how to...

a few people have asked me how i do some of the things i make a point to claim i do with "no photoshopping whatsoever."

this is how, enjoy.

cloning -
you need a camera that can be set to not advance a frame after a picture is taken. also, to protect the front element (first peice of glass in lens) i use a UV filter.

compose a shot with motiviation for someone to interact with themselves. use dark colored post-it-notes. have the model stand on one side of the frame, then cover have the lens (uv filter) with a post it note. take a picture.

before removing the post-it-note that you put on first, place another note over the other half of the lens, lining the notes together as best as you can. take a picture with the model on the other side now. allow frame to advance.

-how it works-
the post-it-note on the first side will prevent light from reaching the covered side of the frame. it will not be exposed. The second note will prevent the first half of the frame from being double exposed. this makes for a consistant density across the entire image. done right, this will be seamless.


text -
first, think of the text you want. take for example the line "isn't life supposed to be perfect?" (see photo titled 'perfect.') type it up, and print it out. print on white typing paper. tape this paper to a window, with the sun coming in through that window. take a picture of the paper, with your camera pointed into the light. do it from different sides/sizes to give yourself choices.

in the darkroom, print the first text first. i usually set the apureture on an enlarger 3 clicks back from all open. i print the text where i want it to be for about 4 seconds. take that photopaper out from under the enlarger and focus your main image. i usually print those for about 12 seconds.

the text will have a slight ghost look, but still be dense.


negative -
make a print of a picture you like. once that image is properly fixed, washed and dried put it face down on another piece of photopaper. the papers should be emulsion to emulsion. (print face down, sensitive side of unexposed paper up). line the to papers up as best you can, and then use (clean) glass to hold them down/in place.

on the enlarger, set the apureture all the way open, and use unfiltered white light. expose to light for 50 seconds.

-how it works-
the light will pass through the first print where on the first print it was black, your negative image will be white. (hence it is a negative.)



while i'm sure im not the only one to ever do these things, i came up with these processes on my own, with out help from a book or professor.
if you're in a black and white photography class feel free to try these. its fun.

-also i almost always use either an orange filter (for contrast in black and white) or a polarozer filter (brings out color, makes nuetral density in black and white, cuts out a stop of light, reduces reflections). see photo titled 'God's House' for a good example of what it does for color.