In Class

So I am retaking Photography II at my local community college. At this point we are about 3 weeks from the end of the semester. Along with my Anatomy and Physiology class I have been pretty busy.

So far I've done 4 projects and am currently working on a side project and my final project. I'm still trying to make arrangements for my final project so I will decline to share that at this point. The side project on which I am currently working is a print using the gum bichromate process. It has proven to be very time consuming but definitely very enjoyable. In fact, I'm in the photo lab as I write this entry awaiting the drying of the emulsion on the paper for my next layer. I will be sharing the results with you all as soon as I can get a print that I feel is complete.

My previous forays into photography classes were not as structured as this one. In Photography I we learned the basics of exposure, film development, and printing of the negatives. The only assignments given were an oral presentation on a well-known artist, the midterm print, and the final portfolio. There were no structured shooting assignments. Basically, we could shoot what we wanted and the only stipulation was that we had something for critique days. The condition set for the final was that all the photos had to be tied together somehow and there were to be a minimum number of matted prints. Photography II was pretty much the same structure, but there was no midterm and the only technicals discussed were those dealing with color theory as it relates to printing on color photo paper.

In this class, however, I was given 4 loosely structured shooting projects. The first project was purely technical in nature as it was an introduction into the zone system of exposure and experimenting with an 18% gray card. The second project was one where I documented, through photography, a dream that I remembered having. That project was very fun as it allowed me to move into experimental subject matter. The third project given required me to consider the use of time in shooting the picture. There were many possibilities with this one as well, and I had fun going through the different ways to factor time into the photographs. The fourth project was a self-portrait (which those of you who see me on Facebook have already seen). I don't really care to take pictures of myself so I wasn't thrilled with that one.

Instead of resin coated paper, this semester the professor had me using fiber paper. This has turned out some wonderful prints as the contrasts and shadows have a richness (due to higher silver content) that I could never reproduce on RC paper. It definitely took me a while to get used to printing on this as the exposure times were shorter. This semester I was also learned how to create my own negatives from digital photography for printing on photographic paper. This little skill has proven to be most helpful as I have created a couple of beautiful prints on fiber paper from digital files. Of course I could pay to have my digital photos printed via a digital chromogenic process, but nothing matches creating something by yourself.

So that's been my semester in a nutshell. Hopefully I only need one or two more passes on the gum bichromate print in order to have something really special. My final is going to be an ambitious project, but unless my model and I can synch our schedules, I may have to go with a Plan B. At this point I'm going to start force-drying the emulsion on my gum print. Wish me luck as I move forward with this side project. I will check in again with you all soon.

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Back to Life

Wow, I can't believe it's been over 3 months since I've posted here. Life has a way of interrupting your progress. Let's start from where I am right now.

This semester I'm taking Photography II once again. This time it's with a different professor and instead of color we are shooting black and white again. This time, however, she wants me printing my work on fiber paper. I'm also being given a cursory introduction to the zone system as well as getting a chance to work with a 4x5 view camera. The view camera is definitely something I am looking forward to using.

At this point we're almost halfway through the semester (I told you it's been a while) and I've turned in the project dealing with the zone system. I won't go into the details of the project itself but I will say I was rather amazed at some of the results I got, especially since the exposures on the different items seemed counterintuitive. I may have to look further into the concept of the zone system, but that will probably wait until after the semester is over.

Currently I am doing a project on documenting, via photographs, a dream I recently had. This is proving to be a fun little exercise since I get to use my lensbaby in giving the images a dream-like feel. The first shots were actually developed today and are being scanned as I type this. I also made 2 paper prints off the roll in class. I'm curious to see what kind of reactions I get from the other students (all the other students are in Photography I and their current project - landscapes - is nowhere near as fun). You'll be able to see some of my work over at mt flickr page with my favorite pieces being cross-posted to Primordial Light.

Well, that's pretty much it for now. I've got some work to do as the scans are almost completed. The first dream roll was shot on the reformulated Tri-X 400 film and I must say I am very impressed with the results so far. To all of you I bid you a good night.