Idris Khan

Idris Khan is a British Photographic Artist. His work is the repeated overlaying of certain found material. I found his work while researching Michael Wesely.

These images are as awe inspiring as Michael Wesely. They have a similar ghostly aesthetic. However they seem more dense, the different technique renders a different reading of the images. His techniques is almost what I was going for when I was shooting my 'multiple exposures shot' which I blogged about two posts ago. Whereas his was digital, mine was purely chemical analogue. I must admit I saw his work after I started my multiple exposures side project. However his work has helped to alter my reading of my own work. His work shows some time in a different way: The time when the photographs were taken, the time between the photographs being taken and his work, the final reading of the work now.

Michael Wesely Research and more Reflections

Michael Wesely is a German photographic artist. He specializes in ultra-long exposure photography.
What do I think of his work?
It is highly intriguing to view these exposures, the time span is so great that when things move they really create ghosts. These exposures push the camera beyond what the human eye can see.

How does this relate to my work?
I have been pushing the cameras (and photographic materials) to capture light in a way that the human eye cannot see, partially to record those passages of time, and explore the movement and the interactions within it, set by the boundaries of science. The aperture - the shutter speed - the ISO of the photographic material. I started this project to control the exposures and to control my time, bu really I am at the mercy of time, at the mercy of light. I dont determine the exposures really, the available light does. I can change the aperture, to affect the shutter speed, I can use different ISO paper, but I would still be stuck in its idiosyncratic properties.
This naturally led to my project becoming a relationship with the camera. I must take care of the camera, I must take care of the paper. The camera takes care of me, by giving me something I cannot give myself, views into a ghost world controlled by light and time.

Michael Wesely's work:

from: http://petapixel.com/2012/03/16/photographs-captured-over-years-with-an-open-camera-shutter/

from: http://www.moma.org/collection/browse_results.php?criteria=O%3AAD%3AE%3A8194&page_number=4&template_id=1&sort_order=1

Some Experimentation

Recently I have been exploring that human concept called 'time'.
I have an old medium format camera, which I loaded with one piece of darkroom paper. I cut it to slightly larger than 6x6cm and taped it on the inside of the camera where film would otherwise sit. I then proceeded to take photographs over a period of weeks, of any moment where I was relaxed and not worrying about something, or I was worrying, of a moment that captured my eye, or my imagination. I took photographs of landscapes, of people, of my friends, the streets, buildings interiors, anything that I felt I wanted to photograph. I didn't try to calculate my exposure, because I was letting the photographs build up cumulatively over time. I have only taken this paper out of the camera at the end of the project. This photograph is almost the project itself, and it is something I can perhaps prepare for the degree show. I took the photographs by putting the camera on 'bulb' mode, setting the aperture to f22 and turning the focus ring using the distance guide on it, to have everything from 4.6 feet, all the way to near infinity in focus. I kept these same settings everytime I held the shutter open, I would open it for approximately half a second each time. I cant say how many individual exposures I made but around 30-40. I can see some definite moments in them, from really bright days. For example I can make out a crane in the center of the photograph. I did this in response to Michael Wesely's long exposures of New York. Instead of leaving a camera in one spot, I took it with me, for a personal look into my life. Instead of an objective look of New York moving and growing over a period of three years, it is a personal look into a few weeks in the life of Pete.

Here is my scan from the Hasselblad Flextite x5:

Here is my inverted photograph:

I am fairly pleased with how it came out. I like it as it has a strange effect that conjures up feeling of time passage. however I dislike that it at first glance looks like a single exposure. I knew that my interior shots would barely show up if at all, but I was hoping that the repeated process of exposing the paper would expose it and something would come through.

Making and Updating my Website

www.petethor.co.uk

For the last month I have been on an off working on my website, to try and get it how I want and to display current images:

I started by making some pages to sow some current retouching projects that will never form a full project, I can use this mini blog so that any viewers or potential employers can see work I am doing currently, they will know I am not doing nothing.

I added a work page so viewers can see my work. I tried to give each project its own online idiosyncrasy as each project is intended to be viewed different in a gallery.

This ^ is the home page for my Work section.

This page required me to learn some basic HTML. I wanted to have the images displayed side by side at different sizes like how they would be on a gallery wall. The way I found of doing this was creating a HTML table where I could add the images, which the viewer can scroll along, if they are clicked on they will open a 'full-size' image.

Here on this page I have two versions of each image. I have the image displayed with the corresponding word from my book. When the image is clicked on however, it links to a different file with just the picture to view. This is to replicate reading a book. I think I will re-organise this page to have the viewer able to read a pdf of the book, so they can really have an online experience or flicking through the book. Or I could create a virtual gallery where the image is clicked to bring up the next image.

For my current project "untitled Kairos" I created a main page for the project, then if the picture is clicked on it goes to the page "untitled Kairos #1" and clicking goes through the series. The reason I made separate pages is that each duo is intended to be viewed in a pair. I may display some a2 prints alongside this A0 picture so people still can see images from the rest of the series.

These updates have occured over a period of about 2 months as I have ideas for websites and figure out each html bit, as sometimes when I click update they table comes out wont or doesn't work websites are all a bit beyond my understanding so each page is a labour that has taken time to set up.

How to develop (and push) film

I found this video one evening surfing the web. I think this is pretty damn cool to know wen I finish uni and no longer have free access to developing chemicals, I know that I can develop black and white film in my bathroom, just have to buy some chemicals and I can re-use them for a couple of months.

I may invest in an Epsom scanner as using them recently I have felt they are not too bad, obviously the hasselblad flextights are a bit sharper and the way to go, but I think the Epsom v700s that we have in the university are also pretty good, I have no real complaints from them at all and much more affordable than a flextight!

It was interesting to learn how to push film, I think this is incredible. I think now I know this I would feel confident to take a back up film camera to take to a gig and shoot some pictures. I have shot a fair few concerts in my time and I usually find myself shooting at around 3200 - 6400 iso, so knowing I could take an iso 400 film and push it is great. One day I might even feel confident to do a whole shoot in a dark location with just film knowing I can push it!

Printer Profiles 2

It turned out that the printer profile I chose was wrong, the first few step were right but, I loaded the Profile into the wrong place, and what I thought was right on the instructions was actually a wrong profile with a similar name.
It caused the print to be really dark and the colours were off too, we ran a nozzle check, which concluded that the nozzles were fine, which made us realise what was wrong.
We had to re download the file and load it into a different place. That place was Users > Library > ColorSync > Profiles. We checked in the ColorSync Utility that ProPhoto RGB fits inside the colour space for The Fotospeed High White Smooth FineArt Inkjet Paper. This caused the profile to be available within the drop down menu where you choose the profile, in colour management. The difference was one was 4K and the correct one was called the same without the 4K.

Printer Profiles

Today I have been learning about colour profiles.

I printed my final pieces fairly easily as I used Epsom printing paper, and the screen had already been calibrated, and the profiles had already been loaded onto the system.
The only trouble I had was as I was printing large - A0 - I talked with my tutor to make sure everything was clicked correctly in the print settings in Photoshop - I am used to printing from light room, and the majority of my printing has been from there.
Last Year I printed form Photoshop all day everyday in my job at Splash photos. In that job I was making quick prints on glossy paper to be sold quickly, rather than high quality exhibition worthy prints to be deliberated over.

My prints have been in black and white so it has been fairly simple, however I helped others doing their final pieces.
The trouble my friend had was that she was using different paper profiles. We had to download it from the fotospeed website, which to be honest it was hard to find, I had to specifically google the profile rather than go through the website find the paper and find the profile, as there just didn't seem to be a link there.
When I downloaded it I was able to follow the instructions that had also been downloaded with it. I had to find the folder "Library" which on these shared university computers was not so easy, then I had to drag the file in to the subfolder labelled "Profiles". Then in Photoshop I loaded a test file, brought up Print Settings, and chose Photoshop manages colour, instead of printer manages colour in the menu. The Profile was in the list there.
We chose to un-click high speed, and chick finest detail, which we set at the maximum available, which for this was "SuperPhoto - 2880dpi" in the print settings within print settings.

This was good experience, even though it didn't directly affect me, it is something I can bare in mind in the future. I think if I was by myself or in a calmer setting I could work things out quicker, with a busy environment with many people asking me questions while I was reading it took a little longer, but for my first go, I feel it went well, and I can remember how to do this next time I need to.