Photograms

In class we had a go in the dark room at producing some Photograms after watching a slide show on the subject.  This is where a machine that acts abit like the aperture of a camera takes an image of an object/objects on special photographic paper.  This paper is then treated in liquid solutions to produce and develop the image so that we can see it.

What we did:
In the room there were items we could use for the images so I chose a soft toy (which for title sake I will call funny bunny) a feather, a wicker type ball, some lace and a 'woman' cut out ( stencil) image.

First we took a sample strip of the photographic paper, placed our object on top ie. funny bunny and put it under the machine making sure that the light that shone down on the paper (when turned on) covered it effectively, amending any controls at the top base unit to ensure that. We set the timer for 3 seconds and placed a piece of card over the object so that just a portion of it showed, and pressed the start button.

The machine lit up the paper, taking an image for 3 seconds then switched off its light. Moving the card to show more of the object we set the timer for 6 seconds and pressed the start button. The machine lit another part of the object too (taking a shot) for this longer time then switched off. We continued to set the timer for 9 and 12 seconds moving the card along respectively. Then we  dipped the sample paper into the developing fluid for 2 minutes and the setting fluid and took it outside the dark room to view in the light.. We judged how we preferred the image ie. developed after 3, 6, 9  or 12 seconds and continued to produce an image of this same object for the selected time period on an A4 size piece of photographic paper:

Once the image had been taken on the machine we dipped the paper into the developing liquid  (tray 1) and swished the tray up and down making sure the paper was fully covered with the liquid for 2 minutes.
We took the paper out using plastic tongs and placed it into tray 2 (the setting liquid) for 1 minute, then taking it out we placed it into tray 3 (the fixing liquid) for 5 minutes. After this stage we removed the paper and placed it into a sink of running cold water which we left for 20 minutes.

We continued this process using different objects and light up times. We used more than one object on the same piece of paper to compare the images with patterns of say lace strips, feathers and different materials. We could also place one object in the base of the machine (acting abit like a filter) at the top, and one on the paper at the bottom and see what effects that achieved.

Another way we developed the picture was by spraying developing solution directly onto the image paper and using a tool to spread it around, bringing out parts of the image more heavier in one part than another. Then the paper would be put into trays 2 and 3 liquids to set and fix, and finally into the sink.

Later we went back into the dark room, removed  all the images from the sink and rolled them between a heated roller machine to dry the pictures.  We found the whole process fun and produced the following:

                                  Funny bunny alone image was taken for  4 seconds
                                  Funny bunny with feather was taken for  6 seconds

                                                  Lady image was taken for 3 second

                                                                  2 sample strips used

                                          The left image shows funny bunny sprayed developed. You tinker with it (spread it around) until you are happy with the results before setting and fixing.  The right image was where I placed a strip of ribbon in the top of the machine (acting like a filter) and a type of wicker ball on the bottom of the machine under the light which I set on a 13 second timer.