New apprentices are introduced to the fundamentals of photography by making a photogram: a camera-less photograph. After placing an object or group of objects directly onto a sheet of photographically sensitized paper, the entire group is exposed to light. Opaque objects block light, leaving the shape of the object in white on the paper. Areas not blocked by an object are black. Partially blocked areas are different shades of gray.  Assignment 04:  Found Object Photogram (PDF) 

OUTLINE: 
Working with your fellow apprentices, brainstorm until you have an entire page of self-descriptive words. Plan a designer symbol to represent yourself by processing all the words you've accumulated, by visualizing their meaning. Through careful arrangement and creative modification of your found objects, create a photogram of the a symbol that represents you.

New apprentices are introduced to the fundamentals of photography by making a photogram: a camera-less photograph. After placing an object or group of objects directly onto a sheet of photographically sensitized paper, the entire group is exposed to light. Opaque objects block light, leaving the shape of the object in white on the paper. Areas not blocked by an object are black. Partially blocked areas are different shades of gray.  Assignment 04:  Found Object Photogram (PDF)

OUTLINE:
Working with your fellow apprentices, brainstorm until you have an entire page of self-descriptive words. Plan a designer symbol to represent yourself by processing all the words you've accumulated, by visualizing their meaning. Through careful arrangement and creative modification of your found objects, create a photogram of the a symbol that represents you.

Our second project (PDF) was purposed to increase student comfort with the 35mm cameras. By documenting the aperture and shutter speed of every shot, the students build a personal framework of basic image capture principles. These tabulations (when compared to the final image and in relation to the techniques employed in the darkroom) helps them troubleshoot their process.

The content of this assignment was entirely of their choosing. It was secondary to the importance of recording their process. As a result the images serve as an honest documentation of the students' daily lives - moments when they had time to jot down a few notes and just spend time with the camera.

Introductions to the principles of photography don't come much friendlier than a photogram. The operations normally hidden behind the light-tight structure of a camera body are in plain view.

After a discussion on symbolism and the power of icons in our everyday lives, the apprentices were asked to build a collection of small objects that told a story about them. They were also asked to build the story with text - found or hand written. Placing all elements on a piece of light-sensitive photo paper, the collage was exposed to light for several seconds. The opacity of the assemblage and it's distance to the paper determine the extent of exposure. Importance was placed on exploring depth and balance to weight the viewer's eye.

View the Assignment 01: Text & Image Photogram (PDF)

Making double exposure images places an obstruction between the photographers intentions and the final image. Capturing two different scenes on the same frame of film means giving away some control. No longer can one assume the image in the view finder is the image that will print.

This assignment is meant to shift the apprentice's attention away from the exacting details of capturing an image. Photography need not be perfect. Happy accidents and natural rhythms arise when one is not afraid to take chances and experiment with their medium.

The stories that double exposures tell are more influenced by a choice of subject matter and the juxtaposition of form.

Taking a bus from Chicago Academy at 10am - we spent the day downtown Chicago. Abstract for the day is available in the Assignment 03: UnCommon Chicago PDF.

The Made in Chicago exhibit at the Chicago Cultural Center is a sample from the from largest collection of photographs in Chicago. The Exchange Bank had connections to the earliest photographic artists - students of the New Bauhaus (now the Illinois Institute of Design) in Chicago. Exchange bank became LaSalle Bank, and now LaSalle has become the Bank of America. The collection chronicles photography's evolution as an art form. The selection on display was chosen by Whitney Bradshaw, Curator of Photography at Bank of America.

After the show, we discussed our feelings and responses to the work.  Then we broke into groups and explored the city - searching for our own uncommon images of Chicago. Students took multiple rolls of film in search of images that do not appear to have been taken in Chicago - traditional or recognizable landmarks were not allowed. Students experimented with point of view, perspective and location to document a metropolitan cityscape in a way it is not normally seen. Experiments with long exposures, multiple exposures and sequencing were encouraged.

These are the best images produced in our 09-10 calendar year - according to the students.  They were submitted to the Chicago Arts District and subsequently accepted for a show in their South Halsted gallery space - planned for November. 

Hand selected from hundreds of images, they are great examples of double exposures, photograms, and low light and on-location photography.