Materials, Techniques and Processes - Disposable cameras

Many of the new 2016/17 BTEC Units require students to work with, explore, use and identify the use of Materials, Techniques and Processes (MTP's). P.S. Add equipment to that as well.

What options are there and what can you do?

Use your digital camera at the start as a note book rather than the equipment that you produce your interim and final images on.

Across any unit that requires the use of MTP's aim to use as many different types of camera in the production of your project to demonstrate control and use of a range of camera (You are aiming to be a photographer after all)! The options include...

Disposable cameras

The use of these cameras will get you using a very basic method of shooting that produces 24 colour prints. The film inside the camera differs from camera to camera giving you the opportunity to then research the films characteristics and properties via the films. Once you know what the film is inside the camera, search using the name of the film in Google followed by "Product data sheet"...

 

Fuji Reala Product data sheet

 

Then click on one of the PDF files that you're presented with. Print this off, read through it and use the general information about the films properties and characteristics. (Write up in your own language). Similarly do the same for the camera as the camera will have limitations that you need to be aware of before using. See here 

So for instance around Feb/Mar time our students have to shoot a brief where they produce a Typology of small buildings and structures. Ideally this is one of the easier methods to use to start the project and whilst shooting on this camera they can potentially shoot the images on their Mobile Phone cameras and do a very similar things side by side. At this stage these are just test shoots that they use to explore the idea and develop the approach that they might use towards the end of the project when they then need to print the images in a digital photobook.

What you should do...

1. Plan and propose...

Explain what you're going to do, usually it's a good idea to be flexible with your initial idea. You know you're going to shoot for instance bus stops, corner shops, pubs or similar, but once you start you may change your idea realising that another option might be more realistic or better. In your plan say when you're going to do it, what type of light your hoping to shoot in (you could include weather reports), what problems you envisage, how you might compose the images (use a diagram), what camera you're going to use and why, how you might use it, what you're going to be taking pictures of and how quickly you hope to turn this part of the project around. Personally I'd advise shooting the images in one day and get it processed the next and then get in your sketchbook the same day - again this can be a part of your plan.

2. Shoot the images...

Go out and shoot the images - experiment with the idea, shoot some upright, some horizontal, some close up, some further away, remember at this stage you're just experimenting and coming up with ideas, it doesn't have to be right, this is just a test. The important thing is you're trying things out and experiencing different ways of making images and looking at  the potential of this method. Try and get all of the images shot - don't waste the film and if necessary shoot a different theme or idea if you run out of subject matter.

3. Process the film

Get it back to the *shop or lab you bought it from and have it processed as soon as you can. If they ask if you want it digitized say no, you just want the prints and the negatives. *Boots is probably the best and most efficient at this.

4. Put the images in your sketchbook folder.

As soon as you can get the images stick them in your book. Don't necessarily stick every single image in the book, just those that allow you to show what you've done and have been successful. Include those that haven't been successful, but don't dwell on failures too much. Annotate the images if you feel compelled to do so, but keep annotations brief because the important part is yet to be done. It's useful if you number the images too.

5. Reflect on your work using the Gibbs method.

This is the important bit, this is where you need to look at the Unit criteria and start to write up your Gibbs reflection looking to address the criteria. The first sections of the Gibbs cycle see below...

Description, feelings and evaluation can be written up with just 2 or 3 paragraphs each, but the bit you need to focus on and write up in detail is the analysis section. Suggestions as to what you might write definitely need to include discussing expectations based on the camera and the films product data. The manufacturers say the camera and film will do x, y and z, but what is your experience now having used it?

 

Observations relating to Parallax error - is your thumb over the images - why?

Upright or horizontal - what worked best why?

Could the images be cropped square - consider Photobook format?

How did the camera cope with the light - exposure?

How did the light effect the image - what might you need to consider during subsequent shoots?

Do the prints show the characteristics as described in the product data sheets?

Do your images or the approach you've used look anything like the images/photographers you've researched, what aspect of their work/approach have you tried to include?

Discuss the context of your research and your images that you're now making - why might these images be interesting as a final product, what's the potential of your project?

Are you images affected by converging verticals - does it matter - what might you do to alleviate this issue?

What is the print quality like of the prints - could they be enlarged?

What do you reckon to these cameras - do they have any potential - explain?

 

Conclusion - Keep this simple or omit if you've drawn conclusions in your analysis.

 

Plan the next shoot using a different camera and repeat the process again.

Approaches to producing images - Typology

http://www.listofphotographers.blogspot.co.uk/

Typology (Work in Progress)

This is one of the approaches we cover and teach you about.

Typology is an approach where you focus on 'Types' and produce a series of images in sets, often presented as a composite on one single piece of paper, e.g. an A3 print with 9, 12 or 15 images or more. Alternatively the images can be produced singularly and then displayed as a set at the end of a project.

 

Within your longer projects, whereby you have to explore and experiment with different approaches in producing your images, this is one of the approaches that you can evidence in your work that has excellent opportunities to link with high quality research that evidences key points in Photography history. Typology also allows you to discuss several other elements in conjunction with the images/approach. If you look at Bernd & Hiller Becher, this will allow you to explore and discuss Objectivity Vs Subjectivity maybe linking with Deadpan and other artists such as Thomas Ruff and looking at the links his work has with Photobooth images and the imposition of a set of rules that takes the subjective elements out of the image taking process.

 

Other artists that you should look at directly linked to Typology are James Mollison and two of my Favourites Jeffrey Milstein and Alejandro Cartagena.

 

Jeffrey Milstein (Planes).

 

 Jame Mollison (James and Other Apes)

 

The images here all use relatively simple approaches with the exception of the Bechers, the Bechers would have used 10x8 view cameras, film and darkroom approaches. Similarly you have to make decisions as to whether you want to keep things simple and produce the work at the experimental phase using your digital cameras, but once you've produce your work in a number of different ways you might consider shooting your work using the Typology conventions and perhaps explore producing it with another experimental approach, or use film and Darkroom/analogue techniques.

 

Pinhole camera (As a Typology)

Mixed Media (As a Typology)

Liquid emulsion (As a Typology)

Images & Text (As a Typology)

 

All of the artists mentioned here have either been featured in recent Journals or have Youtube videos where their work is discussed and explained by either the artists or someone qualified to do so.

 

In terms of difficulty, this is a relatively easy approach with the potential to produce visually interesting outcomes that meet a great number of your learning outcomes required to attain the higher grades. Needless to say at the end of any work that you produce around the theme of Typology you should then reflect on the work that you've produced and consider it as a possible method of producing your final body of work. Because of the potential of Typology and the fact that it can be easily mixed with a range of different approaches, this could also be the main thing your project could hinge around and explore and could easily serve as your starting point for any independently led project?

 

Additional photographers that work using the Typology approach can be found here - http://www.listofphotographers.blogspot.com/

 

 

 

 

 





Liquid emulsion (Decay)

This is a technique that I'd advise you to use at least a couple of times each year if not more within your projects. This is one of those techniques that you'll only really get a chance of seeing and using if you go to college and therefore if this technique is used and ends up in your portfolio is one that'll be noticed.

Using Liquid Emulsion (Paper Prep)

Initially you'll be introduced to this at a basic level - you'll be instructed to pre-prepare a number of different supports giving the impression that they are degraded/old. You may have already done this before at school, normally in conjunction with making a pirate map...

Get together a number of different types of supports for experimental reasons, make a note of the papers and where you sourced them from - mark the back of the paper with letters maybe and keep a record in your work-book/folders e.g...

a. Cartridge paper from sketchbook.
b. Bockingford water-colour paper.
c. Photo-copy paper.

*Note, it would probably be a good idea to put your name clearly on the back of the paper in a corner at this stage too.

Then at home or in college, prep the paper. Get a large dish and a number of tea bags, run hot water over the tea bags and or use stewed tea from a tea-pot and soak the paper in the tray. If you do several at the same time move them from the top to the bottom so those that are in the centre get a good soaking too.

When you've soaked the paper, screw it up and fold it as you get it ready to dry, as this'll add character and realism to the paper. Then place the paper somewhere where it can dry.

Additionally, once the paper has dried out, you can treat it further. Using vinegar, bi-carbonate of soda in some water, orange juice squeezed from an orange or lemon juice, flick and splash the solution on to the paper in a randon way to make it look like accidental spills.

Health & Safety warning.

This next stage is potentially dangerous and if you're a student you're advised to seek adult guidance when working on this next stage... Once you've treated the paper with one of the afore-mentioned liquids and it's been allowed to dry, the paper can be placed in an oven or beneath a grill on a very low setting so that the paper is heated and singed a little. Before the paper starts to singe, the liquids you've splattered/dripped on the paper should go dark brown, leaving some nice marks that make the paper look even more convincing as aged paper. The other thing that you can do is tear round the edges so that the paper is an irregular rectangle. This is optional.

Unibond (PVA Glue)

To massively increase the chance of your paper working first time, mix Unibond (PVA Glue) at a ratio of 1:4 (1 part PVA, 4 parts glue) and apply this to all of your papers. Allow this to dry fully before applying the liquid emulsion. What this does is seal the paper, the papers you've chosen will all have differing levels of absorbency and if the liquid emulsion is applied direct, the paper will absorb a great deal of the liquid emulsion diminishing its performance.

Once dried you should now have a handful of supports onto which you can apply your liquid emulsion.

Applying and Drying the paper.

As far as I'm aware all or most of the liquid emulsions solidify and become jelly-like under normal room or refrigerated conditions and prior to using them you need to warm the bottles up so that they chemical becomes a fluid again. I simply place the whole bottle in a large graduate (Measuring cylinder) full of hot water and leave it for 10 or 15 minutes.

While that's warming up, I take another graduate and two developing dishes, one of which is a 10"x8" and the other a 7"x5" into the darkroom. On a table set up in the darkroom specially for coating up the paper, I place the larger dish on the table and pour some hot water into the tray. The smaller tray sits in the larger tray resting at one end on something that raises one end up. Once under red light conditions the liquid emulsion is then poured into the smaller tray so that it collects at the warmer end that's partially submerged in to hot water. This keeps the liquid soluble and prevents it from solidifying and returning to its jelly state.

Using a Jaiban brush the pre-prepared paper is then treated with the liquid emulsion. I tend to use two light coats and try and leave an impression of the brush strokes at the top and bottom of the paper. This stage and the effect is something you learn through trial and error and it may take you a couple of attempts before you have a sense of how you like to treat the paper in your style.

Drying the prepped paper

Once the paper is coated, it then has to be dried and stored in a light-proof bag. At our college this is probably the most difficult stage as it takes a good hour or more to get the paper dried to the point where it can be bagged up. You need to liaise with the technician and the lecturers to establish a good time to get in the darkrooms and prep your paper and more importantly dry it without someone turning the lights on!

In one of the Darkrooms you may have noticed there's a piece of string above the enlarger bays, this is there to hang your prepped paper from, using pegs. I would advise that you bring in your own pegs. Speak to the technician and ask him/her if you can have a large fan or a air-con unit to circulate the air in the darkroom, once you're ready, they should come in with the fan and turn it on blowing air around the room. This is a far quicker technique and in some cases, your paper will be dried and ready to bag up in 20 minutes or so.

The paper needs to be completely dry otherwise it'll stick to the next piece of paper when bagged up. Make sure you have two light-proof black bags and double bag the treated and dry paper. I would then put it somewhere dark like a box or cupboard. If your paper is very buckled and un-even at this point maybe consider putting it beneath something very heavy to flatten it.

Printing

Printing is done in exactly the same way as you would with normal photo-paper, test strips etc. The only added time might be at the fixing stage 5 minutes and washing might be good for 6 minutes. The only other factor you need to consider at the processing stage is that some of the papers because they are so fibrous may tear very easily. It's advised to make your prints fairly small to combat this eventuality - "7 x "5. The larger the prints are, the more difficult it is to handle the paper without it disintegrating as it's moved from one tray to the next at the processing stage.

Drying the prints

You guessed it, this bits not easy either! This is a lot more difficult than the drying stage in the darkroom (In different ways). One thing you cannot do is dry the paper using a method that puts the paper in direct contact with metal, so metal drying cabinets with metal racks are of no use to you, your drying rack needs to be a wooden one like the ones we use in the prep room.

There are a number of approaches at this stage and things can go wrong, so you need to watch your paper and monitor it at the initial stages. The main thing you need to do is get the excess moisture out off the paper.
(1). Carefully put the paper on a window, place it vertically on the glass, the fact that it is wet will mean that it'll stick. The excess water will then drip off the print and you can move the paper from one place to another and each time you do so, some of the excess is left on the glass (Clean this as you go - so that the window is left clean).
(2). Get together sufficient sheets of paper A3 copy paper for instance, and lay the prints out flat on the paper, so that the paper absorbs the excess water. With this technique you need to move the prints every now and then otherwise they fuse together (Stick) to the paper beneath.

Once the paper is relatively dry and less likely to fall apart and tear, it can then be put in the drying cabinet on a low heat to dry either hanging up using pegs/clips or lying flat in the wooden racks.

At this stage the paper when it dries, tends to screw up badly and may need ironing/flattening out at home.

That's how you do it, the more you do it and the more you experiment the better you'll get at it, as with all things photographic. It is tricky and it is a palava, but if you persevere with it, it produces unique images that are beautiful and allows you as an A-Level photography student to identify experimentation at a very high level and the fact that it will take a couple or more stages to get it right identifies 'Development'. Record what you do and how you do it, using images and a diary approach to identify the 'Recording' aspect of your work.

If it's gone wrong...

Don't worry, in photography and especially with A-Levels a degree of experimentation that doesn't yield results is good, it allows for development of practice and skills. If it has gone wrong it'll probably be due to the choice of paper

Top tip

If you read this all the way through before under-taking the project this bit is going to be helpful. Not all papers work that well with these techniques and you have to go through a process of experimentation/trial and error before arriving at a point where you know what papers do actually produce consistent and reasonable results. Two that do work are... Mount board card; which is thick, but despite this, works really well. The other is Colorama background roll, used in photographic studios. If treated with Unibond before applying the liquid emulsion these are almost guaranteed to produce good quality results.



Another thing you can do to massively improve your chances with all papers is to treat the paper before coating it with the liquid emulsion is to coat it with Unibond/PVA glue this seals the paper and means that far less of the liquid emulsion is absorbed into the support and works better as a light responsive emulsion.

If you don't like the degraded paper approach, try it on the paper without staining it?

If you need to see work that is produced by contemporary photographers using liquid emulsion and other experimental approaches check out http://listofphotographers.blogspot.co.uk/ and search using  CRTL F and then typing in 'Liquid emulsion'.