Evaluation

For this project I have photographed the female form in the nude. However I have done it in a way so that I don't sexualise it. I wanted to keep is as desexualized as possible because social media, music videos, movies etc use the female form as an object, making women viewed as just things to enjoy. I have created this work so that the curves, lines and textures of the female form can be admired and viewed for what it really is and who these women actually are. The multiple exposures and movement distorts the image and shows how the light effects the lines in the image. This also effects how the audience views the image because they would make more effort to determine and understand the different areas in the image.

At first I simply considered developing my techniques and methods that I started to understand last time I studied this subject. I didn't find this very stimulating, the images were too similar to what I produced last time and struggled to find new angles and subjects that I hadn't already photographed. However I did consider them just in case I couldn't produce new strong work. During a shoot I accidentally shot a multiple exposure which led me experiment more with multiple exposures and bold experimental techniques.

I have used only film cameras like the Olympus OM10 and the Bronica ETRS. I have also used location and studio ceiling mounted lighting to create my images. I have used a lot of different film to experiment with different grains. I have used Fuji Acros 100 (120), Ilford Delta 400 and 3200 (35mm), Ilford HP5+ and FP4+ (120). I have also used the darkroom equipment like a large enlarger and large developing trays. The paper I have used is Ilford Multigrade Fibre Based Classic Matt 16x20 Inch 50 Sheets.

I found that I had two challenges. The first was the size of the paper that I wanted to use, it was very large and awkward to handle delicately between the development trays; especially since as I was washing my hands a lot to get rid of possible chemicals that might have been on my hands. The paper was also new to me so I had to get used to using the paper as well as trying to create my final prints. The other problem I had was that a lot of the film had hairs and dust on it which meant that I would have to learn the new skill of spotting. Spotting is a dying skill since the creation of Photoshop and the people who practised it took many years to perfect their technique; I only had a week.

One photographer I researched that was very inspirational was Frances Bruguiere for his multiple exposures. His images consist of a wide range of contrast and many positions of the model which all intertwine with each other to make new shapes. Another was Adrian Carmody who has experimented with movement using a very clean white background and uses deep contrasting tones to distinguish the model and her movement.

I am very pleased with my final pieces and the display. I was able to display it exactly how I wanted it to be displayed even though I ended up in a different place to what I was originally told. I personally think that the new location was a much better spot due to the fact that I would have only been able to fit two images on the original wall. I think if I was to do it again I would like to create enough images so that I could possibly make a book.

Presentation

As you can see I have chosen to use all three of my images on the same board. This is because I was moved from my originally allocated wall to another area of the gallery completely. However I much prefure the new positioning because all three can be used in the same space, keeping them all together and it also used partial natural light. The original space seemed to be quite dark which wouldn't have helped with the style of my images.

The second image that I hung up looked a little slanted due to the first image being straight.

The only issue I have with this display is that the shadow underneath the portrait image is diagonal which makes the whole image look crooked. However to fix this I would have to have the image on a slant which would look very wrong. I will have to put up with this.

Framing

I have chosen to use a thin black frame with a white mount board up to the edge of the image.

Due to health and safety I have been requested to use mirror plates on the image, I have no complaint about this because it means that it is always going to be straight if it is hung properly and if someone was to knock into it, it wont fall of the wall.

Movement image printing

My first test strip was very light at the beginning of the 5 second intervals, grade 3 and very quickly became black as the increments went on. So I have reduced the F stop down to the second lowest which allowed a lot more time to expose my image. However the contrast wasn't dynamic enough to emphasis the shapes and lines that the model made. I changed the grade up to 4 which produced very strong signs that the exposure was between 25 and 30 seconds so I produced a confirmation strip at 27 seconds.

This looks very promising however near the edge the whites are fading into mid tones. I think I will have to hold back areas of the image to make sure they are lighter. I cannot tell where I will have to hold back thought without a full sized unaffected image.

This image shows how in the top half the whites are more grey so a lot of this area will need to be held back, however I will have to be careful with the arms not to erase them from the image. I also notice how the lower half of the models body becomes very pale compared to the upper half so I could hold that back as well just a little to decrease the contrast.

This second print is exactly what I wanted to achieve. I have reduced the amount of greys in the top half whilst avoiding the arms and the lower part of the model is slightly darker.

Analog spotting

This is the very old spotting paint set that I will be using to spot my images. 

It consists of 6 tones. The lower row are semi gloss tones and the tube is pure white. Three brushes are included, size 0, 1 and 3.

This is the original print, there are a lot of white and dark spots all over the image and a hair in the dark patch near the centre. 

I made sure there was only a small amount of paint on the very tip of the paint brush so that it wouldn't smudge as it was placed on the paper.

I made sure the brush wash dry and then to place it on the paper it is a dotting motion, however I was simply brushing the surface as I lowered my brush.

The hair is much less noticeable and most of the white/dark marks are not unnoticeable. I tested the tone of the paints I was using in the border before I put it on the print. 

This is one of my many attempts, I am finding it very difficult to keep the brush dry and get enough paint on it to transfer across. Spotting is a high grade skill that some spent years practising and perfecting their skill and I am trying to learn in just a few days. However it is now a dying skill since the invention of digital photography and Photoshop which makes it easy.

Mounting finals to mount boards

This is the type of board I used to mount my prints. As shown in the diagrams, you need to peel away the adhesive cover to reveal the adhesive surface.

The heat press was set to 99 degrees and each print would be under there for around a minute.

After marking the board with the shape he cut the protective layer off and peeled it back. This was done with both test images.

 First a silicon sheet was used inside the heat press which gives a very tight suction to the base.

It came out quite well however marks came out on the image.

This was probably due to any substance or crease in the silicon sheet.

 Since the silicon made marks the foam was switched in which doesn't give as much suction to the base, however this was compensated for with extended time.

This came out with no problems so I am going to use the foam.

First we measured the total image size onto the board and added an inch for the frame. We cut into cover in the centre where the image will be placed.

As the cover was pulled away the image was pressed gradually.

The cover is completely pulled away and the corners are checked again. It is now placed in the heat press under the foam.

Afterwards since as the adhesive is still hot there is a potential for the image to peel back off the board so another board and some weight was put over the top to prevent this.

The final product is very pleasing. It is flat, took 5-10 minutes, the print is undamaged and it only cost £12.

Printing the multiple exposure from first shoot

The test strips I have done tell me that to get black I will need a high grade and around 35 seconds of exposure. However when creating the print I found that this grade was too intense and almost got rid of all the mid-tones in the image.

Due to this I have decided to turn down the grade to 3 which will fill in the blacks and form the image. This will then require me to use split grade printing to fill in the mid tones of the image. Test strips indicate 30 seconds at grade three and 8 seconds at grade 00. There are hairs and dust in this print so I will have to clean the negative with a fine brush and I will retry.

After the clean, the print still shows that there are hairs on the negative and there are chemical stains on the left of the image so I will have to try again.

I have reviewed the prints I made during the last session and I now think that the prints are too dark so I am going to reduce the high grade exposure to 25 seconds, which looks a lot better, however new hairs have appeared.

I have cleaned the negative again. Another different problem occurred again, it seems that the border template might have been raised slightly and has created a soft edge on the image. I will have to hold it down next time.

 I have finally been able to make the print that I intended to. There are only small marks and the paper is slightly wrinkled so I may have to learn and practise how to analog spot with paints to camouflage them; and get it heat pressed flat. Since as it took a lot of mistakes to get to this point I have a lot of material that I can use to develop my spotting skill.

Printing with sandwiched negatives

From my test and confirmation strips I have determined that I will need to expose this image for around 35 seconds at grade 2.5. As my strips dried they fell of the wall and onto a bench worktop. When I picked them up I realised that they had patches of gloss. This really surprised me since as it is matt paper, maybe there was something on the worktop that left chemical residue on the paper and dried glossy.

Gloss on left.

 Gloss on left.

Gloss on lower right corner.

This is my first full sized print. It doesn't look too bad, one of the negatives is placed slightly too far into the other image and looks strange, I feel that there is too much white, I may have to split grade print. After repositioning I have quickly gone over the negatives with a fine brush to get the dust off.

The second print looked a lot better. I switched the grade 2.5 exposure to 30 seconds and 5 seconds at grade 00, however I think it still needs slightly more mid tones, I will try 27 seconds to 8 seconds.

Both prints 1 and 2 fell of the drying cord overnight which has dented a corner on both. Print 2 was face down on the floor. Something has effected print 2 whilst drying, it looks like chemical burns, possibly bleach that is used to clean the floor. Overall more pegs are required to hold the weight of the paper and water.

Print 3 has a lot of dust and hair marks from the negative so I am going to have to clean them again. However the paper is quite flat, this may be the best method to dry them.

I am starting to get a little frustrated with this print because I am using a lot of paper and time, I am going to make everything perfect with this print. I have cleaned and positioned the negatives correctly. I washed my hands before I handle the paper out the bag, expose the image and slide it into the developer. I stood with the trays and gently agitated them, just before I have to transfer it to the stop I wash my hands again, then I stay with it, wash my hands again before sliding it into the fix. Once again washing my hands before popping it in the wash. I am putting it in the wash upside down since as the paper floats so that I know it is completely washed. I left it in the wash for at lest 30 minutes before taking it out to view. So far it looks almost perfect, there are 3 small dust marks but they are unnoticeable from a distance. Hopefully it dries correctly.

Which it has, the print is relatively flat and has barely any marks or stains. I am very pleased with this final outcome.