Gum Bichromate

This process was introduced in 1894 and is valued for its high degree of artistic control it gives the photographer over the aesthetics of the final print. It produces colour tones and an almost painterly-like appearance.
I created these Gum Bichromate prints by coating paper in a potassium dichromate solution, placing a variety of objects on the paper and then exposing it in sunlight for around 15 minutes.

Tri-colour Technique

The technique I used to create my tri-colour images was similar to Ducos du Hauron’s images in that I used the same three colours, however utilized PhotoShop to combine all the layers.

For this technique, I took two sets of three images; one using a red filter, one green filter and one blue filter. I tried to make sure each scene did not change in composition and I did this by using a tripod. I made notes during those exposures to help me determine which filters were used during which shots.

I enjoyed this workshop as I found the film work integrated with digital software easy to do and creative. I liked shooting on black and white film whilst also utilizing PhotoShop to edit. This effect this process created added a retro vibe to my images because of the desaturated tones.

Infrared

The effect of infrared is created as digital cameras can see infrared light, even though humans can’t. This means the light we cannot see is captured by the camera and creates images that are unique and have an otherworldly look to them. This can be easily produced using PhotoShop and the end result is largely based on the type of image being used; outdoor scenes and bright colours work best and that is what I used when experimenting with this technique.

I achieved my final infrared print by de-saturating the image, adding Gaussian Noise and using a Photo Filter Layer - I chose the Cooling Filter LBB to create a cool image rather than a warm toned one.

Digital Techniques: Cyanotype, Gum Bichromate & Liquid Emulsion

The following three techniques were set during the 'Darkroom vs. Digital Techniques' assignment. It involved producing a variety of traditional darkroom processes and then applying these techniques digitally using PhotoShop. 

Digital Cyanotype

Digital Gum Bichromate

Digital Liquid Emulsion - #1

Digital Liquid Emulsion - #2