experimental photography 2014

Experimental Photography

1Creative Media Production 2013

TitleNunnington Hall is a Manor house on the river Rye in North Yorkshire.

They regularly hold art, fashion and photography exhibitions.

They have worked with York College in the past and are keen to have students produce work for display around the house over the summer.

They have asked for submissions of experimental photography on the theme of discovery.

Students are to submit a maximum of 3 final images. Final selections will be made and images will be displayed in the house.


Title

Experimental photography is a phrase that includes alternative process techniques, and broadly refers to any photographic process or product falling outside the realm of straight film or digital photography.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Experimental_photography

Experimental Photography is where photography takes on new techniques or technologies. It often re-employs existing techniques in new ways.

We can simply divide up the world of experimental photography in to 4 distinction categories with 2 distinction purposes.


TitleHistorical:Older photography work which uses traditional methods.


Traditional:This method of working uses older methods such as film photography, cyanotypes, dark room techniques and paper collage.

Contemporary: More modern photography which may use non-traditional or traditional methods.

Non-traditional:This method of working uses more modern techniques, in particular digital production, to achieve it’s aims. Traditional methods of working can still be employed but use digital methods of production.

TitleFine art:Fine art images are created as a piece in themselves.

"Photography that is done as a fine art -- that is, done to express the artist's perceptions and emotions and to share them with others“ Gloria McDarrah

"A picture that is produced for sale or display rather than one that is produced in response to a commercial commission" Terry Hope

This work usually appears in galleries, exhibitions and fine art books and magazines. 5

Commercial:Commercial work is often produced in response to a brief and then used for another purpose, rather than just being a piece of art in itself. It could be used for a wide variety of reasons including advertising and promotion.

This sort of work appears in a wide variety of contexts. It can appear on adverts in a range of different media and also be used to promote bands and events.

History of experimental photography

The late Victorian era saw the birth of experimental photography although it was not considered a fully fledged art form until after World War 1.

In 1918 German artists Hannah Hoch and John Heartfield introduced the term ‘photomontage’ which represents images that have been ‘engineered rather than created’

They used photographs, illustration and a variety of media to construct their images.


Hannah HochHannah Hoch was a pioneer of the photomontage technique. Her work plays with the idea of beauty and fashion at a time when mass media was starting to create very clear representations of women and beauty

John HeartfieldJohn Heartfield is best known for his political montages that were constructed in the 1930’s and 1940’s which aimed to expose Hitler’s Nazi regime.

History of experimental photography

In an attempt to escape the idea that photography had to provide images of the real world and could not be abstract like art, Alvin Langdon Coburn used a series of mirrors and reflections to create his Vortagraph images


Title

Man Ray (American, 1890-1976) produced photograms by placing objects and other materials on photosensitive paper before exposing it to light.

Man Ray dubbed the results of his efforts “Rayographs”— a play on his name, but also a twist on the Latin roots of the word “photograph,” meaning “light-writing.

This allowed him to make images without the use of a camera.


Man Ray

Creative Media Production 2013

TitleDavid Hockney, (born 9 July 1937) is an English painter, draughtsman, printmaker, stage designer and photographer. He is based in Bridlington, Yorkshire, and Kensington, London.

An important contributor to the Pop art movement of the 1960s, he is considered one of the most influential British artists of the twentieth century. In the early 1980s, Hockney produced Photomontages as well as photo collages, which he called joiners.

He first used Polaroid prints and later 35mm commercially processed colour prints.

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Hockney's Photomontages Hockney Photomontages

Hockney Joiners

Title

Since experimental photography’s birth it has been used and developed by many artists and photographers.

Experimental photography has and is used to cause intrigue, awe and shock.

In art it is used to provoke thought in the viewer.

Over the course of time it has been brought into the modern era with the use of Photoshop.

It has also been used for more commercial purposes rather than just fine art and appears in advertising and as part as promotional items.


Photoshop Experimental Photography

Task

Task 1:

You are to write a case study on different experimental photographers and photographs.

You need to include a minimum of three experimental images produced using photographs.

You should note down the artist.

You should explain the techniques that they used and categorise them as traditional or non-traditional and also as historical or contemporary.

You should also explain where their work might be displayed, such as a billboard, a book or a gallery.


Exploring techniques

Be able to explore and test techniques, materials, processes and media



Today we are going to look at 4 basic techniques that break the traditional rules of photography.

These techniques will give you a starting point for your own experiments although you can choose whatever techniques you want to use later on in the project.

The key to this task and your own project later on is to be methodical in your work. Each one will produce very different results and you can use them in a variety of ways.

To get a distinction you need to effectively and coherently explore and test techniques, materials and processes before independently and imaginatively review evaluate and develop innovative outcomes.



Out of focus: Focus is a key element of photography and most of the time you will try to get at least the important elements in focus. With this technique, the idea is to break the rules and try to purposely take out of focus images. The results can be quite stunning.




Technique:

Switch the camera from AF(auto focus) to MF (manual focus).

Use the focus ring to adjust the level of focus.

Wider apertures (f4) tend to give more blur than smaller ones (f18) but it is worth testing out a range of settings.

Different focal lengths will also affect the image and are worth experimenting with.

Hockney Photomontages/Joiners:

This involves take lots of close up images of a scene and then arranging them so that the bigger picture can be seen. There are several ways of doing it. Photoshop allows you to create a photomontage as an automatic process.

You can also do it manually by layering up lots of images on a blank document. You can also create them with printed images, as Hockney did.



Technique:

When taking your images, get close to your subject.

Take lots of images but be methodical to ensure you cover everything. Going from left to right for each row is a sure fire technique.

Use file > automate > Photomerge in Photoshop to put it together automatically.

Don’t worry about being too perfect or you will lose the charm.



Movement:Capturing movement can result in very interesting and surreal images.

Two main techniques involve either photographing an object in motion or moving the camera during exposure. Each has its own aesthetic and can be used in different ways.



Technique:To do this you need to have long exposure to capture movement. Using TV (shutter priority) mode can help you control the time the shutter is open.

To capture movement of objects, keep the camera still during the exposure. This will allow stationary objects to remain in focus and give a counterbalance to the moving elements.

To introduce your own movement, hand hold the camera and move it during exposure.


Reflections:Reflections can give us a unique and interesting perspective on a subject that we might not have considered before. They can provide distortion, transforming the mundane in to the exciting. They can provide frames which capture small parts of the bigger picture.

Technique:No special techniques are required for this kind of shoot, just a good eye. You can even leave your camera on automatic. Try to exclude your own reflection from the image unless you have a particular reasons to add it.



Task

Task 2:Produce images using reflections, Hockney joiners and photomontages, out of focus photography and movement in your images.

You should demonstrate that you can use the techniques effectively. Use a variety of subjects and compositions to add interest to your images and test out the technique.

Once you have your images, you should use the experiments pro-forma to display your images and record your thoughts on the outcomes.


Additional techniques

Further techiques:Experimental photography encompasses many different techniques. This project will allow you to select one of more of these and develop a series of images.

As with the Irn-Bru project, we want to see lots of development and evaluation of your work. The process of taking images, testing methods, reviewing results and then refining methods will help you get to a distinction.

The next few slides show just some of the possibilities.


Light Writing:

High Speed Photography:

Multimedia Photography:

Harris Shutter:

Scanography:


Multiple exposures (Photoshop):


3D Photography:

Further techniques

Task 3:Investigate at least 2 different experimental photography methods. Gather a range of sample images and find out how to achieve each effect.


Example

3D Photography:

3D photography involves using photoshop to process an image which can then be viewed with 3D glasses. It is created by using two layers in photoshop. One layer is altered to gives it a red colour overall. A second layer has the colour channels adjusted to cyan. The red layer is moved a few pixels to the right and the cyan layer is moved to the left. Using appropriate glasses, you can see a 3D image. It offers a lot of potential for experimentation.


Planning

Intentions:

Theme: The theme for your own work is discovery. This is quite an open brief and allows for your own personal interpretation of the theme. You should explore your thoughts on this theme and consider the techniques that you might use to investigate the theme.

Task 4: Create an initial mind map on the theme of discovery before producing a mood board of inspiring images to help with your ideas. This will help you complete your proposal which should outline the subjects you will use and the techniques you will test.

Task 5:Complete the planning pro-forma to list the time, date, location and equipment required to produce your images. You should also include details of what you will be doing during the shoot. Remember that methodical, controlled experimentation will help you get better results. 46

TitleTask 6:You are to produce a minimum of three complete experimental photographs.

You need to evaluate each photograph to show how you have refined your images. There is a pro-forma to help structure your responses with this. You should consider technical and aesthetic qualities. You should consider formal elements of your work such as line, shape and texture as well as colour, tone and contrast. You should also consider the composition of your work.

You need to use contact sheets to view and show your progress. You should include your workings out and progression of the development of your photography. Re-working or retaking of your images would be beneficial to get the most out of your processes and to help you develop it to near professional standards.

To gain a distinction you need to effectively analyse developmental work to implement purposeful outcomes and independently and imaginatively review evaluate and develop innovative outcomes.


Title


experimental photography 2014

Art & Photos

title experimental photography

modern photography

digital photography

film photography

photography exhibitions

older photography work

title fine art

fine art images