Nina Rรถsler
Unit 1
Darkroom Technique One of the probably most traditional photography techniques is creating pictures in the darkroom. The darkroom is how the name is already telling you a dark room. But not totally because you use red light to see what you are actually doing with your photogram. The red light does not change the sensitive paper, like normal light would do it. If white light is coming in contact with the Photographic paper it ruins the paper so you cannot use it anymore.
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Nina RĂśsler
Unit 1
You create a photogram on special paper (silver gelatin paper). The photograms arise when shadows of objects achieve the paper.
The first photogram you should do is a step wedge, which you create for knowing how many seconds the paper needs to get different darkness. But before creating a photogram you have to mix the chemicals with water and put them in different bowls. You need three different bowls which you have to use in the following order; Developer, Stop, Fix. Each chemical has their own time to work with the photogram. After the photogram was in contact with the chemicals you have to put it for at least 5 minutes into the sink with running water. This water can be freezing cold but the water with you mixed the chemicals has to be about room temperature. After you finished all these steps you have to wash your hands because of the chemicals and before you start working on you need to dry your hands with paper towels. The best is when you are finished and cleaned the working area to wash the hands in the bathroom with soap to get the smell of the chemicals away.
Photograms became famous in 1920’s because of artists like Man Ray and Laszlo Moholy-Nagy. The American artist Man Ray (1890- 1976) was film maker, photograph and painter. He loved the idea of taking pictures without a camera and to be in this case the machine that creates the picture.
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Nina RĂśsler
Unit 1
His pictures are playing perfectly with shadows and start you to think about their meanings.
Moholy-Nagy (1895-1946) is a Hungarian artist which was a painter, sculptor, photographer, film maker and designer. After studying law and his painting career he started in 1922 with his first photogram in Berlin. He played with different textures like glass, crystal, liquids and veils. His pictures are abstract, but also real infect of how he made the pictures.
My own experiences in the darkroom After the introduction of my teacher and our first step wedge we were able to create our own photograms. I had a lot of problems with this task because most of my photogram’s became black in 3
Nina Rรถsler
Unit 1
the developer. After some tries and changes on my light I finally created a good photogram which was of some feathers and flowers. I became with every photogram better and better which made me proud of myself. I like to use bottles, glasses and other see through stuff. It creates wonderful reflections next to the objects. I also like to move flowers or feathers during the creation of the photogram so they look later like weak shadows. Even when it makes a lot of work and take a lot of time to mix the chemicals and clean them up after the lesson I think it is absolutely worth it. Photograms belong for me to my favorite techniques in Photography. I learned to improve my skills and I found my own kind of style.
My first Photogram was more a accidental compassion of object I found in the darkroom. It does not have a special theme or message to send with, but with this picture started my passion to Photograms so it means something special to me.
I created this Photogram just with see through objects. In the darkroom you can play very well with glass objects. Because of the light you can see the structure of the object detailed. I like especially the object in the bottom right corner. It was actually a champagne glass with patens at the side. The glass in this Photogram is standing vertical on the paper. In consequence of that the source of light is coming from above gives the glass on the right side a reflection of the pattern. For my opinion the pattern looks like hands which are grabbing for the glass, which gives the picture kind of a mystic .
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