Photograms / Elements & Principles of Design

In this assignment you will:

• Learn the technique of exposing and developing photo paper in the darkroom
• Create several photograms, the oldest type of photographic image
• Design and create photograms exemplifying the Elements and Principles of Design

Photograms

A photogram is simply a photographic image made without a camera, by placing things on top of light sensitive paper and exposing it to light. Exposed areas turn black, while areas shaded by the objects are lighter, producing a negative image.

Photograms could be considered the earliest known technique of creating a lasting photographic image. Davy and Wedgwood in 1802 experimented with silver nitrate to see if they could use its light-sensitivity to decorate china (it worked temporarily but wouldn’t last). The Niépce brothers of France started the experiments with paper in 1816, but the first person to get crisp lasting images was William Henry Fox Talbot in the 1830’s. He placed objects such as leaves on top of “salted paper” (with a layer of light-sensitive silver nitrate), and then exposed it briefly to light. He developed a technique of “fixing” the resulting image so it would last. This eventually was refined to the Gelatin-Silver process (click the Silver Chemistry link). Artists still use this process today, and so will you!

Early Photograms

Henry Fox-Talbot, 1839 Anna Atkins 1835

Modern Photogram Art

Markus Amm

Emilio Amero

Ripples Bailly Anneauxdeau 1999

Photogram Materials:

	Glass refraction by “Reciprocity”
Bat Skeleton (!) – Jayne Bidaut	Netting	Natural Objects: Teasel by Albert Renger-Patzsch, 1934

Orpheus II – a whole body photogram through ripped photo paper?

Construction by Annie Wong

Making Photograms

Your first photogram should be small and simple – a few objects placed on a quarter sheet of photo paper just to get the feel and to learn what exposure times work best.

Once you’re comfortable, artistry should kick in! Here are some ideas and tips:

• Your hands and the contents of your purse, pockets or pencil case are not as interesting as you think!
• Try creating some shapes – cut them out freehand, or print a design and cut around it
• Translucent objects give a different effect – check out the glass example above
• What happens if the object is held (steadily) above the paper rather than against it?
• What happens if you slowly move an object for all or part of the exposure, either sideways or vertically?
• What about multiple exposures, with objects moved, masked (hidden) or added?
• What happens if you expose through thin newpaper?
• What happens if you place a completed photogram on photo paper and expose for a long time? (Hint: light will shine through the lighter parts…)
• Is it possible to expose from the side? (yes!) What happens?
• How could you get text? (see the requirement for initials below.)
• How could you do a “double” or even “triple exposure”, as in this Man Ray example?

Here’s a link to some other ideas (Maggie Brezden). You can find lots more examples on the net.

Link to Review Questions

Photogram Assignment

Before doing this assignment, make sure you look at all the examples, techniques and tips UP ABOVE. Check out some Student Examples, too.

Experiment! Get Creative!

Explore some design possibilities for photograms by sketching in your notebook. Show me your ideas as they develop.

Then assemble your materials and go to the darkroom.

Experiment, beginning with small test strips. DO NOT START WITH WHOLE OR EVEN HALF SHEETS OF PHOTO PAPER!

Then produce the photograms on the “required” list below. Do a good job, demonstrating your technical skill and artistry. Try some of the ideas listed above under "Making Photograms".

Required Photograms

Produce these half-sheet photograms:

1. a drawing – traced on acetate, paper, or whatever technique you want, but hand drawn by you. Your own freehand design is best, but a tracing of a good design is okay as long as you put something of yourself into it – change it, vary the shading, add new parts,etc. One per student i.e. two if you’re working in a pair.
2. a construction – One must be a construction using materials such as cut paper (use something more opaque than regular white paper), wood, string and other objects – see the Annie Wong example above, using both the negative and positive space of a cutout. Spend some time outside the darkroom carefully constructing, then put it under glass and expose it. A bunch of random objects thrown together will not get you a good mark, but a thoughtful, intricate beautiful photogram will! One per student i.e. two if you’re working in a pair
3. a “nature” based photogram – using some natural plant materials (see Anna Atkins example). Tiny grass stalks and very fine flower heads work well. Try to find some translucent petals or leaves One per student i.e. two if you’re working in a pair
4. Motion – multiple exposure – see my motion example One per group i.e. only one, not two, if you’re working in a pair, but two if your group has more than 2 in it

That means 2 + 2 + 2 + 1 = 7 half-sheet photograms if you’re working in a pair.

Photograms NOT to do:

• The contents your pockets or pencil case
• A design printed on the computer and used directly. What’s the point – where does your effort and creativity show? You can use a printed design as a basis to trace or cut out.

With each Photogram…

Label the back with your name and what it is e.g. Wilbur, construction. Write in pencil (ink smears!).

Crop and trim it using the paper trimmer in the classroom.

Hand In:

In a folder with pockets (get one from me), with you names on it, hand in:

Right Pocket:

1. the required photograms (as described in “first part”, above). Make sure they’re labelled on the back (see above), unless you’re mounting them.
2. Mount your favourite 2 photograms on black or white construction paper or Bristol board (one per partner), with a title, your name(s), the year and technique (e.g. Photogram using toothpicks, cut paper and aluminium foil) on a small typed label below the photogram. Neatness counts, and looks better! Ask to see an example.
3. a written/typed page that includes:
1. a short point form description of exactly how you made your constructed and motion photograms. Often it’s hard to tell – did you draw a shape, or cut it out? Was something grey because it was translucent, or placed partway through the exposure? How did you get that blurry effect? Mention the result of any experiments you did. Make sure you list the materials. Make notes in your journal/notebook as you go along to help you.
2. a short critique of your two favourite photograms that you mounted. What were you trying to achieve? How did they turn out? How could they be better?

Left Pocket:

4. the cutouts, acetates and other materials you used (but not flowers and leaves etc.).
5. all test strips and test photograms to show that you did some experimenting

Random Hints: I want you to be experimental, trying lots of different techniques. Use cutouts as well as “found objects”. Plan to use unusual objects. I’m a fan of natural objects, like the dried parts of small weeds that you can find even in winter.

Tip: You'll get crisper edges if you can make your objects lie flat. Try pressing them under a book, or use a glass easel. (also cut the edges cleanly).

Another Tip: I, along with Ansel Adams and most photographers, like to see a wide range of tones, from rich deep blacks through grey to pure white.

Yet Another Tip: Try hand-tinting a photogram with markers, pencil crayons or water-colours.

Evaluation

This is your first assignment involving development, so likely you’ll make mistakes and get some not-so-great results. But after a couple of days of experimentation, you should be able to produce several high quality photograms that are well-exposed, cleanly developed and interesting in design. These are the ones I’ll mark, based on the criteria below.

Good use of time: experimenting, researching and producing photograms	3
Cleanup: desk and darkroom cleaned up, equipment returned	3
Acetates, cutouts, test strips, experiments etc. in Left Pocket	4
Required photograms done correctly, in Right Pocket	5
Creativity, innovation, interesting ideas, tricky techniques such as double exposure tried	10
Overall impression of photograms, also considering how challenging they were	15
Description of technique/experiments and critique – brief, informative, not too wordy	5
Usable mounted photograms with title included ; all photograms labelled on back; neatly placed in a folder and handed in on time	5
	/50