The photogram on the right is by Man Ray. This is a prime example of the effect your gain from different opacity of objects. There is a large range in strength of light in this image. As you can see there are different effects caused when the photogram is used with reflective objects, the scissors for example have no transparent/translucent quality to them, they are completely solid but because the metal part reflects light, it hasn't marked the paper as strongly as the handle part. Another example of difference is of the leaf, this has a thin, organic structure and the light simply shines through it, however because there is a solid in the way (the leaf) the light has been diluted somewhat. If the leaf was exposed to the light for longer then the light would intensify any grey areas and also some dark areas. Adding to this point, there are some other objects that, if they had been exposed to the light for longer, would have come out to seem lighter and clearer in the photogram. An example of this is the object that has two rectangles in the centre of it by the right handle of the scissors, this would be less grey and would match the shade of light that the scissors contain if the photosensitive paper was exposed for longer.
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...processWhen I made my photograms I let the light shine on the photographic paper for 5 seconds. This is the best amount of time because it doesn't make the objects too intense if they are solid, and any objects with a transparent/translucent quality to them will still appear in the photogram. Another benefit about exposing the paper for 5 seconds is that you gain texture within the photogram. This is because it allows the light through the thin objects without overexposing them, giving you an idea about what they are made out of and how solid they are.
After I had taken my image I developed them using chemicals. The three chemicals used are developer, Stop and Fixer, the image of the process is displayed below. When soaking the paper in the developer I experimented with timing as if you keep it in for a short amount of time the objects will seem faded where as they will be bold if they are left in for a longer time. The photogram on the left is an example of leaving the paper in the developing bath for a short amount of time, roughly 30 seconds. The result of this is that the tones faded and the transparency or opacity of objects were not fully revealed. The areas which haven't been covered by the photosensitive paper would usually turn fully black however in this photogram, since I left it to soak for a short amount of time it wasn't able to reach it's true shade, unlike the photogram above which has done. After experimenting with timings I gathered that by leaving the paper to soak in the developer for 2 minutes I would gather the best results. |
Man Ray represented one of the main figures of the Surrealist movement in the early 20th century. He was very interested in photography without using a conventional camera. Instead he would use a Photogram or as he called it a 'Rayograph'. Man Ray, being part of the Surrealist movement would tend to abstract his work. Ray said Rayographs were a fantastic way to do so because they turn recognisable objects into unrecognisable shapes unlike anything else due to the processes 'dream' like qualities it possessed. Dadaist poets heavily praised his work because it revealed a different way of seeing and changing the way we visualise and explore objects and what they convey. Describing his work as of 'dream' like is such an interesting way of looking at them. When you dream, everything seems to be slightly confused, undetectable and second hand. What I mean by 'second hand' is that everything in ones dreams are copies of what you have seen in real life. Man Ray's Rayographs give just enough information so that you can tell what the subjects are. They don't however give anymore than just a representation of what the objects are. Describing Rayographs as 'dreams' captivates their tonal nature and also their ability to abstract. These dream like photographs hold such an abstract nature by just revealing one side to the subjects contained. Man Ray was the pioneer of the Photogram and brought a defining set of ideas to the movement that questioned other artists who were experimenting with the notions behind Surrealism.
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"The enemy of photography is the convention… The salvation of photography comes from the experiment". |
Moholy-Nagy was a Hungarian painter and photographer. He was a main figure in the Bauhaus movement and taught as a professor at the Bauhaus school. Due to his Bauhaus orientated approach to art, his philosophy is considered to be very different to Man Ray's, however their work with the photogram looks similar. Moholy-Nagy saw a richness in the photogram that could not be seen a photograph. With his work it supports the idea that photograms fall into the category of abstract art. You can hardly tell what the objects in his work are. He pushed the boundaries of the photogram by turning objects into barely recognisabl things by using different techniques. These techniques consist of suspending objects or moving them when the paper is being exposed. He would use materials such as glass and plastic, often with such properties of being translucent or diaphanous. He would superimpose objects to accentuate their textures, this works well with such materials because as each layer is added, the light will be tested to get through even more. Moholy-Nagy's vision with photograms was to free the object of its immaterialness.
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This photogram was taken with an F-stop of 4.6. I exposed the paper for 5 seconds which is the reason why the background of the paper is not fully black. I left it in the developer for one minute which is another reason why the image hasn't been fully exposed. There is a contrast of thin lines and large block shapes. The highest concentration of subjects are around the centre. One curve of the Super 8 film is weaving around the round cylinders and works to frame. This framing effect draws your eye to the centre, the film going away from the the centre boarders acts as a boarder. You can see a clear texture to the film in this image which means that it is quite unlike Man Ray's work. The series of photograms displayed here and below uses the subject matter in response to Man Ray. This is not a successful take on Man Ray's work who tends to conceal the objects rather than bring out their texture.
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This photogram was exposed for 20 seconds with an F-stop of 11. After this process I left it in the developer for 1.5 minutes. These three factors gave the image a contrast of a well exposed background and bold objects with texture at times. Every subject in this photograph has been well exposed capturing the right texture for each object. The texture has been captured especially well on the Super 8 film. You can see the fade into different slides as the film goes on. This photograms main focus is not the centre but the corner. The background of the image is black, rather than slightly grey in the previous image. This is what makes the photogram so successful. Every other object is made so much clearer because the black is such a dominating factor in the photogram. This brings the whites to the forefront of the image. I have learnt that when there is more of one shade there is in fact, metaphorically less of it. It hides itself away, especially in the case of this image. By hiding itself away the other objects are able to reveal themselves and are more imposing on the
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This was the first photogram of two that I exposed the paper using an F-stop of 16. I then left it in the developer for 45 seconds. This photogram was a successful experiment into creating an image in response to Man Ray/Moholy-Nagy's work. The most present tone in the photogram is grey. This has an interesting effect on the photogram. It brings the other subjects into one anther, making them seem to blend together. The contrast between the objects seems to disappear. There are some quite bright tones in this image but because the background is predominantly grey, they are not as prominent. This photogram displays examples of all three main points of tone; White, grey and black. This makes all the objects flat, and less obvious. What I like about Man Ray and Moholy-Nagy is that, like in this image, they show you the whole range of tones that the photogram can create. But they do so without making the photogram look flat as they successfully layer their subjects which brings out the different tones. I have managed to gain this effect slightly in the middle but the outer surrounding areas of the image looks dull and subdued.
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This is the second photogram with an F-stop of 16. After this I left it in the developer for 1 minute. The dull coloured objects but fully exposed background are the result of the dim lighting but longer developing time. The dim lighting meant that the objects had a subdued look to them. The background being fully exposed is a result of the longer developing time compared to the first one which has a dimmer background. This photogram is interestingly composed as there are three sections to it. The bottom, made up of the one staple and the white block on the bottom right. The other two sections are on either side of the piece of Super 8 film running vertically in the space around the middle.
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