Health & Safety Considerations: Photography & Print Project

To minimize any possible dangers whilst completing the Photography & Print project:

• For any studio photography be careful of trip hazards such as cables and tripods. Hot photography lamps could cause burns so be careful when handling.Powerful flashes from said lamps could cause eye damage; never look directly at a lamp when it is in use.
• For Printing be aware of sharp blades on tools such as etchers and lino cutters. You should always cut/etch away from yourself. When using a printing press be careful not to trap your fingers and always be aware of the handle which is likely to spin back into position when released.

History & Comparison of Photography

History:
•1500- Leonardo Da Vinci- Camera Obscura
•1600- ‘Magic Lantern’
•1829- Phenakistoscope- Joseph Platau
•1834- Zoetrope- W. George Horner
•1877- Émile Reynaud- Praxinoscope
•1877-Thomas Edison- Phonograph
•1877- Thomas Armat- Projector
•1879- Zoopraxinoscope- Eadweard Muybridge
•1880- Lumiére Brothers- Recording & Projecting Device
•1888- Cinomatograph- 35mm, 16fps
•December 28th 1895- Cinematograph Lumiére(Moving Pictures)

Comparison between the digital SLR and a DSLR:
A significant difference between a film and a digital camera is the price. Film cameras are usually cheaper, even including buying the film for them. Disposable cameras with 35mm film can be purchased for around £6. Although digital camera image quality has improved, most digital cameras still cannot produces images of the same quality as film cameras. Generally, film is more able to capture more detail than digital. However, more important factors such as lens quality should be considered as the quality of the lens affects the quality of the film or lack of. For example, the same type of film can be used in disposable cameras and in expensive professional cameras, and images taken with the more expensive camera will usually be sharper and better quality. Lens quality may also affect digital camera image quality, so its important to think about more than just megapixels.
Another significant difference between digital and film, is the printing or developing. Affordable printing for both types of camera can be found at photo centres such as Max Spielman and Boots. However, the major difference with printing/developing photos is that with digital cameras, unlike film cameras, there is no need to finish the roll of film before processing. You can select one or more images to print directly from the camera’s digital media.
Except for interchangeable lens which are available only on professional digital cameras, most digital cameras offer features that are not available on film cameras. Digital cameras are able to handle low light better which means photos can be taken indoors without flash. The ability to immediately preview images taken is also great feature, for things such as children who are constantly moving.

Printmaker Artist Research-Eileen Mayo

Dame Eileen Rosemary Mayo was born on the 11th of September 1906 in Norwich and died on the 4th of January 1994. During her lifetime she worked in England, Australia and New Zealand creating 8 Natural Science books, designing stamps, coins, tapestry’s and posters, and becoming well-known for being very flexible in her interests which included printmaking, muralism, illustrating, and calligraphy.

Examples of Mayo’s other work in Illustration;

And Stamp Design:

Photography Project-Screen Printing

For the final part of this project before college breaks up for the winter break we are doing Screen Printing. Screen Printing involves a woven mesh that supports a stencil which blocks the ink from certain areas of the cloth/paper you are printing on to. A squeegee is moved over the stencil, forcing the ink into the mesh. It can be used to print onto t-shirts, stickers, vinyl, wood, or posters.

Unfortunately I missed the opportunity to make screen prints as I was ill on the last day. However if I had got the chance I would definitely have taken inspiration from pieces like:

Photography Project: Darkroom Safety

• Make sure all work surfaces are clean and free of debris
• Put any bags or belongings out of the way under the surface you will be working on, making sure all straps are pulled inside prevent them being trip hazards
• Do not take food or drink into the darkroom
• Check that the chemicals are fresh and not contaminated
• Make sure equipment that you need is at hand
• Use the tongs to take developed paper out of each bath
• Do not run
• If you are not working alone, respect other peoples work areas and always ask their consent before turning the main light on
• Try not to mix the chemicals in the baths
• Use the tongs when moving paper from one bath to the other; don’t touch the chemicals. If you do accidentally touch the chemicals you should wash the contaminated area immediately with cold water
• Do not enter a dark room if the safety light is on
• No mobile phones, torches, or any other kind of electrical device with a light
• Always wash your hands thoroughly before and after using the chemicals

Intaglio printing

After scratching the image into a thin plastic sheet, I scrubbed ink into the scratches and wiped the smooth plastic screen. After putting it through a printing press it took me a few times until I worked out how much ink and how much pressure to use. I am still very pleased with the results:

Photograms

I found mono-printing in the dark room really interesting and it inspired me to start using my film camera more as I now knew how the dark room worked. Mono-printing is different from most other types as whatever design you choose to print can only be used once. For my first mono-print, I used a scrap of mesh fabric to create the background and enlarged my Celtic cross pendant. For my second mono-print I simply used my hair!

Photography Project-Linocut research

Linocuts (1860’s) is a form of printmaking which, like woodcut, involves carving out an image with a knife or chisel, only using linoleum instead of wood.  The linoleum is then coated with ink with a roller, and then pressed into paper or fabric. The parts of the lino that you have gouged out will remain ink free, leaving a reversed image on the paper. While linoleum was first invented in the 1860’s, it wasn’t used as a medium for printing until the early 1900’s in Germany, where it was first used for making patterns on wallpaper. Artists ranging from Pablo Picasso to Henri Matisse have made linocuts, and today it is considered a respected art form.
 Pablo Picasso (1959)
 Henri Matisse (1938)

Photography Project- Printing

Woodcut printing (200 AD) involves carving an image into a block of wood with the printing parts remaining level with the surface while the non-printing parts are gouged out with a knife or a chisel. The surface is covered with ink by rolling over the surface with an ink-covered roller, leaving ink upon the flat surface but not in the non-printing areas.

Etching (Ca. 1515) is the process of using strong acid to cut into the parts of metal you have left unprotected. This method of print making was one of the most important techniques for old master prints, and is still used today.

Aquatint (1772) is an intaglio etching technique, a variant of etching. In intaglio printmaking, the artist makes marks on the metal plate that are capable of holding ink. The inked plate is passed through a printing press together with a sheet of paper, resulting in a transfer of the ink to the paper. This can be repeated a number of times, depending on the particular technique. Like etching, aquatint uses the application of acid to make the marks in the metal plate.

Screen printing (1910) is a printing technique that uses a mesh to support an ink-blocking stencil to receive a desired image.  A fill blade is passed across the screen stencil, forcing ink into the mesh openings. Basically, it is the process of using a stencil to apply ink onto t-shirts, posters, stickers, vinyl, or wood.

Laser printing (1969) is a digital printing process that produces high quality text and graphics by passing a laser beam over a ‘drum’ to define an image. The light of the laser alters the electrical charge on the drum wherever it hits. The drum is then rolled through a reservoir of toner, which is picked up by the charged portions of the drum. Finally, the toner is transferred to the paper through a combination of heat and pressure.

3D printing (1984) is a process of making a solid object of virtually any shape from a digital model. 3D printing is achieved using an ‘additive process’, where successive layers of material are laid down in different shapes.

Relief printing (200) is a print making process where protruding surfaces of the printing block are inked; but indented areas are ink free. Printing the image means simply inking the face of the block and pressing it firmly into paper. A printing press may not be needed as the back of the paper can be rubbed or pressed by hand with a rubber roller. Very much like potato printing that I used to do as a child!

~History of printing

• Woodblock printing (200)
• Movable type (1040)
• Printing press (1453)
• Etching (ca. 1515)
• Mezzotint (1642)
• Aquatint (1772)
• Lithography (1796)
• Chromolithography (1837)
• Rotary press (1843)
• Hectograph (1869)
• Offset printing (1875)
• Hot metal typesetting (1884)
• Mimeograph (1886)
• Screen printing (1910)
• Spirit duplicator (1923)
• Inkjet printing (1951)
• Dye-sublimation (1957)
• Phototypesetting (1960s)
• Dot matrix printer (1968)
• Laser printing (1969)
• Thermal printing (ca. 1972)
• 3D Printing (1984)
• Digital Printing (1993)