TheVacancy.Net Travelogue

I'll have to remember these times when I am very busy so when I get bored I can remind myself how nice it is to have the opportunity to get bored.

Just ramblings today is all I really have to talk about. I made some Photograms in my Black & White Photography class that I am really proud of.















Photograms are made by placing darkroom paper under the enlarger (the machine that shoots light through a developed negative on to a platform, thus creating a larger image), and then placing objects directly on to the paper. The light from the enlarger is turned on, and the paper becomes exposed. During the chemical development stage, the paper turns black anywhere light hit it, but remains white anywhere a shadow hit.

All the photograms represent my engagement, but that's all the information I'll give. There is significant symbolism in each one, but I will leave the photograms open to interpretation. It's always fun to see what people can come up with when they analyze your work.



































"The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious." --Albert Einstein

Learning to develop my own film is awesome. It's so gratifying. I learned so much this week about photography, and that it's so much more than having the best camera: the right paper, film, developer, stop, fixer, and hypo-clear are certainly part of the art.

Now I see why "old fashioned" photographers don't think digital photography is quite as nifty. In addition to a good eye, developing your own pictures requires work and patience. It's like putting together a model car--you know how it's supposed to look, but you can only follow the instructions and hope it looks as good as the picture on the box. If you think you can take good pictures, and you're all digital, I challenge you to test out your talent with film and developing your own photos. It's humbling!

We created photograms, or "rayograms," where you place objects directly on Ilford RC photopaper, and then expose the paper under a condenser/enlarger. Here's what I got:



This is just a test strip to find out what your aperture and exposure time should be under the enlarger, but I just loved the way it came out. It's not perfect, as one side is exposed longer than the other, but it still has a striking quality about it.

I can't wait to be enlarging my own negatives! I feel like a kid waiting on Christmas!!

Labels: baton rouge, photography, southeastern, vacancy