processes
light, time, emulsion, negative, print
Photographic processes evolved from the use of simple components to into sophisticated operations.
As the effort to capture light-sourced images intensified, many processes were valid steps toward this goal. Experiments with light- sensitive chemicals, and separate or layered emulsions produced new methods. Trial and error with negatives or positives made of glass, paper, or metal and a range of printing substrates resulted in novel imagery. Exposure time, development methods and darkroom techniques were all areas of learning. Combinations and refinements ultimately became the key to ‘writing with light.’
Photogram
1839
Also known as a cyanotype, a photogram is a print made when an object is pressed against photosensitive paper, then exposed to light and a chemical bath. The object blocks the light, creating a pale silhouette ‘contact print’ on the exposed darkened paper.
Anna Atkins, documenting British algae, 1841.
Calotype
1839
Henry Fox Talbot worked on a process involving salts to control the exposure of light onto salted paper.
Calotype, Articles of China, Henry Talbot, before 1844
Daguerrotype
1839
Louis Daguerre, from earlier research with Joseph Niepce, worked on “exposing a silver-coated copper plate sensitized in iodine vapor… developing its latent image by fuming in mercury vapor.”
Porträt eines Freimaurers, Edward Anthony and James R. Clark, Dresden, Germany, after 1840
Albumen Print
1847
To improve the clarity and stability of the negative plate, glass was used instead of paper, and egg white (albumen) was used to hold the light-sensitive silver particles. Prints were then made from the plate.
Albumen print. Destruction of the Siege of Puebla, Mexico, Roussel Louis Edouard, 1863
Stereoscope
1840s
“Two, almost identical images of the same scene mounted side by side” were viewed through a binocular device that created an optical illusion of depth. Photo imagery was made popular in this way.
Stereoscopes. Young ladies, Suncook, N.H. J. Wilkins, 1850 and Suspension Bridge, Pittsburgh, USA,1850
Long exposure times
1870s
The early camera is a box with an open back and an area to admit light, a lens for focus, and a metal, glass or paper plate with light sensitive emulsion. Because a light would make an impression for a length of time on the treated plate, the size and weight of the camera along with long pose times could limit subject matter, — portrait, still life, animal kingdom, or landscape.
Photography on the Common, England, 1870
Sequential capture
1872
The general public had not determined whether all four legs of a horse left the ground at the same time during a gallop. Eadweard Muybridge and Thomas Eakins experimented with documenting motion by carefully placing between 12-24 cameras which would click open in a sequence. The owner of Palo Alto Ranch was pleased to know that there actually is a brief moment when all 4 legs of an equine are not touching the ground simultaneously.
Silver gelatin
1890
The process of taking and printing photographs became a bit easier as Kodak company offered the public a hand-held version of the camera and methods for developing and printing photographs.
Alfred Stieglitz photographed with an eye for the ‘decisive moment’ when the resulting photograph would be a personal interpretation of the situation.
Photo, Self, Cortina, Stieglitz, 1890 Silver gelatin print
Autochrome
1907
The Autochromistes in France, and later in Russia, exposed 3 separate plates, one for each color, then printed them one over the other, superimposing images similar to a multi-color woodblock print. Silver, dye, starch, photographic plates, and sheet glass were involved. Originally, the Lumiere brothers formulated a way to have all 3 primary color within the coating on a plate, but the process was lengthy and hard to control.
Autochrome, Auckland Exhibition Grounds and Albert Park, New Zealand, Robert Walrond 1914, TePapa New Zealand Museum
Photogravure
1850s
The need for pictorial documentation of buildings and engineering events influenced methods for transferring photographic negatives to printing plates for distribution of multiple images.
Gravure was used for commercial purposes and to include photographic illustrations in newspapers. Fine artist photographers would use the printing methods to achieve subtle emphasis in the final photo print.
Richmond Union Passenger Railway Company, 1887, New York Public Library
Kodak Box Camera
1900
The production of the Box Camera by the Eastern Kodak Company gave the public access to the medium of photography, which increased the quantity and content of photos in the early 20th century.
No. 2 Brownie Camera, Eastman Kodak Co., Rochester New York, Model A,1905, British Museum of Natural History
Brownie Camera
1952-67
Consumers continued to embrace the black and white square print of the Kodak Brownie Camera into the 1950s and 60s as it was easy to take a picture and document life events - point, focus and click. A roll of film of 12 or 24 images was affordable to purchase, develop and print through local companies offering photo services such as the local pharmacy.
Black and white film, brownie camera, Minoqua, Wisconsin, 1963, Helen Worth
Color Film
1935
Kodachrome film ‘arrived on the scene during the severe economic depression of the 1930s.” As such, it was quickly used by advertisers to “glamorize images of products and people.“ The brilliant colors created a new illusion and ‘look’ for consumers and commercial ventures. A new aesthetic emerged in portraits, consumables and redefining the city.
Center Street Looking North, Statesville, North Carolina, 1960, North Carolina Photo Archive
Dye Transfer
Color printing by fine art photographers matured with various ‘chromogenic’ processes by separating the colors into different negative plates. ‘Dye transfer’ or ‘dye imbibition’ processes would isolate control of the intensity of the color dyes when superimposing each layer to create the final print.
Mixing Methods
Color, value and the surface characteristics of a photographic print can be manipulated through creation of separate color plates, choice of printing paper, types of emulsions or even printing onto metal, such as in this image printed onto an aluminum background substrate.
Kleurenfoto. Ontwikkelgelatinezilverdruk op aluminium achtergrond. 1977. Jan Punter.
Polaroid
In color film processes, “the chemicals that form the dyes are included in each layer of the (film) emulsion and are activated during processing.” In a separate step, the image is printed on paper in a darkroom.
The Polaroid was different. The color film emulsion was applied directly on paper, then exposed to light inside the camera when the shutter was clicked open.
The paper was ejected from the camera body, then after 2 minutes, a protective sheet was removed. The chemical development of the image was almost instantaneous.
Photo-micrography
1970
Combining more powerful lenses with film and digital methods of capture opens examination and scientific inquiry into the realms of biology, botany, geology and more - to see tiny details on a microcosmic scale.
Tropical tree, aromatics and oils, microscopic close up, Dipterocarpaceae, Angiosperm, Southeast Asia
Macro lens
1955+
Close up views of the natural were made possible as lens technology improved. A macro lens allows extreme close ups so that the subject is not disturbed by the photographer’s presence. The Kilfitt macro lens made in West Germany, introduced in 1955, made possible continuous close focus.
Macro photography suggests that an image has been magnified between 10 and 20 times it natural size.
Hookeria lucens, 05303, Albert Krebs, 1969, Schweiz, Kanton AR, Schönenbühl - Wolfhalden
REFERENCES
https://www.nypl.org/collections/nypl-recommendations/guides/photographic-processes
Rosenblum, Naomi. A World History of Photography. New York: Abbeville Press, 2008. Print.
Calotype. William Fox Talbot. 1844. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/289173
The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection, The New York Public Library. "Suspension Bridge, Pittsburgh." The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1850 - 1930. http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e0-a6fc-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99
Autochrome. Auckland Exhibition Grounds, 1914, Auckland, by Robert Walrond. Purchased 1999 with New Zealand Lottery Grants Board funds. Te Papa (A.018178)