Darkroom experiments

VIGNETTE

Here are some experiments that I worked with in darkroom using Vignette effect, highlighting areas of interest, and pressing printing.  

The Vignette effect is easy to accomplish as all you needed was to fold a black piece if paper in half and cut an oval shape in the folded crease. Once you had done that you the place the paper over your image or hover the paper above it in the darkroom to create the effect perfectly. I choose an negative image that I thought would work quite well as the house was the centre of attention.

HIGHLIGHTING AREAS

The next experiment I did in the darkroom was highlighting. This meant making a double exposure. By using a coin on a part of a particular to make it lighter than the rest of the image. You firstly get the correct exposure and time fro you print then reduce the time by half. Expose the image for half the time, after place a coin on your chosen area of interest, then expose the print for the remaining time. Place it in the develop until the photo is developed. The images I picked where to houses with Mini Coopers outside of them. I thought the cars and the lamppost would be a good area of interest to use. 

I really liked this effect so i decided to choose a different image and a ring to highlight the area. The image i choose was a stature of Joseph Paxton who built the Crystal Palace glass building. I added a moustache ring to the face. I feel it gave a little humour to the final outcome. 

PRESS PRINTING

Finally these images I used the effect of press printing. This meant that  I processed the photograph as normal by instead putting the whole piece of paper into the developer i paced an patterned objected in the liquid and pressed in on to the photo. I used a paint brush to dribble onto the photograph to create a different effect as well. Of course i waited until i was happy with the amount of image available to see and continued with the normal process.