Looking back...

Now Image Lab has come to an end, and I can't believe that 12 weeks (including fresher's week) have passed so quickly.
Looking back over everything we've done, I can say that I have learned a lot of new skills, some of which I can see using again over the next few years.
I think I can honestly say that it started off a little boring, but got more exciting and interesting as we went on.
While the first few weeks on pinhole cameras were definitely a good start to ImageLab, I don't think I'll be shooting this way again after all.
Learning how to scan didn't interest me in the slightest. I have used scanners before, as I'm sure most of us have done, and I think I learned the least that week. It was a fun group session, but nothing more for me.
However, I can definitely see working with Cyanotypes and Argyrotypes again in the future!
Working on my time image has possibly taught me the most about my camera, and how I can use aperture and exposure together in a more effective way.
The last lab on Large Format Cameras has got me excited for using them in the second year. Yes, it takes longer to set up, but it's also so much more rewarding to see your final result and the negative!

Overall.. It's been a great 12 weeks in which I have learned a lot. It's been a bit disorganised at times, but all in all I still found it a great experience!

Week Eleven - Hanging our last exhibition for this unit, and coming back to our still life

This week it was time to hang our last gallery exhibition for this unit.

My contribution and final image.

Looking down the gallery.

Other students hanging up their results.

It was also time for us to have another go at large format photography! Most of us were confused about what was happening that day, especially when Sarah H. told me that she talked to Stephen the week before who told her that we're not actually required to produce an image, since it won't be hung up in the gallery. The idea was mainly for us to get a feel for large format photography.
We did it anyway, and also learned that way how to process the negative and how to scan it.

Rosie starting to set the scene.

The large format camera we were using.

Our final image!

Overall it felt to all of us like the whole day had taken longer than it should have done, but we got there in the end and I think we were all very proud of our negative once we had it. The detail we achieved with the large format camera is amazing, and I'm looking forward to using it again. With a smaller group though, after we also took Beckie into our group the week before there were simply too many of us running around. Seven people were a few too many for what needed to be done.

Week Ten - Studio Introduction and first try at our still life

This week we had an introduction into how to use the scanners for the large format negatives, followed by an introduction into how to use the studio and how to set up the lights. It was easier for me, as I have my own lights and softboxes at home and wasn't new to setting them up, but I still felt like there was a lot to take in over the 90 minutes in which Stephen was teaching us these things. Even my head was hurting afterwards, even though I had done most of it before.

Stephen showing us how to use the large format camera

Afterwards me and my group got together to set up our still life. All of us had brought in a lot of different objects, including a black skull Sarah H. had brought in, and we were having a lot of fun setting up our image, and playing around with different ideas.

Some of the objects we brought in

All of the objects we brought in, lying spread out
on the table we used to set everything up on

A few of us went to find Stephen or Peter, who said that they had already prepared some film holders for us with the film already loaded. Unfortunately, when we found Peter we were told that we had to leave and tidy up, because the next groups were about to come in and have their introduction.. So we left.
We couldn't find another day that week where all of us were free at the same time to take the image, but we were assured that we would have some time to produce our image next Monday.
Images taken with a large format camera are incredibly detailed, such as this one:

http://www.doobybrain.com/2010/09/10/large-format-photographs-of-hong-kong/

http://www.skaterscafe.com/showthread.php?t=92938

Week Nine - Continuing "Time" and starting on the still life

This Monday we had a first look at our ideas for the time project.
I have decided on doing a small series of three images, and have cropped the originals so the glass isn't as apparent, and to make the subject less obvious:

I also found "Sang d'Encre" by Solve Sundsbo in the December 2011 edition of British Journal of Photography, A different take:

The red swirls remind me of my own image. pp. 38-39

We also put ourselves into small groups for the still life we have to produce next week with a large format camera. In my group there is me, Sarak K., Sarah H., Rosie, Rachel and Heather.

We have done a lot of "idea-sharing" on facebook:

Sarah H. had the idea to use objects that mean something to each of us, and I have a few things that I could bring with me to the session on Monday, like the fluffy teddy bear I got from my best friend, or the tiny piano that used to be my sister's. We also looked at a number of links and found several good examples before we got to the above mentioned idea:

http://www.1st-art-gallery.com/Barthel-Bruyn/Vanitas-Still-Life.html

http://allthingsofbeauty.blogspot.com/2010/11/renaissance-vanitas-painting.html

http://www.picturecorrect.com/tips/still-life-photography-tips-techniques/

I've never worked with a large format camera before, and am really looking forward to the whole process. I have worked in a studio before, and have my own three lights at home, but it will be so much more important to get it right first time, and I think it will be quite rewarding to see the result in the end.

Week Eight - The beginning of our second to last topic: Time

This week it was time to put together our next exhibition:

My contribution put up nice and neat on the wall!

We were also told about our next topic: Time. For this we are to create one image that captures time. I have some ideas about what I might do, but did some research about photographers who have done the same. Two photographs came straight to my mind:

http://maisonbisson.com/blog/post/10531/focal-plane-shutter-distortion/

http://inventors.about.com/od/weirdmuseums/ig/Eadweard-Muybridge/The-Horse-in-Motion.htm

The above image by Henri Lartique has frozen the movement of a racing car, but some of the image is also  slightly blurred, giving us a real sense of the speed. 

The second image by Edward Muybridge consists of several images of a horse, which has proven that there is a point during a horses gallop where all four hooves are off the ground, and is one of the most significant photographs ever taken.

More examples:

http://lucire.com/insider/20090831/showstudio-gets-exhibition-at-somerset-house/
by Nick Knight

http://nicholasspyer.com/tag/david-bailey/
by David Bailey

My main idea right now is about capturing water, and I will do several experiments around that at some point this week.

While looking through Next Level, Edition 12 I found the work of Greg White, who's done something similar to what I have in mind with colour:

All the scanners were busy as always, so I had to take photos
to include the images.

pp. 18-27

Update from the weekend:

I have now taken 12 pictures around the above mentioned idea. For the next exhibition I am only allowed one final image, but here are the ones I've taken today:

I used food colouring in water, the glass was filled to the very top and was overflowing a lot, especially during the practice shots. ISO 100, S 1/2.5, F 5.6

Week Seven - Preparing for the next exhibition

This week all we had to do was chose an image from an exhibition we like (if we didn't attend the workshop) or chose one of our own (if we did attend the workshop and rather presented our own work), and write about the process that had gone into creating the image.
I went with my earlier idea and chose one of my own images. The final result looks something like this:

We had been given a template to work with so that everyone's result would look more or less the same, and printed them in A3 for the gallery. The exhibition was put up the week after on the Monday.

I also did some more research into Cyanotypes and Argyrotypes this week. I found a book in our library which showed few examples from several photographers. Out of the photographers mentioned in the book I preferred the work by Anna Atkins, who is often called the first woman photographer.

Examples for Anna Atkins:

http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital_dev/dgkeysearchresult.cfm?word=col_id%3A188&sScope=images&sLabel=Ocean%20Flowers%3A%20Anna%20Atkins%27s%20
Cyanotypes%20of%2E%2E%2E

http://thecraftbegins.com/wordpress/tag/anna-atkins/

I find her work interesting, because her cyanotypes are some of the earliest ones there are. It's interesting to see that this process is still being used and that her images, even though they were only early days then, were already of such good quality and were used for scientific research. She has obviously gained quite a reputation as "the first woman photographer", and I can see why.

Also, here are some of my other results from the workshop:

Week Six - Cyanotype/ Argyrotype workshop

At the workshop we had the opportunity to create Cyanotypes and Argyrotypes.

These are done by painting plain paper with the chemical mix which is iron based, includes silver, and has to be mixed with distilled water. The paper is left to dry (we were impatient and used a hair dryer for all of them), covering the paper either right away with a negative printed on acetate and then taking it outside (covering it from light.. we used an envelope) to expose it, or taking it outside and then placing objects on it.

I tried both but preferred using my own images as negatives. It was very exciting to see the result, and compare it to the original! 

This is the original...

... and this is the Argyrotype.

We exposed the first images for twenty minutes, and were relieved to find out that the paper can't really be over-exposed. 

Afterwards, the images were washed either for twenty minutes in water and hung up to dry (for Cyanotypes), or they were washed for five minutes in water, then for three in Hypo Wash whilst agitating, and then for another thirty minutes in water, and then hung up to dry. After the first few tries we ignored the recommended times and hung them up when we felt the images were developed enough.
I really enjoyed this workshop! I found it so addictive that mine and Rachel's images were the first ones to be exposed and I was the last one to leave the darkroom.

Argyrotypes from the website for this week: