Photogram Samples
Final Photograms
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| Final Photogram #1 |
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| Final Photogram #2 |
Photogram Reflection
Walking into the dark room for the first time was very intimidating.
I don’t know much about dark room photography. There are so many rules to
follow (understandably), and the process of developing is extremely precise.
After having a quick demo, I was thrown into this photogram assignment. With
the help of my classmates, I finally started to get the hang of it. It was easy
to get into a rhythm, and the technical details of exposure timing and dodging
began to make more sense to me. There was so much excitement in seeing my
developed images, and after an hour of experimentation in the dark room, I was
looking forward to this assignment.
For my first photogram, I chose to use a few objects that are
meaningful to me. The swirly necklace appealed to me because of it’s
interesting shape, and because I’m always doodling swirls and circles in my
notebooks. I like organic shapes and feel that it represents my personality. I
chose to include the lace doily because I know that it would produce an
interesting effect when exposed to the light, and also because of its religious
significance. (My mother wears a circular doily to cover her head in synagogue.)
The last element is some dried flowers that are kept in a vase that I made when
I was first starting out as an artist. I thought that they would compliment my
design, and work well with the “pretty” and “feminine” theme I created.
The second photogram I created is made up of the chess pieces from
my board at home. I was looking around the house for some interesting objects,
and stumbled on my glass chess set. I decided to scatter the pieces all around
the paper to create a really full final image. I wanted both of my photograms
to be very different, and I think that I achieved that. One is more personal
and explores a few facets of my life, while the other is esthetically pleasing
to the eye and more technical.
I had never heard of photograms before taking this class. After
doing some research I discovered that Emmanuel Rudnitzky accidentally
discovered this process when he placed
objects on photosensitive paper. Photograms were originally called “Rayographs”
(Bio True Story, 2014). Because of his new find, we’re able to create
interesting shadow and light effects on photo paper without using any film.
Right now I’m doing an internship at my local community center. It
offers a photography class, and every week I see how excited the kids are to
work in the dark room. I think that making photograms with children is a great
activity, and that they would enjoy the immediacy of the process. This type of
project would really help them learn the basics of the dark room. Photograms
could also be incorporated into a history of photography lesson. Michael
Smith’s article, “On Teaching Photography”, made me even more aware of the
importance of knowing where our current techniques come from. Learning past
styles will benefit our future art practices.
Work Cited
A+E Networks. (2014). Man Ray Biography. Bio True Story. Retrieved from http://www.biography.com/people/man-ra 9452778?page=2
Smith, M.
(2011). On Teaching Photography. Michael
and Paula. Retrieved from http://www.michaelandpaula.com/mp/onteachphoto.html
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