's work you see such a different result than you normally do in a photograph. The part of Breuer's work that helps to back up the claim that photography is still art is because of the profound effect it has on you. To recognise that this has been created using practical methods rather than editing on a computer is amazing. I think this stands out most with this photograph below.
If this was created by a computer software then it wouldn't be so impressive. This piece was created using light and an after effect of the artist scratching into the paper. This is what makes Camera-less photography a photograph as well as art.
Marco Breuer displayed an exhibition at the de Young gallery in San Francisco. His work there gave another perspective on the question, what is photography? He says that since the camera and the whole world of photography is 'obsessed' with capturing 'extremely short moments in time'. From this he explores the notion of extended recording. This idea opens up a whole new take on the question I am asking. A lot of objects that he displayed in exhibition carry traces of their aged nature. He says within these objects a photographic recording is held.
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Although this is only a notion it helps us interpret Breuer's work as more photographically viable. Although it is not a traditional method of photography it is an art form. Music does not just have one genre and nor does photography, they are both art forms. I believe that Camera-less photography is another way of expressing ones ideas through art and it applies the traditional ideology behind photography to explore and extend it in a deeper nature.
Matthew Brandt
Matthew Brandt is an experimental photographer from the United States. The three types of photograph above are taken using different photographic processes. Brandt uses a camera, the Bichromate process and the earliest known type of photography, the Heliograph process.
This photograph in the Lakes and Reservoirs series is an interesting example to evaluate as it makes me question whether it can be classified as photography. The process of making this piece involved taking a photograph which obviously means that it is categorised as photography. The next process is what might make some question what this piece can be categorised as. The artist submerged the photograph in water from Shasta lake, orange county(the same lake where this photograph was taken). The second stage to completing this photograph could be argued to only abstract the paper the photograph is printed on therefore distorting the image. This is an example of a piece of work where the integral aspects of the meaning of photography have been put into question and something new has stemmed from it. What is that? I believe this image now has a deeper connection as to what is in it. It makes it a physical thing rather than just an image that can be seen on a screen. It also tackles an aspect of the production of photography which is there can be infinite copies. This photograph is now the only copy there is because it has been through a physical process that could not be repeated.
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