Course
HISTORICAL TECHNIQUES AND EXPERIMENTAL PHOTOGRAPHY
In this course, we will practice several manual photographic printing techniques and one for obtaining images with a camera. These techniques are part of the so-called historical techniques, alternative photographic processes or ancient processes. Nowadays, the photographic copying methods dating from the 19th century are called this way, although there are some developed in the 20th century. They allow paper and other surfaces to be covered with different sensitive materials to copy images onto them through the action of light on the applied chemicals.
In these processes, the light-sensitive cover is prepared by hand and applied to different supports to later copy images by direct contact. You can work with images obtained with any camera, frames, or drawings. All this makes alternative processes very versatile when working on different photographic projects.
Some of them share the characteristic of using silver nitrate as a light-sensitive material. Others use iron and silver salts, colloids, pigments and vegetable pigments. Finally, to make a complete experience, we are going to see how wet collodion glass negatives are obtained.
INFORMATION
9 Pre-recorded sessions
8 Practical workshops on historical techniques
1 Chat to share materials and answer questions
Teacher: Célica Véliz
Dates: from September 25th to November 19th, 2022
This course is repeated in November, January and April
Duration: 22 teaching hours. Each student manages his time.
Level: no prior knowledge is required.
Modality: pre-recorded online
Price: €100
Language: English
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Techniques:
Van Dyke Brown on paper, canvas and wood - Pigmented techniques: Gum Bichromated, color monochrome and trichrome - Vegetal techniques: Anthotype and Chlorophyll - Salted paper - Kallitype - Albumen copy - Negative on glass (wet collodion) - Argyrotype (new argentotype)
FULL PROGRAM
SESSION 1: INTRODUCTION: Historical Printing Photographic Techniques
24-Sep, face-to-face session this first time, ENG 18-20h (Spanish time - GMT+2)
History. Historical references and current projects. Chemicals that make up light-sensitive solutions, how to prepare them and where to get them. Safety rules. Photographic negatives (analogue) of different formats. Digital negatives: graphic film and transparencies for inkjet and laser. Negative preparation in Photoshop for various techniques. The supports. Quality of the papers. Accessories for alternative processes. Sunlight and artificial light. How to build a simple artificial UV light.
SESSION 2: WET COLLODION and Glass Negatives
1-oct, pre-recorded
A photography technique invented in 1851. With this method, we can make negative shots on glass or metal covered with a layer of salted collodion to be immediately sensitized with a silver nitrate solution. The entire procedure must be done in a short time before the components dry out. Negatives obtained on glass can be painted black to create a positive (ambrotype) or used to make contact prints in various techniques.
AGORA PRESENTATION MEETING
2-Oct, face-to-face session, ENG 19-21h (Spanish time - GMT+2)
History of experimentation + Explanation of the content of the courses
SESSION 3: VAN DYKE BROWN on Paper, Canvas and Wood
8-Oct, face-to-face session this first time, ENG 18-20h (Spanish time - GMT+2)
The Van Dyke Brown Process is a method of contact printing photographs and other images, using ferric ammonia citrate and silver nitrate as raw materials and producing shades of brown. This technique is named after the painter Anton Van Dyck as the resulting tones are reminiscent of his colour palette.
SESSION 4: ARGYROTYPE (and New Argentotype)
15-Oct, pre-recorded
Dr Mike Ware variation of the argentotype invented by Sir John Herschel in the 19th century. We will use silver oxide, sulfamic acid and ammoniacal ferric citrate to create a single sensitizing solution. The copies obtained have a great richness in the tones and depth in the shadows.
SESSION 5: SALTED PAPER PRINT: History, Current References and Tonings
22-Oct, face-to-face session this first time, ENG 18-20h (Spanish time - GMT+2)
Salted paper print is a process for making copies by contact. The chosen support is prepared with salt so that it subsequently receives a layer of silver nitrate, transforming it into light-sensitive silver chloride. The light, coming into contact through a negative with the sensitized paper, forms the image.
SESSION 6: KALLITYPE and Iron Techniques
29-Oct, pre-recorded
This is another of the iron-silver techniques that is often confused with Van Dyke Brown. We will combine two solutions to prepare the sensitizer: silver nitrate and ferric oxalate. After exposure to light, a development process will need to be carried out that, depending on the materials used to prepare it, will make the copy take on different shades.
SESSION 7: ALBUMEN PRINT, Silver Nitrate and Tonings
5-Nov, face-to-face session this first time, ENG 18-20h (Spanish time - GMT+2)
The support is prepared with albumin (white egg), which previously underwent a salting process. Albumen-coated surfaces are then coated with silver nitrate solution to make them light sensitive. The image is formed on the surface of the albumen, resulting in a brilliant copy, with great definition and depth in tones.
SESSION 8: PIGMENTED TECHNIQUES: Gum Bichromated, Monochrome in Colour and Trichrome
12-Nov, pre-recorded
Gum Bichromated printing allows images to be copied on paper, cloth, ceramics and other surfaces. You can work in several layers, which allows you to make colour copies. It consists of copying a negative by contact on a surface that has been previously sensitized with gum arabic and potassium bichromate.
SESSION 9: VEGETABLE TECHNIQUES: Antotype and Chlorophyll
Nov 19, face-to-face session this first time, ENG 18-20h (Spanish time - GMT+2)
A technique that takes advantage of the photosensitive properties of different vegetables. With the antotype, pigments of different colours can be produced and applied to paper or fabric. The light that passes through a positive transparency placed by contact on the paper covered with vegetable pigments will cause them to react by becoming lighter, allowing the images to be seen on these surfaces.
SESSION 10: CLOSING MEETING
20-Nov, ENG 19-21hs (Spanish time - GMT+2)
Presentations of student work, viewing of references and dynamics with questions
TEACHER: Célica Véliz - @superficies.sensibles
Photographer, Professor of Visual Arts and Ceramist.
She was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She trained in the city of Tandil at IPAT and at the School of Ceramics. At the end of her studies, she became interested in the photographic techniques of the 19th century and began to investigate and experiment with them.
She currently coordinates experimental photography workshops and alternative photographic processes in his virtual space "Sensitive Surfaces" and in the Cooperativa de la Imagen (CABA). She has given workshops and talks in several cities in Argentina and Mexico.
She has made several individual exhibitions in museums and galleries. He also participated in collective exhibitions and festivals in Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico and Spain. She has been a selected artist of EXP.21 and EXP.22 to give workshops, conferences and exhibit her work. Furthermore, she has published the mini-books “MADER” (2014), “El Cuerpo Roto” (2019) and “Las Vías de Escape” (2020).