Experimentation
Cyanotype experimentation
A cyanotype is a sort of printing process that is photographic which produces a cyan/blue print. It was initially used as an easy low-cost process to produce drawings knows as blueprints that were famous among the construction industry. It was used well into the 20th century by engineers and others who needed to produce many drawings. The process involves choosing a photo that you want and using photoshop to invert the image into a digital negative. Once it is sized it can be sent to print however you must print it on a clear piece of digital transfer film to make it work. Once printed, you must grab a plain piece of paper and mix together a solution of ferric ammonium citrate and potassium ferricyanide and use a brush to cover the page where the print will be placed. Once the solution that is yellow in colour is placed onto the paper, it must be covered so it doesn't get exposed to light. The digital negative is then placed over the page with tape and is left in the light to expose the lighter areas of the digital negative. Once the process is completed, You can then take the digital negative off the page and wash the solution off the page in a tray of water until the yellow is completely gone and the blue colour is visible. Once it has dried you are then left with the cyanotype which almost looks painted as only the lighter parts of the image is blue whereas the darker parts of the image is white. I really enjoyed experimenting with the cyanotype however, it isn't something that I would like to take any further with my project as it doesn't relate to my project. Anna Atkins was an English botanist and photographer who was considered as the first person to publish a book that was illustrated with photographs. Even though it isn't certain, many historical sources have claimed that she was the first woman to ever create a photograph. Anna Atkins learned about the cyanotype process through Talbot who taught her about two of his inventions, one in which she used to photograph different types of flowers and plants through exposing to light. As she was born in 1799, there wasn't any other way of properly photographing back then so this was the only real form of being able to photograph without a camera.
Printing on different paper types
While preparing for my mock exam, I decided to start to experiment with printing on different paper types to see how it would effect the photo. Below is the same print on two different paper types, although it is hard to see the difference from the picture, the difference close up was very visible. The first paper type was the gloss which really enhanced the image and showed a deep contrast between the dark and light parts of the image. The paper itself was smooth and made the image look really clear. The next paper type I tried was the lustre which felt a lot better quality as it was more like a thin sheet of plastic with a slightly bobbly texture which didn't make it great for the photo as I believe it took away some of its clarity due to the texture and the slight shine to it. Out of the two paper types I preferred the the gloss as the paper type was pure white and kept the colours how I wanted them whereas the lustre took away the vibrancy of the monochrome and desaturated it. I also liked the shiny texture and the way it made the image look high quality unlike other paper types I have tried in the past such as cartridge paper.
Here I tried experimenting with different paper types again however, this time I used the lustre again to see how it would compare with a different photo and the matte paper type. Both paper types didn't work out as I didn't like the texture or the way the image looked on the paper. Due to this I decided to go with the gloss paper for my editorial as I really liked how the image turned out with it.
Experimenting with photobook layouts
Once I experimented with the paper types, I then wanted to experiment with binding types and image layouts. Although I wanted to do an editorial for my mock exam, I already had an idea of where I wanted to position my text so instead I just focused on trying out different image placements. During the making of my mock editorial, I took elements from my the photobook I made for layout ideas such as with the one image on the top right and the other image on the bottom left of the page as well as the three vertical images in a line and the full page images. I also kept the same photo for my front cover however, I chose the slightly more overexposed image as I believed it created more depth. Some of the photos I experimented with here ended up in the editorial however I kept the binding to the standard saddle stitch as it would've been hard for me to use plastic comb binding that's shown below without the facilities to make it myself.
Experimenting with different styles of photobooks
While experimenting with different types of photobooks, I tried doing something different by creating a foldable photobook without binding using an A4 sheet of paper. To create the photobook I had to create a grid on photoshop with six equal squares and size up the images to match with a gap between them. There was three images per line meaning that once it was printed out, I needed to cut and stick the ends of the two strips together and fold it in a forwards and backwards pattern. Due to the complicity of the photobook, I don't believe I will use it again for my work as although the measurements were correct, the book itself wasn't even once folded so pieces of paper were sticking out of the edges making it look a little messy. I did like the style of it but I just don't think its something that I would like to work with again although it is different and has made me think more about different ways that I can create my photobooks and editorials.
Past photobooks I have made
Previously in the past I have used Mixam to create a photobook and an editorial. For the first one I ever did I used the matte paper which I wasn't a fan of at all as it made my photos look dull so the next time I sent of for my photobook, I tried the gloss which I preferred a lot more as it captured all the detail in my photographs and made them stand out more. I also liked the shiny texture as I believe it looks more high quality compared to the standard matte paper type and also links more with my alt themed topic as I have researched with a lot of music magazines which all use the gloss paper. For the third photobook I made I decided to go with a different paper type again just so that I could try them all out to see which one I preferred. This is when I tried the recycled paper which I hated the most due to the rough texture and dullness that it gave to the photos. Due to this I decided to go for the gloss paper for my mock as out of all the paper types I have tried and experimented with. The gloss was the one I preferred the most out of the selection.
