Darkroom Experiments

After collecting lots of imagery and ideas, I created some enlargements on acetate and then went into the darkroom to experiment with development techniques. Instead of sending them through the developing machine, like last time, I hand developed them with the chemicals and explored using a variation of methods and techniques. I used shoes to stamp on some of the chemicals and to add extra layers of mark making and meaning to the images. Some of the effects were better than the others and generated stronger outcomes.

Creating a small test strip to see which exposure works best for my images. I went for 8 seconds.

Using shoe soles to stamp on fixer, this made the white patches that didn’t develop imagery. It would have worked better if the shoes were neater, and if we could tell they are shoe prints.Also, I would have liked to see more of the shoes. The second attempt is better, we can see the original image more clearly and there is less smudging. I like the idea that shoes and trails are all walked over the top of each other. We are all headed in similar directions but on our own journeys.

A simple enlargement of one of the images, the colours become inverted compared to the original when you enlarge it. The shine of the shoes is nice and bright, however, quite a lot of the detailing in the books is lost so we can’t really tell it’s school themed.

With this enlargement, I tried to use some developer and splash it on the image so that certain sections exposed more than the rest. We can see some of the streak marks running down the page. However, this didn’t work as well as I had hoped, we can’t see the full effect properly. I should have let the streaks settle for longer before exposing the rest of the image.

I used my school shoe (the one in the image) to stamp fixer on top of this image . This worked quite well, I left it for long enough and applied enough pressure that we can see all the details and grooves of the shoes. However, maybe this would have been more effective on a bigger image of the shoes, as right now the picture is mostly blocked by the shoe imprint. I do like the ideas behind it though.

This is one of the stronger images from the collection. I used my shoes to stamp the developer onto the image and then left it to sit for a while so that the image came out fully clear and well developed. I purposely left the rest of the image white so that we can only see the shoes. I personally like this effect and how imperfect the edges are. This could be a potential technique for my final piece and enlargements.

These enlargements were all created with similar techniques and methods. The two on the left and middle are made with stamping a pair of doc martens over the top of the image. The middle one has much harsher lines and they’re bold and prominent. I quite like this effect and how we can still see the original picture below the marks. I may also want to experiment with this for my final outcome. This holds the idea that the paths/marks we leave behind with shoes are all different and that even though some of us walk in similar directions, we are all on our own personal journey. Shoes are a great way to show and demonstrate this. I also like the image on the right, it is like the inverse of the one on the previous page. I like how we can see line work and details from the shoe imprint. I made sure that I let the fixer sit for long enough that it stopped any developer from getting to that section of the paper. This is important so that the developer doesn’t discolour the fixer (like in the left piece).