Printing and the chemical process

   Once you have mastered using the enlarger machine and found out what time setting is best for your photograph, you are ready to print. Printing a photo is one of the easiest parts of the process. You use your test strip that I mentioned in my last blog and look to see what time your photo should be exposed for. Once you have adjusted the zoom and focus on the machine, you can go ahead and grab a photo sensitive paper from the box in the corner of the darkroom. You place the paper on the blank platform under that machine and click the timer button. The timer button will expose the paper to the projected image. You then take out the paper and go to the chemical table. 

    The chemical table consist of three chemicals. Developer, stop bath, and fixer. These are in shallow square containers and the liquid is clear. Once you have exposed your picture at the enlarger machine, you can drop your photo in the developer. After a few seconds, you will see the paper darken and the picture come to life. After two minutes, you drop your photo in the stop bath for thirty seconds, then the fixer for three minutes. You rinse your photo off with water for a couple minutes when the chemical process is finished. After you have cleaned your photo, pop it into the drier and wait until you see it emerge from the other side of the drier machine. Now you have a unique photograph that represents all your hard work. 

    

The enlarger machine and it's tools

    In my last blog, I explained the steps to printing out photographs. In this blog, I will go into detail about the enlarger machine and printing. 

    The enlarger machine has many different parts. Near the top of the machine, there is a light bulb, a focus lever, a zoom lever, and a negative carrier where you put your film strip. Near the bottom, there is a blank platform where you put the film paper. 

First you put your negative film strip in the negative film carrier. You put it upside down so it will be projected the correct way. You then turn on the light to see it projected onto the blank platform at the bottom of the machine. Once your picture is projected, you can use the levers on the right side of the machine to zoom into your picture and make it larger.  You then make a test strip. A test strip is a strip of photo sensitive paper that you use to test how many seconds are needed to expose the projected image onto the photo paper. You turn the timer to two seconds and expose your picture to the test strip by pressing on the timer button. The image is projected onto the test strip. Once you have chemically processed the test strip, you'll be able to see what the photo looks like. You can tell which time is good for your photo by looking at the light and dark areas of the test strip. Light areas are classified by the number two. You count by two to classify the shades up from the darkest. You expose your actual picture for the amount of seconds whichever shade you liked most on the test strip is. 

Dark room process.

    In my last blogs, I discussed the process of developing film and making a contact sheet. Once you have completed those tedious steps, you are ready to take your film strips into the darkroom and start printing out photos. 

    The first step in printing a photo is selecting the film strip that you want. You slide your film into the film holder in the enlarger machine. This allows your picture to be projected onto the light sensitive paper when you turn on the light switch. Once you have put your film strip in the negative carrier and put it back into the enlarger machine,  you turn on the light bulb in the center of the machine. You will see your picture protected on the flat surface under the machine. You can use the knobs on the side of the machine to zoom your picture. Once you have focused and zoomed your picture, you turn off the light and slip a square of light sensitive photo paper onto the surface under the machine. You turn on your timer and light. The light will project the image onto the paper and create your image. Your next steps lead you to the chemical bins that are needed in order to end the tedious process.  In the next blog, I will go into detail about the timer, light,  how the enlarger machine works, and the chemical process. 

The dark room/ contact sheet

    The many steps of photography require patience and skill. The next step in printing out a photograph is taking your negative film strips to the dark room, so they can be printed on photo sensitive paper. You first cut your negative strips into smaller strips and place them in a sheet protector. This keeps your film strips from getting dusty and bent. It also allows you to make a contact sheet a little later. After you make sure your film is protected and ready to go, you are ready to use a darkroom enlarging machine and make a contact sheet. 

    A contact sheet is a large piece of negative photo paper (about the size of a piece of loose leaf paper) that you expose your pictures on, so all of them can be displayed at once. The photos come out smaller than usual on the contact sheet due to the lack of space. This method allows you to see your photos so you can choose which ones you want to print . This also allows you to see what exposure times your pictures need. I personally like to take a silver sharpie and mark the photos that I want to print so I don't get confused when I go  to print out my photographs. The next blog will teach you how to make your negatives into beautiful photographs. 

Developing film strips

    Film requires a lot of knowledge and skill. There are many rules and processes involved with getting the perfect picture. In this blog, I will talk about the next step in the process. The next step is developing your rolled film strip, so that it is ready to go to the dark room. 

    After your film has been rolled around the small metal wheel, it is ready to be developed chemically. If you followed the last steps correctly, your film should be in  metal can rolled neatly inside. You take your can to the developing sink and begin to follow the directions. The directions are simple and easy to memorize. 

      You first fill your can with water and shake your can in a sideways motion for one minute. After emptying your can, you fill it with a chemical called developer. This makes your photos show on the strips of film. You shake your can with the developer for 7 minutes. After each minute, you set your can in the sink and wait ten seconds to continue the minute. After you are done with this process, you fill your tank with water 3 times and shake your can 5 times, 10 times and 20 times. This washes off excess developer.  After pouring out the water, you are ready to use a chemical called fixer. This makes sure the photos on the film strip are perminate. You pour the developer into the can and follow the same procedure as the developer. You do this for five minutes. When this is done, you fill the tank with water and shake for 5, 10, and 20 times. When the water is poured out , you can open the can and take out the rolled film. You drop your developed film into a bucket of chemicals called Photo Flo.  After 30 seconds, you take it out and hang your film in the drier to dry. 

Developing process/rolling film

    Before printing out a photograph, you have to know the many processes involved with black and white film photography.  There are many rules and steps needed in order to create a beautiful photo. Before you take your negative film strips to the dark room, you have to develop them first. I will describe the steps to the first part of the developing process. 

    First, you need to roll your film. You get a black film bag,a metal rolling wheel, a film openener, and a small metal can. You insert these items into the sealed black bag, which looks like a small backpack. You put your arms through the slots on the side of the bag. These slots allow you to roll your film around the wheel and seal it in the metal can without exposing any film to light. after your arms are in the bag , you feel for your film and start rolling it around the wheel. Your film should slide easily between the two metal plates of the wheel. After you have finished, you put the wheel with the film wrapped around it, in the can. You seal the cam with a plastic lid and take it out of the bag. You are now ready to use chemicals to develop your film, so it can be printed in the dark room later on. 

The dark room

I have decided to talk about the dark room for this blog. The dark room is an interesting place where creativity comes to life. The dark room is the place that photographs get printed after they have been developed. The dark room is painted black and has no lighting except for a photo safe light that allows people printing photos to see what they are doing. In the dark room, there are many odd looking machines called enlargers. They hold the strips of developed negative film and project the images on the film strips onto photo sensitive paper. This exposes the photo paper to light, darkening the areas the light hits, printing out the photograph. Photo paper darkens when exposed to light. You can adjust the knobs on the side of the machine to enlarge the picture or shrink it. You can also set a timer for how many minutes you want your picture to be exposed. The exposure time depends on the conditions in which the photograph was taken. Photographs taken in bright light need a longer exposure time than photographs taken in a low light setting.  After the picture is successfully exposed, it is dropped in multiple chemicals that make the exposed areas of the phot paper show. The paper begins to darken after a minute of being in the chemicals, and the image appears. The image is then rinsed off with clean water and placed in a drier for one minute. The unique processes are one of my favorite parts about photgaphy. The dark room continues to amaze me.  

Photo ideas

  For my next set of photos, I plan to do something different. I want to take photos of the human body, but add different effects that make my photos unique. I need more ideas to keep my project going. If you have any ideas, please let me know in the comments below. 

  I am planning to use one peice leotards that match with the model's skin color. I love ballet and will have models do ballet poses to show the muscles in the body, especially the legs. I might use my digital camera so the photos will be in color. This will allow me to use different color backgrounds that contrast with the color of the model's leotard. For the backgrounds, I will use cardboard science fair posters. When opened up, these always show the best and create a lot of color that make the photos pop. Black posters are the best for black and white photos with a film camera. My film camera has been giving me problems, which I am getting tired of. I am looking for a good film camera. Hope you enjoy my new photos. 

  

First photos from new project

  Over the weekend, I took many photographs. They are all of me because I could not find a model. I used flash and a timer to take these photos. A timer is used when there is nobody to take the picture. It took a while to figure out the new camera I used. After connecting the flash and setting the timer, I posed against a blank wall. I drew interesting designs on my face and got creative. This set of photos were extremely difficult to take. I had a lot of fun dispite the obstacles. 

  Since I was taking pictures in the dark and using flash, the photos came out giany and a little blurry. I had to focus the photos in the dark room so they would appear clearer when printed. I had to re print them several times to get the pictures to show up on the photos paper, since they were dark. I am happy with the results and plan to use more techniques. I also plan on getting models and taking pictures of different people. 

Photo project on the human body

  For my latest photo project on the human body, I came up with many interesting ideas that will make my pictures stand out. I used body and face paint to create a mystical effect. I painted black and white lines on my face and neck. I also had a friend paint a blue and white sun on my back. I am getting a smoke machine from a friend to give an extra boost to my photos. For the first part of the project, I used myself as the subject for the pictures. I plan to obtain more models that I can use to show how each person is different. I also plan to show how flaws can be beautiful and how they make people unique. 

   I have not completed my first roll of pictures for the project. I will finish the roll of film this weekend when I have access to props, lights, backgrounds,and more people to use as models. I will use the flash attachment that one of my bother's friends gave me to take pictures in the dark. I will upload my first set of photographs for my project when they are developed and printed. 

    

New photo project

    My film camera I use to take pictures for my school projects recently malfunctioned causing me to loose my most recent pictures. I took a roll of film based on the human body, which is my new project. Unfortunately, they were unable to be developed and printed due to my broken camera. The pictures were not exposed to light properly due to loose screws in the camera's lense. I have obtained a functioning camera and will continue to add photos to my new project. 

   I begun using flash to take pictures in the dark.  Flash is difficult to use because you have to adjust the settings on the camera to work with the flash attachment. I have not experimented with flash on a film camera yet and hope that my pictures will look the way I want.  I used face and body paint to give my pictures a mysterious look. Although all the paint was extrelmy difficult to wipe off, it was worthit at the end. For my next set of photos, I plan to use the pool or beach and take pictures of people posing in the water and sand. 

New camera and project

    I recently bought a new camera. It is a Nikon D3300. I have always wanted a more advanced camera that has numerous settings and features. My new camera is not a film camera like my current one, it is digital. Film cameras need to be loaded with film in order to take pictures. Those pictures need to be developed with chemicals and then printed in a dark room with an enlarger machine. Digital cameras are an easier, hassle free alternative that lets you see your photographs instantly and in color. You can also print them out using your computer instead of a dark room and an enlarger machine. 

  For my next photo project, I plan to take pictures of the human body and what it can do. I have recently researched professional  photographers who use the human body and its form to create magnificent works of art. I have been insipired by  photographers all over the world, especially Russia where ballet photography is popular. I plan to take pictures of dancers and use thier skill to excentuate the human form. I'm am excited to start on my new project and discover what creative ideas I can add to my photography. 

    

Photography project

    For my latest photography project, my partner and I used horror and fantasy to create amazing photraphs that stood out among the others. In my last blog, I posted pictures of the first photographs that were added to my project. I will be posting new photos as the project progresses. 

   My partner and I enjoyed taking the next set of pictures for our project. My partner had the idea of using water and fog create a creepy environment for taking pictures. we also used costumes and paint to add to the fantasy part of the project. This idea was difficult to incorporate, since I slipped several times while posing. Even though it was difficult to put together, we still managed to finish the next set of photographs. After many sets of pictures, we were finally satisfied with the results. It is difficult to know what the pictures look like, since they have to be developed and printed in a dark room with special chemicals. We are excited to keep adding  pictures to our project and show them off as we go. 

Photography life

    Ever since I  held a professional camera for the first time on the first day of tenth grade, I have been completely hooked. Photography has become my passion and favorite hobby. I have worked with many different cameras and have excelled throughout my high school years.  I work with my classmates and friends to create spectacular collaboration projects. My photos have been displayed at art shows and have been entered in multiple competitions. I am proud for advancing into the highest level photography class in Palmetto High School and being recognized for my photos. I become more creative with each photo project I do.
     Recently I have worked with a good friend on a collaborative photo project. Our theme was horror. I did not particularly like this theme previous to the assignment given in photo class.  The project was not as difficult to complete than I believed. Once we got to work, creativity poured from our minds onto the photo paper. My idea to use paint and costumes went well with the theme. I enjoyed being a model. I enjoy helping my peers on projects mostly because I like posing for pictures and being part of the photo process.