Images and Final Proposal

Cyanotype

Van Dyke

Salt prints

Lumens

Photogram

All of the processes we've covered so far have been incredibly intriguing to me, especially since I've been mainly working in digital for the past several years. Due to its relevance for my BFA next year, I've decided that I want to experiment further with the digitally printed negatives and the Van Dyke Brown process. I am absolutely in love with the tones that process has given me thus far. Additionally, I will try to really work with the painterly abilities given to you in this (all of these) process(es)- I want to find a way to incorporate brush strokes and selected uncoated spots to work with and enhance my images. My goal is to end up with results which started off as digital files and have become very dependent on the materials and decisions involved. As much control as you can have over a digital file, this involvement in the printing process is a unique step that has been previously unavailable in my digital work and I want to really try to run with it. 

Midterm

Cyanotype- Cyanotype curve

Salt- Van Dyke curve

Van Dyke- Cyanotype curve

Lumens print

Photograms

 During the first week I have enjoyed repurposing my digital photography and seeing the way they translates through different processes.  As for my final project, I would like to work with the wet plate collodion.  I would like to explore portraiture through a new process.  It could be another interesting interpretation of my current body of work.  Given that there is less than a week to complete the final, I am not sure how much I will be able to work with Collodion, but I would like to create a series of portraits if possible.  I would also like to continue lumens print/ chemigram.  I have enjoyed learning the process and the unexpected results that occur with each print.

Midterm and final proposal

Cyanotype- Photogram of plants

Digital Negative- Cyanotype with Cyanotype curves

Digital Negative- Van Dyke with Original Curves

Lumens

Digital Negative- Salted Print with Van Dyke curves

I'm quite intrigued with these processes and how well they can lend themselves to the subject matter being photographed as well as the change that can occur simply by changing which process is chosen. I've experimented with ways to manipulate images at different stages of production and am interested in continuing manipulation through these processes. I am particularly interested in more burning techniques (as I have done in the past with negatives) or branching out into new manipulations both prior and post production. Collodion and Mordancage greatly interest me due to the altered and worn look they produce. The Lumens also greatly interest me and are very similar to a photogram I did earlier this year that I'm interested in expanding upon. 

MID TERM IMAGES / PROPOSAL

 Cyanotype (original digital negative)

 

Van Dyke (original digital negative)

 

 Salted paper (salted paper digital negative)

 

cyanotype photogram

 Lumens print

 chemigram / lumens print

 

chemigram / lumens print

  

chemigram / lumens print

 

 chemigram / lumens print

  

 chemigram / lumens print

 cyanotype experiment

van dyke experiment

Final Project Proposal:

    For the duration of this class, I have been most interested in how these alternative processes can be integrated back into my primary practice of studio based digital photography. For some processes, such as Van Dyke, or Salted Paper, I see the possibility of a parallel practice which informs my main interests. While not falling within my primary explorations, the ability to un-archive older images which did not function in a highly successful way with normal processes seems interesting and worth pursuing for the short term in either Van Dyke or Salted Paper. In addition to pulling images from an older body of work (mostly "Mindscapes") I plan to also explore some of the current imagery I have been using from the past year. In general many of the other processes present a dead end for my primary interests since I am so invested in staging, lighting, and overall tonal value in the way that it relates to perception in a way that these ways of working are not capable of representing. The exception of which is lumens prints and/or chemigrams, which I plan to scan, print at a much larger scale and use as a backdrop for continued exploration of my primary photographic interests. I think partially the excitement for me about chemigrams is the way in which the process intersects with chance, painting, and basic photographic components.

Midterm and Final Concept- Katie

Cyanotype Photogram

Lumens Print

Cyanotype with Cyanotype curve

Salted Print with Cyanotype curve

Van Dyke with Van Dyke curve

I really enjoyed creating digital negatives from my previous work which deals with creating space-scapes from manmade materials. I want to make more digital negatives from this collection and process them using the Van Dyke method. The idea of taking these images which are highly dependent on their color and removing that layer from them is intriguing to me. I also want to work more with lumens printing and try to take some of the same materials I utilized in creating my digital images and abstract them in a similar way.

Midterm & Final Concept - Eli

Cyanotype Photogram

Cyanotype w/Cyanotype Curve

Van Dyke Brown w/Cyanotype Curve

SALT w/SALT Curve

Lumens Print

Final Aim:

When the weather warms I tend to get excited about the upcoming fire season. I have wanted to take better photographs while working as a wildland firefighter because of the incredible things we get to see, but unfortunately bringing anything more than a shockproof point-and-shoot is risky. So with my final I see an opportunity to have a wildland fire theme with photos I already have, hopefully achieving some interesting artistic effects with them rather than clarity and image quality. I have four photos picked out and plan to use both the VDB and Cyanotype processes on each, using the color combination to accentuate items within the picture. They will portray a human/mechanistic element as well as the earth/fire aspect. Finally, I will aim to make each picture stand alone, but also work together in a group.

Work and Final Project

My work with the processes Cyanotype, Van Dyke, and salted paper have been somewhat successful.  My van dykes have been showing odd spotting during the drying process which I can only attribute to some sort of chemical contamination.  For my final I am working with the collodion process, taking portraiture of barbie dolls.   I am arranging them to accent the vacant expressions on their faces and to juxtapose the fake plasticness of their appearance with the odd dreamlike look of the collodion.  I'm trying to achieve a creepy aesthetic.  

van dyke w/ van dyke curve

Cyanotype pictogram 

Lumens pictogram 

Salted w/ salted curve

Van Dyke with Cyanotype curve

Van Dyke with salted curve

Salted with van dyke curve