Photograms

Photograms.

A photogram takes the principles of photography right back to its roots using light to paint pictures. A photogram is a photographic image made without a camera by placing objects directly onto the surface of a light-sensitive material such as photographic paper and then exposing it to light. The usual result is a negative shadow image that shows variations in tone depending upon the transparency of the objects used. Areas of the paper that have received no light appear white; those exposed through transparent or semi-transparent objects appear grey.

Developer. 

Why you need it: A developer reacts with the exposed areas of silver in the paper's emulsion turning these parts black to form an image. Areas that receive more light become blacker when developed. Areas that receive no light stay clear. You have to use a developer to produce a result.

Alternatives: You could make up your own developer. 

Stop bath.Why you need it: This is used to time how long the paper is in the developer, stop bath and fixer, although accurate timing is less important than it is with film processing.

Alternatives: If your clock or watch has a seconds finger you can use that. Even the timer on your mobile phone could be used. Or you could count out elephants!

Fix.

Why you need it: An acid solution that quickly counteracts the developer to prevent over development of the paper.

Alternatives: You can use water but it doesn't stop the developer as quick. As it's acetic acid some people use vinegar, but it's not recommended.

Timer.

Why you need it: This is used to time how long the paper is in the developer, stop bath and fixer, although accurate timing is less important than it is with film processing.

Alternatives: If your clock or watch has a seconds finger you can use that. Even the timer on your mobile phone could be used. Or you could count out elephants!

Wash. 

Why you need it: To ensure all traces of fixer are removed before the print is dried. 

Alternatives: It's possible to wash prints in a bucket of water, but keep changing the water to ensure best results and give each print a final wash under a tap. 

Three developing trays 

Why you need them: To hold the developer, stop bath and fix  for processing. 

Alternatives: Some photographers use cat litter trays or garden seed trays (without holes). Make sure the trays are shallow and not much bigger than the maximum prints you intend to make to avoid using too much solutions to cover the print.

Darkroom

A room that's blacked out with enough space to lay three 10x8in printing trays in a row with a bucket of water nearby and an area where you can expose the paper to light. 

Some photographers convert a spare room into a permanent darkroom others temporarily black out a bathroom or spare bedroom while they work. 

Light source

Most photographers who make photograms will also be making prints using an enlarger. This provides an ideal concentrated light source for the exposure of the photogram, but is not essential because they can be made using the room light or a reading light.

Sheet of glass

This is used to hold flat subjects in close contact with the paper or to raise the subject from the paper to produce a softer edge.

The step by step process.

1 Set up the light source so that it covers an area bigger than the paper you are going to use.

2 With the lights out and the safelight on, at a safe distance, arrange your objects on the paper.

3 Make a test strip (see separate article)

4 Switch the enlarger on and expose for the time determined by the test strip. As a guide ten seconds should be long enough with the lens set at f/8.

5 Carefully take the objects off the paper and place the paper in the developer, then stop bath, then fix (see test strip article for times). 

6 Wash and dry - success your first photogram! Ideally this should have clean white silhouettes against a rich black background. If you use transparent objects you'll end up with results more like Man Ray's rayogram with areas of grey too.

Some things you could used in a photogram.

Nuts & bolts, keys, feathers, ferns, pieces of cut card shapes, stencils, scissors, tools, nails, safety pins, paper clips, springs, plastic and glass items, netting, developing reels, negatives, bottles, hands, feet, lightbulbs, shells, dried fruit slices...and, most of all...imagination. In my oppinion, the best item i used was a section of chain off of my bike.