fotoclass

News 2 -

Homework - assignments etcetera

Comments at the bottom

Please do not forget! The pinhole assignment is due  the first class in October. Three images, thematically connected and presented as a group.  I will visit the darkroom on Monday afternoon OCT 3 to assist . If you need help contact me!!

There is a prize for the best work!!!!

During the next two weeks you should also be working on your portrait assignment.

I highly recommend that you read chapters 2,3,5 and 6 in the textbook  "Photography" (London, Stone and Upton) which contains much more extensive information about the physics of photography and its processes than I was able to transmit in our classtime.

Below is a list of useful links that may be helpful for you as you work on this project.

http://aregeebee.typepad.com/fotoclass/2005/09/some_xeroxes_us.html some old but perhaps useful diagrams about basic concepts

http://aregeebee.typepad.com/fotoclass/tech_help_basic_darkroom/  film speeds and properties

http://aregeebee.typepad.com/fotoclass/2005/02/the_sunny_16_ru.html  the sunny 16 rule

http://aregeebee.typepad.com/fotoclass/2005/01/using_the_in_ca.html using an in camera light meter

http://aregeebee.typepad.com/basicstuff/basic0.htm trial exposure times for difficult lighting situations where your meter seems unresponsive

http://aregeebee.typepad.com/fotoclass/2005/09/how_to_load_fil.html#more how to load a developing reel

http://www.aregeebee.net/negs/eneg.htm  evaluating negatives

http://aregeebee.typepad.com/fotoclass/2005/01/what_does_contr.html  what does “contrast mean and what does it look like in practice?”

http://aregeebee.typepad.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/enlrger.jpg a generic enlarger

http://aregeebee.typepad.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/headsb.jpg enlarger head designs

http://aregeebee.typepad.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/basssml.jpg  what to look for in a print

http://aregeebee.typepad.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/paperprocess.jpg

basic printing steps

http://aregeebee.typepad.com/fotoclass/2005/02/making_test_str.html  making a test strip

http://aregeebee.typepad.com/fotoclass/2005/02/dodging_and_bur.html  dodging and burning prints

http://aregeebee.typepad.com/fotoclass/2005/02/using_tools_to_.html  using tools to dodge and burn

http://aregeebee.typepad.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/db.jpg  dodged and burned print example

http://aregeebee.typepad.com/fotoclass/2005/02/using_tools_to_.html  using tools to dodge and burn

http://aregeebee.typepad.com/fotoclass/2005/02/spotting_and_de.html  spotting out dustmarks

http://aregeebee.typepad.com/fotoclass/2005/01/what_does_contr.html  what does “contrast mean and what does it look like in practice?”

http://aregeebee.typepad.com/fotoclass/2005/01/what_does_contr.html  what does “contrast mean and what does it look like in practice?”

http://aregeebee.typepad.com/fotoclass/2005/08/portrait_helpsr.html  portraits . . .

NewsOne

Class on September 28 is in Montreal. . . .

We have hired a bus to go to Montreal for the day and drive us to see many of the photo and video exhibitions of this year’s “Le Mois de la Photo”.  In case you did not know, Montreal’s “Le Mois de la Photo” and Toronto’s “Contact” are the most important Canadian photo based art festivals.  All four photo professors – Chantal Gervais, Lorraine Gilbert, Andrew Wright and Justin Wonnacott will be going   . . . we want you to come too!

This year’s festival theme is “Lucidity: Inward Views”

The bus leaves Ottawa at 8 am and leaves from Montreal at 5.30 pm Wednesday September 28. The cost is $30. Bring a lunch. The professors cannot feed you.

You will be given a pinhole camera in Wednesday’s class . You will be shown how to use it and we will take a picture with it. You will also be given instructions in loading and using the 35mm cameras you picked up at MDS in Morisset. You will need your “kit” from the store for the supplies you will need.

The pinhole assignment – although difficult technically and aesthetically – will teach you a lot. You will learn about aperture size and depth of field, how to process photopaper, the concepts of the negative- positive process, proper exposure, contact printing and more. You will get an introduction to the safe use of the darkroom in the next class.

For your assignment you will make three different contact prints on 8x10 paper that are thematically related with your camera. You choose  your own subject (to be a good photographer you have to know what you want to take pictures of!). 10 marks due Oct 5. Do not put this assignment off -

There is a prize for the best work which is a slightly dog-eared but otherwise excellent copy of the textbook for the course and the “Prix d’EXCEL – ence” – a lovely handmade pinhole camera made from an EXCEL breath mint tin. It is really cute. I pick the winner.

There is a huge amount of help online for the ambitious pinhole photographer. Some tech tips for you

-          Use a notebook to record your shooting times and lighting conditions

-          Unlike a lens , pinhole cameras have infinite depth of field everything is more or less sharp.

-          Your camera operates at about f250

-          The paper has an ISO of about 5

-          The paper is almost totally blind to red , yellow and green

-          Shoot with the sun at your back

-          A starting point for exposures in bright sun ….  Maybe 45 seconds?

-          Cloudy overcast- try 3 or 4 minutes to test

-          Shooting in artificial light is pretty well impossible (ie 2 hours – maybe?)

-          The paper needs to be cut to 11cm x 14 cm to fit properly in the camera

-          Turn up the bottom corner of the paper when you put it in the can or you won’t be able to remove it – this is important.

-          Paper negatives are very contrasty! Make your contact prints with a 00 filter  or, if you are really technically keen “flash” your paper to white light in the darkroom before use (f22 enlarger top of column 1.5 sec) this will decrease contrast a lot and shorten the exposure needed too.

There is an old – but useful website here:

http://aregeebee.typepad.com/fotoclass

Pay attention to the stuff in the left hand column.

Justin Wonnacott

PS: I almost forgot ….. Voix Visuelle in Vanier …..

The first edition of its Digital Pinhole Photography Triennial.

The eye’s subconscious via digital pinhole photography

September 17 to October 25 2011
The opening of the exhibition and the catalogue launch will take place on
Saturday, September 17

Ottawa, September 8, 2011 – Le Centre d’artistes Voix Visuelle is proud to present, from September 17 to October 25, 2011, the first edition of its Digital Pinhole Photography Triennial.

The curator, André Paquin, has worked closely with 15 artists to put together The eye’s subconscious via digital pinhole photography, an exhibition which presents photographs stemming from the unexpected and “formed by light and by time passing inexorably”.

The opening of the exhibition and the catalogue launch will take place on Saturday, September 17 at 1 p.m. at Le Centre d’artistes Voix Visuelle. The gallery, open Tuesday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., is located at 81 Beechwood Avenue, in Vanier.

Please note that Le Centre will also offer a workshop on Sunday, October 2, 2011, from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Participants will walk through Vanier to capture images with their digital camera, using a pinhole aperture.

Information: Shahla Bahrami
(613) 748-6954 or info@voixxvisuelle.ca

http://voixvisuelle.ca/

Le Centre d’artistes Voix Visuelle thanks the Ontario Arts Council, Canadian Heritage, the City of Ottawa, la Fondation franco-ontarienne, AGAVF and the Caisses populaires Vision, Trillium and Rideau of Ottawa for their support.

Course Description

Art 1331b and c –2010 - "the photograph and visual culture " Justin Wonnacott Monday or Wednesday 8.30 am – 12.30 pm 015

By the end of the terms, all successful students will:

• know the basics of how a camera works and the how images are formed
• be able to operate a small camera competently in a variety of circumstances.
• be able to make good exposures that will create high quality prints taken under a variety of circumstances .
• make good quality enlargements on variable contrast resin coated paper and use the contrast filters as needed in a wet darkroom.
• understand the  basics of using electronic flashguns.
• have been shown how to use a dry mount press and the mat cutter
• be familiar with basic lighting and  lighting principles in the studio, a copy stand and how to use a light meter.
• have a modest but sound technical foundation as a photographer to build upon in the future.

Students will also:

• be introduced to some aspects of the art history of photography
• begin learning how to edit your work
• develop an appreciation of photographs as objects with their own beauties and peculiarities of vision.
• acquire a greater knowledge of the scope of photography in art and culture by viewing and discussing portfolios of images with a variety of subject matter,treatments and aesthetic approaches.
• be  adventuresome and critical of your own work and open minded and willing to learn from the work of others. Students will discuss pictures as an tool for organizing ideas and to foster creative growth.

The teacher will help you reach these goals by:

• emphasizing  practical camera work at the beginning of the course so  students can make pictures as soon as possible. There will be technical assignments given and a quiz to assess the  progress of students as they learn these important foundation skills.
• Giving you thematically based assignments which will ensure that we have a useful basis for in-class discussion and teaching. These assignments encourage original thought, a diversity of expression and varied approaches to the basic theme.
• facilitating frequent informal  constructive critiques as a normal part of classes.

for credit students will:

• arrive on time and attend all classes for the full class period . In extraordinary circumstances students may be excused from one or two classes with the instructor's permission . Do not skip a class without consulting me promptly or you will lose marks.
• complete all assignments satisfactorily and make a presentation for their end of term critique.
• participate actively in class discussion and be prepared to present their work when asked as part of the class process . The advice and feedback made about your work in classes is important to everyone present.
• have learned to make good camera exposures, process film and to make competent prints from negatives taken in a variety of circumstances.
• show a critical approach to editing their work and forming meaning with their images that shows continued growth during the course period and and that incorporates the class discussion and lessons given.­

 

 

 

Access to the darkroom and cameras

As a photo student you have access to the darkroom anytime that it is not scheduled to be used for a class. This includes evening and weekends, however arrangements for the keys and equipment must be made in advance during the regular hours of the photo department office during the week (9-4 pm and not during lunchtime. Introduce yourself to Mr Richard Bérubé and he will tell you all of the details about how to get keys, filters for the enlargers and borrowing equipment.

You are also able to borrow cameras, tripods and tungsten lighting sets from the  equipment cage. First year courses are taught with 35mm equipment and the larger formats will be prioritized for students in other courses. You can borrow equipment over a weekend, but it is necessary to make arrangements in advance.

you are permitted toborrow cameras and to sign up for the photo studio (once you have been introduced to its use in class )anytime that a class is not scheduled to use it.

Portrait assignment (creative assignment 1)

Photography and portraiture have been closely linked together for almost as long as photography has existed. Today , nearly all the pictures of people we see are made with the help of some kind of camera except for hand made images such as paintings and drawings which are rather rare. Not every picture of a person is a  portrait though and some portraits are better than others.

 

I want you to engage the portrait and make 7 of them. Your images will be thematically and stylistically consistent and produce a meaningful likeness of each sitter that will be presented to the class.

This assignment will require taking many photographs over a period of weeks . A certain amount of self confidence with the camera is needed as well as learning to pay close attention to lighting, expression, pose and the human issues of representing your sitter (and yourself by extension.) This assignment will give us  a common denominator for the discussion of pictures together.

You can tackle this assignment as you like, but,  I recommend that you take  advantage of the light that is available where you propose to shoot. Using artificial lighting will present serious difficulties for the beginner and distract from the important lesson of learning to observe carefully and think in moments. You are welcome to do self portraits if you wish but they can be difficult to do without being repetitious or cliched in treatment - you have been warned.

There is a short "no shoot list" that goes with this assignment and it is:
  - please do not photograph children, pets, animals, mannequins or claim that isolated body parts constitute a likeness. Do not use flashguns please and avoid borrowing the look of glamour, and fashion stereotypes as a portrait strategy. Keep it simple is the best advice.

You must present your work in progress in class as you work on this assignment to get help and suggestions on technical and creative issues. This assignment will be marked for technical and creative merit.

7 prints on 8 x 10 rc paper. Due Feb 24 1331c Feb 22 1331b

 

the above image is from a half plate tintype/ferrotype studio portrait  ca 1870 that I purchased at a junk store.

 

 

Using your exposure meter in the camera - an important revision.

This article has received important changes and  has been revised.

Course supplies

You must have this stuff:

A camera that uses 35 mm film.

You can make good pictures with any camera if you understand how it works but it will be much easier to learn with a versatile camera instead of one which is limited to particular types of shooting situations. Highly preferred is a fully adjustable manually operable camera that will allow you to control the exposure and lens focusing when you need to do this. Most modern single lens reflex 35mm cameras are able to do this. If you are using an older camera make sure that it functions properly! Dead batteries, broken light meters and sticky shutter mechanisms are the usual troubles.  Autofocus lenses, and sophisticated exposure systems can be very useful but they add to the cost of purchasing equipment. They are often NOT fully functional on modern digital cameras either.

You can expect to pay $400 -$1000 retail for a new film single lens reflex camera equipped with a moderate wide angle to moderate telephoto zoom lens. These cameras will have automatic exposure features that include auto, program, time or aperture priority and the possibility to set the camera manually to override the automatic settings.

Because of the migration to digital tools used SLR cameras are pretty cheap right now. But buying used is no bargain when you pay for someone else's troubles and have no warranty and the resale value of that camera is not going up!. The old pentax K cameras sell for about $200- $350 but they are all old and wearing out and for such a small saving compared to a more modern camera, they are not very economical. When you buy a used camera get a warranty long enough to test the camera thoroughly. If you buy a  used "modern" camera with a lot of  features do not buy it without a manual - you have been warned!

If you are planning to buy something that will allow you to  put the lenses onto a digital camera body in the future think carefully and do your research.  Many of the lenses are only  partly functional on digital cameras of the same brand. 

Please avoid point and shoot autoexposure “focus free” cameras as they are not versatile enough to use in all lighting circumstances.The “equipment cage” has cameras and equipment to loan if you do not have your own.

a loupe or magnifier to look at your negatives. These can get very expensive but a simple agfaloupe for under $10 will do fine.

negative sleeves for storing your negatives. Polyethylene, strips of 6.

an anti-stat cloth for cleaning your negatives. Cut up the cloth into 4 , store it in a clean baggie and split the cost with 3 other students.

a grey card – or a piece of one – these are an aid to getting good exposures and the are indispensable for doing copywork. The cards sold by Kodak are overpriced @ $14 but you get two large and one small in the package so you can share the cost with someone else and divide them up. They can be borrowed from the cage.

film, you are going to be shooting black and white film for your assignments. Do not buy a wide variety of films – learn how to use one or two films well. You will shoot between 12– 20 36 exposure rolls of film during the term (all  good photographers learn by taking a lot of pictures).

I would suggest that you use a 400 ISO film such as Kodak tmax 400, trix pan , ilford delta 400 or Ilford Hp5 or perhaps the Agfa 400 we have for sale in the store. Pick one of these and stick with it. Do not buy ilford xp-2 or Kodak cn –400, these films are processed in colour film chemistry to make monochrome images and they are not suitable for this course. The school store sells agfa film at reasonable cost.

printing paper

Buy paper in packages of 100 sheets if you can.- it is much cheaper than the small 25 sheet packages. You will probably need 150 sheets of paper or more during the term Choose 8 x 10 glossy paper, resin coated variable contrast as the best general purpose material. We will not be using fiber base printing paper in this class. Ilford Multi-grade IV RC is what you want if you can find it. It will be hard to get at the end of term - buy it now.

Film and film speeds

Films and film "speed" - some general points.

About the term ISO or ASA:

A doubling or dividing in half of the film speed indicates a corresponding change in the sensitivity of the film to light. A larger ISO means that the film is more sensitive than one with a lower rating.  A 400 film is described as one "stop" faster than a 200 film and so on.

ISO 800, 400 or higher speed films:

• are descibed as "fast"
• fall in resolution as the ISO increases
• are usually lower in contrast than slow films
• usually have good exposure and development latitude (they are tolerant of errors compared to slow films)

400 films are often a good  choice for general purpose  photography where a wide variety of lighting situations may be encountered. Fast films are frequently used when there is low light and a high shutter speed is needed to stop action or to allow handholding the camera instead of using a tripod. With care, good prints can be made up to at least 9 x 13". Products examples  are Kodak T Max 400, Kodak Tri X, Ilford Delta 400, Ilford Hp5, Agfa Apx 400.

Visit kodak here for current info.
Visit Ilford here,
or Agfa.

ISO  100 speed films

Are classified as "medium" speed .

• these film have very high resolving power
• extremely fine grain structure
• are higher in contrast than 400 ISO films
• are less tolerant of exposure and development errors than the high speed films

These films are best suited for pictorial work where high print quality and a moderately big enlargement is needed. Images  made with this type of film can be enlarged up to 16 x 20 "  when the exposure and development is correctly done. Sample products are Kodat Plus X and Ilford Pan 100.

Special Films:

• Copy films and ortho films are sometimes adapted for pictorial use , these films are given ISO ratings as low as ISO 25 and they have almost invisible grain structure and they can exceed the resolution of the camera lens / enlarger lens combination.
• Ilford SFX - this is a film with an unusually deep red spectral sensitivity and characteristic curve suited for use with strongly coloured filters to give extreme tonal renderings in black and white (nearly black skies etc.) Requires a special filter to do this.
• Ilford Delta 3200 film is designed for extremely high ISO ratings. This film can be push processed to  12500 ISO - 5 stops faster than 400 ISO - for use in surveillance and extremely low light . The film will be underexposed, but will have sufficient midtone and highlight contrats to make acceptable prints that are very grainy.
• Kodak High Speed infrared film can be used with the appropriate deep red filter and the infrared focus mark to produce images made in the near infrared spectrum and the lower end of the visible light spectrum . The images are less sharp than visible light imagery and they are not "thermogram" type images that we ses in scientific publications. Requires special handling and considerable experimentation to use successfully.

It is a very good idea to learn how to work with just one or two films well.   You will be able to make negatives that give you prints you can previsualize   consistently and be able to photograph confidently in a lot less time if you   do this. You will know what the world looks like in photographs a lot faster   (and better) if you master a single film/developer combination first. This is   the best technical advice I was ever given when I was learning and it made photography   a whole lot more satisfying for me when I did what I was told (my old boss made   me do it...;-}

For this time of year (overcast and dark seems like all the time I am inside)   a 400 iso film is the best choice for versatility vs quality.

Film speed describes the sensitivity of a film to light with an ISO number   - the higher the number the more light sensitive the film is. This number is   determined by laboratory testing that exposes a sample of the film to known   brightness values before development and measurement of the films density with   an instrument called a sensitometer. A practical description of the speed rating   given for a film is that it is an indicator of "the minimum exposure to   light required to produce a full scale print on printing materials of normal   contrast".

The sensitivity of a film to light is a function of the chemical composition   of the emulsion and the silver halide particles that are the light sensitive   ingredient within it. The film's "speed" is a built in physical characteristic   of the material and can only be changed very slightly by processing.

Confusingly, although the true speed of a film might actually be 400 ISO photographers   often rate their films at higher or lower ISO numbers for special purposes and   process them differently in the developing chemicals. What is really occurring   is that the film is either under or overdeveloped to change the contrast of   the negative to make a more suitable print because of the intentionally incorrect   exposure of the film. The film's actual sensitivity to light does not change   when this is done, but the contrast of the film does change. This   is called push processing when the film ias rated at a higher speed   than it really is, and pulling the film when the film speed is underrated.

The general rule of increasing speed = more grain and lower resolution holds   true with nearly all films - colour or black and white. The grain that   is the salt and pepper image structure we see on an enlargement from black and   white film are images of clumps of developed silver filaments in the emulsion.   Although the grain size of a film can be made worse by careless processing ,   you can keep grain to the minimum possible by not over processing the film,   or overexposing it. Although grain has creative and expressive uses it can be   very objectionable when it impedes seeing a subject without a good reason.

The grain we see on a colour print from silver based film is the image of   dye-clouds in the emulsion where the silver grains existed before they were   bleached away.

The acutance of a film is it's ability to resolve edges and fine image   detail, A grainy film can sometimes have high acutance (up to the grain size   of course) acutance is also affected by development.

Oh yes, ISO is international standards and ASA is the American Standards designation..   Sometimes you also see cameras rated with DIN speeds which represents the old   German industrial standard and the DIN numbers use a logarithmic system which   is now obsolete.

 

 

 

Some Xeroxes used in the first class

The following links are images of some handout sheets used to support the first class.

1. go - light sensitive materials diagram 1
2. go - light sensitive materials diagram 2
3. go - black and white film structure
4. go - how a pinhole forms an image
5. go - properties of a lens
6. go - properties of a lens , continued
7. go - interchangeable lenses - basic ideas
8. go - lens settings f stops, depth of field scale
9. go - camera nomenclature and illustration of different camera types
10. go - Trial exposures for Kodak films under difficult lighting circumstances from the Kodak Guide to Professional Films.

Darkroom rules/etiquette

A few general rules:

In film developing area, the counter on the left, where the dryer is, should be kept a DRY area. Sink wet, counter dry.

Always clean up properly after developing film-,rinse beakers thoroughly and place in appropriate area under the sink, on the rubber mats, NOT UPSIDE DOWN, but right side up (Richard is a stickler for this, because it is cleaner)
Do the same with tank and reels, but place under the counter, not under the sink.

When first plugging in an enlarger, reduce f-stop to f-16, and make sure that the negative stage is shut, so that the light won't go spilling out horizontally.

When away from the enlarger, TURN OFF THE LIGHT, by adjusting the timer to focus. Also keep the enlarger light on for focusing your negative only, not as a reading lamp.

When bringing prints out to the light to look at them, ALWAYS use a tray, and if possible, use the light-trap cabinet at the end of the room, on the right, which communicates with the darkroom (on the clock wall).

When there are photo classes, the darkroom is reserved for the class. Anyone who is not in your class, who wants to print during your class, must ask you permission, in case the darkroom is, in fact free that day (ie: you keep them in class).

The last person in the darkroom at night should turn off all running water (in the darkroom and for the print or film washers) and the print dryer and the film dryers. Inside the darkroom, they should also remove any stray test strips
from the sink, since these can block the drain.

Absolutely all prints or test strips which are being kept must be completely chemical free before touching the drying screens. Contamination of drying screens is one of the worse things one can do in a gang darkroom because it ruins everybody's pictures.

When borrowing an enlarger key over the weekend, be sure to bring back the key by Monday morning 9AM, so that the students from the Monday class
can print during their class-time.

If any  equipment appears not to be working properly, please advise Richard Bérubé so that he can fix it for the next students (or for you!).

Please be courteous if you want to play music in the darkroom. If there is anyone you do not know in the darkroom, it is advised to use individual
listening devices (your iPod! I wish...)

Evaluating your negatives

Visit these pages to see some examples of negatives and how they look when printed.