Photography the traditional way

Had a couple of great lectures with Colin recently in the photography studio.  Firstly he gave us a tutorial on how to use a 5x4 camera. We then were shown how to load the photographic paper into the cartridge that goes into the camera. This seemed easy enough in the light of day but due to the sensitivity of the paper we then had to do this in the dark room! Fortunately there was a safe light in there so it wasn’t completely dark. We had to cut the paper to shape using some scissors and then load two pieces into the cartridge. It was then time to take some portrait photographs of each person in the group and then develop them using the traditional method of developer and fixer chemicals. The results were mixed, some photos were over exposed and others turned out great. They were produced on negative paper so the original picture produced is a negative. However, I have inversed the image in Photoshop so you can see the results. This picture was taken by Gemma so well done to her, I think it turned out really well.

The second lecture was all about pin hole photography. Colin gave us a selection of tins, from large ones that originally had Quality Streets in them to smaller ones that once contained Pringles or coffee. The insides of the tins were painted black and there was a small pin hole to let the light in, with a piece of tape over the hole to prevent an unwanted exposure. After inserting the paper in the dark room we proceeded to the studio to take some more portraits. This time Alex was the volunteer. The tins needed a stable platform due to the long exposure required (around 30 seconds) so we improvised and used some step ladders! We then developed the photos in the dark room. I’m still waiting to see the final results after drying the photos but again there were mixed results from no exposure to some really creative looking pictures! I will post them here as soon as I have them.