A camera obscura is a darkened box with a convex lens or aperture projecting an image of an external object on to a screen. In the 16th Century, Camera Obscura's were a valuable aid to artists who used them to create paintings/drawings with perfect perspective and accurate detail. However, it has been recognised that they date back to the 15th century. Last week we worked in pairs and made a camera obscura out of a cardboard box and tracing paper which then projected an inverted image when we added a lens (magnifying glass). You could vary the focal length by moving the lens (closer or further away).
Despite having the advantage of mass production, the Calotype was not the most popular camera in the early years as it lacked the overall quality, however it
was improved and later became the most popular type of photography that is still used to this day
was improved and later became the most popular type of photography that is still used to this day
In class we looked at some examples of photograms and learnt about the different chemicals in the dark room, we then proceeded to making our own. On our first attempt we worked in pairs and chose items that we thought would stand out, the second time we stuck to a theme: Man made vs. Nature.
We started by flicking the red filter over the white light and placing the light-sensitive (photographic) paper underneath the (protected) light on the enlarger and adjusted the focus before arranging our items on the paper as we desired, setting the timer for 4 seconds and removing the red filter. We then submerged the photographic paper in the developer until we were satisfied (usually 2 minutes), then moved it into a chemical which would 'stop' the development (for 1 minute). Next, the paper was transferred into the last chemical: fix, which fixes the image if you leave it in for long enough (3 minutes). Finally, we rinsed it in running water and dried it and out photogram was complete. |
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DSLR Cameras and their functions
Shutter Speeds
Today we experimented with slow, medium and fast shutter speeds creating sharp and blurry images from different angles.
Aperture
The aperture is the amount of light you're letting into your lens, as you adjust the aperture, the hole in the lens expands/contracts accordingly. Aperture is measured in 'f stops' and the larger the number (e.g f/16), the smaller the hole. The less light you let in the darker the picture will be.
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Levitation Photography
In class we looked at some examples of levitation photography (by Natsumi Hayashi and some students) and then experimented ourselves around school in pairs. The pictures we shot in school weren't very unique and our time was limited so we took a few more around central London on the weekend.
Aperture: Depth of Field
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In this lesson we attempted using the healing/ cloning brush tools, in order to correct blemishes and imperfections. This is similar to what they use to retouch models and celebrities in magazines.