Photograms in the darkroom:

In the darkroom, my aim was to print some logos and stencils to use as postcards. I wanted them to be giraffe themed, to follow the rest of the postcards but also wanted them to be attractive to a wide range of audiences. I also wanted a high contrast image, with a white template and a black background. Another thing I wanted is for them to be simple, yet effective in capturing the readers attention. I cut out stencils using basic shapes and simple designs that I could see being on merchandise. I also wanted to experiment in developing, I used a glass contact board to create lines in the image, which was inspired by me painting in a mini task, and also sprayed on the developer, instead of placing all the page in the developer, to allow a splat or extra details and pattern on the page.

The test strip for this piece started with a full cover of 2 seconds, then sections of 1 seconds. Upon doing this, I found that 8 seconds allowed the blacks to be dark and the whites to be bright and contrasting. This is something I wanted in the postcard as I want the images to be attractive to the audience and to be the one who is chosen, out of a display of many others. The paper is 5 by 7 inch, ilford light sensitive, which allowed the shape to be transferred onto the page. The f number was 8 and the overall develop time was 8 seconds. Here, I did not have a grade on, this allowed a lower contrast in the image. This is a negative print, however I will, digitally, invert and create the positive to compare. I wanted the stencil itself to be in the middle of the postcard, this was slightly difficult when hand printing, however I can alter and fix this in Photoshop when I choose my finals. Another thing I may experiment with is adding colour digitally, once the image is inverted. I will use photoshop to add colour and experiment more. 

This image uses a F number of 8 and no grade. This allowed there to be a small depth of field and less contrast in the image. The less contrast on the image makes the whites seem a little greyer, which makes the image seem dull and unattractive to look at. I used Ilford, 5x7inch, photographic paper to achieve the outline of the giraffe print via light. I then, instead of completely placing the image in the developer, I sprayed it on. This gave the image a modern and interesting feel which directed the audience from the outside of the paper in, to meet the giraffe, the main focus, in the middle.  Another thing that this reminded me off is graffiti and spraying onto a wall. This could be done by using masking tape to cover a shape, then just spraying and attacking the paper or wall with paint. 

This image uses a contact sheet printer, to print lines onto an image. I placed the stencil in the middle of the page, making sure the neck touches the bottom and then closing the case. I then added a grade (2) and exposed the sheet  for 10 seconds, after completing a test strip. I then developed the paper like normal. I like this as it looks very graphic design like and think it would work as merchandise. The two contrasting colours work well to capture the audiences attention from far away, this again makes it good for merchandise. Another thing is that the lines, created by the printer, act as leading lines and pull the audiences eye towards the giraffe shape. This image is a negative, which I really like, as the white is the brighter colour and again attracts the audiences attention to that. However, if I do use this for another task, I will turn it into a positive, and see if this works as well. 

This image uses the same exposure time and grade as the above. The scanning in however made the contrast lower and the quality not as high. Next time, I should use a higher quality scanner with a higher resolution. This image uses the same process as above, however with the paper in a portrait orientation.  I also find this image to be attractive and would work well in merchandise. The stencil doesn't touch the bottom of the page, its more in the middle, the image uses a rule of thirds, which the middle, the stencil, is the main focus. If I wanted to make this image landscape, I could photoshop the image and the background to be larger.