#image selection

A selection of images from 2015

Flux by [retreat] https://soundcloud.com/retreat_music/flux

Today I spent the full day in the darkroom printing out the two contact sheets aligning the negatives in a correct order to analyse the series of images much easier. Printing the 10x8 image of the shop window used a lot of test strips to achieve the correct results and the 16x12 reprint of the puddle image. Before entering the darkroom, I knew the amount of work I had to produce and wanted to avoid missing anything, to help me with this, I made a plan of what I had to do and noted down everything that happened whilst in the darkroom, see the image below. I found this extremely helpful enabling me to reference each move I’d made, sometimes I would forget how long I’d exposed a test strip for which made the notes significant in recording each move allowing me to stay on track. 

Photograph of Plan and Contact Sheet notes from notepad.

Photograph of 10x8 print notes.

Photograph of 16x12 notes.

To begin with, I wanted to print both of the contact sheets off again due to the uneven alignment seen on the originals, having to turn the sheet multiple times to view the images. It wasn’t just annoying, but it is also unprofessional to display the images in an unconventional order. I started by inserting the negatives into the contact printer while using filter 3.5 and the general exposure times of 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 and 64 using the test strips to calculate the correct exposure time for the print. After developing and examining the strip, I decided that the correct exposure time was around 6 seconds, as 4 seconds held strong whites but the rest of the tones remained flat and the print looked slightly underexposed at 8 seconds. So, I used the white light and the enlarger to amend this at 6 seconds, however, the bottom part of the frame wasn’t aligned properly into the projection of light resulting the appearance of a light patch. I quickly amended this by covering the rest of the image to allow the small area to catch up on the exposure by exposing it for another 2 more seconds that fixed the issue and created a strong contact strip. I followed the same procedures as done with the first contact sheet to produce the second, using a filter of 3.5 and standard exposure times. The correct exposure was again 6 seconds, for the same reason, 4 seconds held a flat density to the images losing detail but at 8 seconds the image began to underexpose slightly with the increase of darkness. I successfully printed the second contact sheet at 6 seconds exposure.

Photograph of contact sheets.

With the 10x8 print, I made a test strip on filter 2.5 but quickly realised the lack of contrast in the image so I adjusted the filter to 3.5 which would increase the contrast in the image but also meant I would have to create another original test strip. In this test strip, I noticed the correct exposure time was between 8-16 seconds, therefore, to find the exposure between 8 and 16 seconds I made another test strip where I exposed the whole strip at 8 seconds instead of 2 and progressed the exposure of the image to 2 seconds each time. After developing I examined the results from the strip and realised that I needed to change the aperture on the lens from f/4 to f/8 that made the projection darker but would add a greater depth into the image. Also, I changed from making square test strips to using the opaque board landscape to cover more tones in the image, I found that when using squares, one exposure would only cover a small segment of the image but using it landscape helped pan other elements in the image. The new test strip with the lens adjusted to f/8 gave me a correct exposure time of around 16 seconds displaying the best tonal ranges, but 32 seconds didn’t look too bad either just slightly flat in density. To accompany this, I used another test strip starting with an overall exposure time of 27 seconds, due to the fact that 16 seconds and 32 seconds looked similar but one slightly less dense, I progressed with exposures of 3 seconds allowing slight adjustments. Finally, I chose 45 seconds accumulated from the test strip that displayed the density in the image but also allowing clean whites, resulting in a good contrast between the tones in the image. 

Photograph of the 10x8 test strips.

Photograph of the third 10x8 print.

The 16x12 print actually took the shortest amount of time in comparison to the rest of the images. I rented a 16x12 masking frame and made a test strip covering the centre of the projection with a filter 4. After developing and analysing the print, I noticed the correct exposure was between 8-16 seconds, therefore, I exposed another test strip at 8 seconds and progressed with 5 seconds each time. I wanted to progress with 5 seconds each time to understand and examine the difference between each even exposure. I liked the result displayed at 18 seconds but they were flat compared to how I wanted the image to be displayed, instead, I used another test strip to clarify the exposure time and exposed the strip at an overall of 20 seconds and progress with 5 seconds each exposure. I discovered the best exposure time was around 35 seconds, that displayed a strong contrast, not too overexposed or underexposed and achieved a high tonal range. Once I returned the print home, I compared both of the original and the reprint to one another but quickly realised that I preferred the original due to the increase of contrast on, as the reprint looked more flat in comparison to the depth of the original. So, I have decided to use my original image of the puddle as my exhibition 16x12 print.

Photograph of the 16x12 test strips

Photograph of both original (top) and reprinted (bottom) prints.

Photograph of the 16x12 print.

Overall, I am really happy with my results from this project to say I’d never used a darkroom or a medium format camera before, I believe they communicate the brief effectively from my own individual interpretation upon the brief and how it connects with myself personally as well. I will definitely like to return to the darkroom again to experiment further with print and analog photograph. 

““For your final submission, you will make a minimum of two contact sheets these will be presented in your work file and discussed both in terms of technical decisions and process, as well as conceptually how these decisions reflect your response to the brief. From these contact sheets, four images should be selected (Supported by full explanations as to how ‘critically’ and ‘technically’ these were selected) and printed to 10X8 ins and then the final ‘exhibition image’ printed at 16X12 ins” states the brief.

The photographs that I choose to print as my final images from the contact sheets must represent and communicate the concept of the shoot effectively. In a reminder, here is earlier text from ‘Idea 1: Reflections’. 

“Reflections are common, and yes I’ve seen them before in Barnsley, but they allow me to see myself from another perspective. In puddles, windows, mirrors, they all allow me to visually slip away from reality through an alternate dimension for a split second. Escaping the intimidation for a moment. A visual pleasure through a natural segment. I liked the idea of using reflections to reflect my inner state, allowing the viewer to analyse an insight to not only my individual visions but the doorways to natural perceptions. They make me feel like I have a chance to escape, however, I realise that this is only a mirrored perception of reality, recording my moves. Developing and interrupting, taking the viewer in and out of depth, emphasising unnatural qualities but constructed by nature - the photographs will feature an abstraction, for example, unlike the typical depth in the Renaissance paintings, which begins at the picture plane and ends at the vanishing point, the reflection images will warp the viewer to question the photograph. I would capture this from my perspective, no staged images, using only natural elements in specific environments that would reflect the atmosphere of the city centre, again linking back to the concept of revealing my feelings by reviewing my surroundings. As I will be using black and white Medium Format, I believe the removal of vibrancy and saturation will naturally convey the mood I wish to display. I must consider the equipment that I’ll use; a tripod may come in handy to avoid motion shakes and to remain focus on the subjects. Another advantage of a tripod is that it will allow me to use slower shutter speeds without motion blur, so in darker situations shooting will become possible. The light meter will be one of the most important tools, granting me an aperture depending on the subject reading. To capture a correct exposure of puddles, mirrors and reflections, in general, I would account to say it is better to use an Incident light meter reading. Whether the photographs will need post-productions I cannot say yet, until I have seen the final results. My only considerations for this idea may be the weather, but I will be able to quickly wrap up and vacate inside if it rains. I will take test shots before the final shoot allowing me to overcome any issues that may have a raised whilst on location - time to experiment.”

“ I am still going to be focusing on capitalism through the reflection idea, but in a more subtle format, instead of showing the viewer what it is that is making me feel like I am, I will hide it and attempt my escape attracting through the reflections.”

The negatives that I have printed so far, as test prints, were selected due to their visual qualities and also the effectiveness of the concept portrayed. All the prints I have enlarged so far display a reflection(s) as the subject within the image, they’re displayed below.

Above are all the printed photographs from the second and third shoots. As the submission requires two contact sheets, X1 16x12 print and X3 10x8 prints.

I am really pleased with the results of the two 10x8 prints, located at the top in the image. I think they work well as small prints, as they aren’t triumphantly powerful images, more so expressing and portraying the concept. Not all images in a series should be extremely powerful standing images, especially not with the concept of this shoot. I earlier explained that the concept portrays an abstract documentary result, linking closely with existentialism and ones mental and physical journey in life. If all the images were perfect the conceptual aesthetics would be removed, I am not embracing commercialized capitalism, I am leaving it. By applying the rough aesthetics that break fundamental or orthodox dogmas in photography, help emphasises my individual rebellion against systematic conventions moulded by the capitalist system. I don’t want to just take images that display my subject, I want every aspect of the physicality of the print to be symbolic towards the way in which I see the world. Even so, if all the images were ‘good’ strong photographs (formally understood as more technically than conceptually), the story behind the images would be removed and replaced by a biased selection of images chosen by the photographer that warp into the creation of a fake story. Yet again, this would defy their concepts by removing naturality from my urban explorations with the camera, also which the audio file ‘Flux’ is emphasising. I don’t want to display a series of powerful images as I never see powerful triumphant consistent sights, it’s usually the smaller reflections that I enjoy more as they relate closer to me and symbolise my minute existence in my surroundings and on the planet.

The two 10x8 images hold a strong correlation with the display of Daisuke Yokota's ‘Site/Cloud’ series that I visited in the Foam Gallery in Amsterdam and took the influence, not just from the links in the conceptual ideas but also how the requirements for the brief relate to his small gridded systemised exhibition images. I really loved how the images had been displayed and think it communicates effectively with the viewer, not just on one image, but collaborate as a whole.

I believe that I shall use the two 10x8 prints as finals as they both relate with the brief, the concept and also technically they don’t need any adjustments or to be altered, so they would work fine. With the 16x12 print, I am unsure as I like the actual image but in my opinion. In a sense, disregarding the technical aspects again links to my individual rebellion against the ‘perfect image’ but I do also want my print to be effective to the viewer, even if they don’t understand the context. Although, it holds a high tonal range from black-grey-white, which is all seen in the image, however, I believe the contrast in the image is slightly too high and the exposure time should be increased slightly to accompany this. I do like the image, it creates a sense of an unearthly hyper-real recording from these implications and I would use it as a final print, I need to change the exposure of the image first by using a test strip and starting from the beginning again. 

As for the contact sheets, I would like to start again and make two more due to the fact that I didn’t consider the positionings of negatives in the contact printer, so I need to make sure they’re all aligned so they can be visible from one angle. Technically, I don’t believe anything should be changed from the contact sheets, the exposure is perfect and as seen as helped me print two of my final images. 

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