HERSCHEL INVENTED THE CYANOTYPE PROCESS, WHICH INVOLVED COATING PAPER WITH A LIGHT SENSITIVE CHEMICAL COMPOSED OF IRON SALTS. OBJECTS WERE PLACED ON TOP OF THE SURFACE AND THEN EXPOSED IN THE SUNLIGHT. THE OBJECTS WOULD BLOCK THE LIGHT AND THE EXPOSED AREAS WOULD TURN A BRILLIANT BLUE. THE CHEMICALS WERE THEN RINSED FROM THE PAPER, AND A PERMANENT IMAGE REMAINED.
HERSCHEL TAUGHT THIS CAMERALESS TECHNIQUE TO HIS FAMILY FRIEND, ANNA ATKINS. NOT ONLY IS SHE CONSIDERED THE FIRST FEMALE PHOTOGRAPHER, BUT SHE ALSO CREATED THE FIRST PHOTOGRAPHICALLY REPRODUCED TEXT. ATKINS WAS A TRAINED BOTANIST WHO CREATED HANDMADE REFERENCE BOOKS FOR HER BELOVED PLANTS. IN "BRITISH ALGAE," SHE COMPOSED CYANOTYPES WITH BOTH PLANT SPECIMENS AND DESCRIPTIVE TEXT. |
Above: Anna Atkins, 1843-1945
Title Page from Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions BY 1890, THE MOST COMMON USE OF THIS PROCESS WAS TO REPRODUCE ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS, WHICH WERE CALLED BLUEPRINTS (CYAN MEANS BLUE). THE CYANOTYPE PROCESS WAS USED FOR THIS PURPOSE UNTIL 1940. To the Left: Cyanotype Blueprints
Grand Central Terminal, NY Architects: Reed and Stem Built: 1908 |
PHOTOGRAPHY = Writing with light
Creating a photograph involves selecting and enclosing a space to fit within the four edges of a frame.
Skilled photographers learn how to scan their environments for visual elements that appeal to the imagination.
They work with the position of their cameras to organize everything that falls within their frame.
This allows them to deliver a visual message that will have the most impact on their viewer.
Writing a sentence involves selecting the words that fit between a capital letter and a punctuation mark.
Skilled writers learn how to skim through their vocabulary and choose the most fitting term.
They place their words in a sequence that is both organized and imaginative.
This allows them to deliver a written message that will have the most impact on their reader.
Today's Photography exercise:
THOUGHTS ON COMPOSITION
Latin componere, means "put together."
YOUR SHOOTING ASSIGNMENT
Search your immediate environment for opportunities to frame letter forms and punctuation marks using your camera phone. Find as many examples as you can, and you can even create them yourself. Search both big and small and remember to utilize both positive and negative shapes. Work with selective framing to eliminate unnecessary elements and ensure your character is as legible as possible. Remember the edges of the frame can be important to forming the character itself.
PHOTOGRAPHY TIP: Getting your camera too close to your subject can result in a blurry image. Your camera phone has a focal length that requires a minimum distance to achieve sharpness. A lens operates just like the human eye. For instance, hold your hand up in front of your face and pull it slowly towards your eyes, then stop as soon as your hand becomes blurry. This is your eye's focal length. Expect your camera to require the same distance to achieve sharp focus. If you need to get closer to your subject, simply pull your camera back and then zoom in.
When you are finished, you can use the instructions below to share your images and see just how many characters we were able to find as a group.
PHOTOGRAPHY TIP: Getting your camera too close to your subject can result in a blurry image. Your camera phone has a focal length that requires a minimum distance to achieve sharpness. A lens operates just like the human eye. For instance, hold your hand up in front of your face and pull it slowly towards your eyes, then stop as soon as your hand becomes blurry. This is your eye's focal length. Expect your camera to require the same distance to achieve sharp focus. If you need to get closer to your subject, simply pull your camera back and then zoom in.
When you are finished, you can use the instructions below to share your images and see just how many characters we were able to find as a group.
Sharing Instructions:
1. Download the Google Drive App: Google Play for Android OR iTunes for iPhone
2. Click on the "Alphabet Photography Image Folder" link above and when prompted select Open With Google Drive App (if the shared folder remains open in your internet browser, you cannot add images)
1. Download the Google Drive App: Google Play for Android OR iTunes for iPhone
2. Click on the "Alphabet Photography Image Folder" link above and when prompted select Open With Google Drive App (if the shared folder remains open in your internet browser, you cannot add images)
6. Choose your camera roll and then upload one image by simply clicking once or click and hold to make a selection of multiple images.
NOTE: If you are struggling to get the folder to automatically open in the Google Drive App, see me and I will get your email address so I can share it with you directly. You should then be able to go into the app and find the Alphabet Photography folder under "Shared with Me."
NOTE: If you are struggling to get the folder to automatically open in the Google Drive App, see me and I will get your email address so I can share it with you directly. You should then be able to go into the app and find the Alphabet Photography folder under "Shared with Me."
Going Further
As a class we would work to continue building this image library. Once at least one example of every letter and punctuation mark was captured, we would review how to bring the image files into Photoshop to build words and ultimately sentences. This would involve learning how to expand a canvas, add images on separate layers, scale, and position each character within a sequence.