Cameraless Photography
Chemigrams
Instead of using cameras to take photos, I experimented with chemicals and light. Firstly I chose numerous objects which I thought would give an interesting appearance when coated in either the developer or the stop and fixer. The developer turned the light sensitive paper black and once painted around the edge of an object gave an unusual effect. The fixer turned the paper white or light pinkish colour. When mixing both together (for example the splashing of both the chemicals), there was a contrast between the light sensitive paper and the chemicals.
Using Light Sensitive Paper/ Cyanotypes
I also experimented with light sensitive chemicals. In order to achieve this, I needed to wash a sheet of paper with chemicals which are light reactive. Then, placing your chosen objects onto the paper and exposing it to ultraviolet light, (I used the natural sun light), I was able to see the imprint of the object where it had obscured the sunlight and turned the rest of the paper a different shade of blue. After, I then washed and rinsed the paper which helped to enhance the whiteness of where the sun light was not able to travel and the chemicals turned a darker blue as it washed off. Below are some finished examples of my work.
Photograms
After experimenting with chemigrams and cyanotypes, I also decided to try out photograms as inspired by Pierre Cordier whose work you can view here. To get these images I was working in the dark room with light sensitive paper and controlling the amount of light that hit the paper which had various objects on to create the final images below. I went through the process of putting the timer on for 30 seconds so the paper was exposed to light for the same amount of time, and then I either added or took away certain objects to give a less prominent tonal difference. After that, I went through the process of developing the photograms in developer and then fixer to stop the reaction and then put in water then left to dry to finally end the process.
Further Editing
Once finishing the photograms, I decided to edit the photos on a photo editing app called "Blender". This allowed me to mix and blend my photograms together in new ways to create new images which looked more exciting and interesting. I was able to crop and focus on particular elements or aspects of my photogram allowing the viewer to experience a new point of focus each time.