2 month project - Leaving negatives out in the open

I took these photos using 35mm of the tree that I am now going to hang the negatives on to leave out in the open to see how they are affected by the environment. I will scan these negatives in after two months of hanging in the tree. I expect the outcomes to be slightly distorted but still be able to see the original photo.

Timeline

Took photos - 15/02/17
Sent film off to be developed - 16/02/17
Received film back - 25/02/17 (due to being on holiday)
Scanned in original images - 28/02/17
Cut negatives up and hang them on the tree - 29/02/17
Collected negatives from the tree - 04/05/17
Scanned final images in - 05/05/17

The red dot on the satellite image below shows the location of the tree which I will hang my negatives in.

Final scanned in images

It was surprising how little two months in the open in a range of weather conditions, which included frost, rain, heat and bright sunshine, had impacted on the film and the images. The images were maily intact but the main effect was the appearance of green and purple hues on the images from the scanned in negatives. Wider research suggests that it was moisture that caused the purple patches and heat exposure  the green.

 

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Old barn artist research - Nick Taylor

Nick Taylor's mediums of choice include 35mm film to DSLR cameras. He strongly believes in getting the image right in-camera and on-location and therefore never applies any heavy digital manipulation to his photos through the use of Photoshop or any similar program.

Taylor took these photos in his aunt's old barn in Utah, USA. He chose to use black and white film for this shoot as "I love the way old places like this basically turn monochrome with time. Dust and rust slowly engulf everything until the wooden things and the metal things become the same hue. It allows the shapes and details to show through without the distraction of colour."

These are my photos inspired by Nick Taylor's work

I am lucky enough to have my own ‘aunt of all things rusty’ in my neighbour Edgar. He is a third generation farmer and the workshop’s contents are a testament to the concept of repurpose and reuse. Like Taylor’s aunt’s barn, Edgar’s hoarding provides disjointed but strangely beautiful displays of naturally curated tools and components against a background framework of wood and corrugated metal cladding.

To the untrained eye, the contents are a jumbled mess of rusty and tarnished metal but, on closer inspection, you realise everything has its place. Tools are hung together by type and size; new and reusable bolts huddle together alongside the tools to manipulate them; and, the rust and dust, grease and grime provide continuity across every surface.

The spanner in the first image caught my eye as I wandered around the workshop. Reflecting the translucent colours of oil floating on water, it seemed an apt image to capture in the greasy workshop environment. I took a colour picture and sampled the spanner to leave it as an isolated colour element in an otherwise monochrome image.

I used natural light for my images. Presenting the images in black and white certainly lent itself to the photographic interpretation as it allowed the key elements to stand out against the background rather than becoming lost. I took the image of the open doorway to suggest the workshop is a hidden world of intrigue and treasure into which only the few may enter. Finally, I applied a sepia filter to the final image in Photoshop, in homage to the rusty brown artefacts shown in the image.  

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Destroying negative films artist research - Peter Hoffman

Peter Hoffman

Hoffman decided he wanted to augment the original photographs that he took of the Fox River in Chicago by spraying them with gasoline, setting them alight and then, just before the flames obliterate any trace of the original exposure, dousing the fire with water. He says his unusual technique is a comment on unsustainable consumer habits; specifically our use of precious natural resources, which he considers to be out of control and unsustainable.

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My final images

Emulating Hoffman, I took some images of natural forms, in my case trees and then ignited them using matches. The film quickly caught light and distorted from the heat but the tree images were still visible on untouched parts of the film. 

I was unable to scan the film remnants into my computer using the film setting on the scanner as the film was so distorted meaning you can't see the photos on the film as clearly as I would have hoped.

Doing this again, I would try Hoffman’s method of burning off a combustible liquid and quickly dousing as I think this may leave the film flat and intact.

 

 

Milk bath experimentation

Using just a domestic bath, a box of milk powder and three willing models I managed to experiment with this surreal technique to explore alternative textures and the impact of opacity. I set out to capture the natural shapes and colours reflected in the human form.

The plain milk bath ensures that my subject is the main focal point, but I also experimented with leaves and flowers to add some additional texture and contrast. However, keeping the flowers where you want them can be challenging; I had my subjects get into position in the bath and lay as still as they can—even small movements can shift everything. Then I placed the flowers and leaves carefully before I started shooting.

I used natural window light supplemented by softbox lighting from above. I found the best shooting position was from directly above the subject so I was balanced on a step ladder leaning over the bath. I used a flat rather than dramatic light for this session as I wanted to avoid harsh shadows and reflections in the water, which would ruin the aesthetic completely.

The equipment set up and selecting the poses were the most challenging and time-consuming aspects of this session, particularly in a small enclosed space. I also had to be careful to ensure that my models did not smear their makeup during the early shots.

I love the opaque, creamy effect that using milk powder gives an image, and the ethereal portraits that I captured. I enjoyed experimenting with black-and-white photography and other parts of the body to provide a contrast to the face shots.

If I were to conduct another milk bath shoot, I would like to experiment with sheer fabric clothing as I think this would lend a greater ethereal effect to the photos.

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