Articles,
Essays and Tutorials by Christopher John Ball
THE
TORMENT OF ARIAS : THE PHOTOGRAPHY OF JEAN JACQUES ANDRÉ If
one were to attempt to describe the photographs that Jean creates it would
be in terms of a fusion of the images produced by Angus McBean (his theatrical
photomontages), Ralph Gibson (particularly his ‘The Somnambulist’
1970 era) and the Symbolist artists such as Gustave Moreau, Rodolphe Bresdin
and Fernand Khnopff - writes Christopher John Ball
THE
PHOTOGRAPHIC ECSTASY: THE PHOTOGRAPHY OF DANIEL MURTAGHJust
as he enjoys using female models to create much of his still imagery - Daniel
predominantly casts women in the film roles because “there is an ideal
balance to be found by expressing emotion and sensuality with woman as protagonist.”
Asked to expand further he explains that he believes that women have “a
face that looks out from some aspect of human experience I can never really
know” - writes Christopher John Ball.
PHOTOGRAPHY AND THE OTHER - “ONCE YOU LABEL ME, YOU NEGATE ME”Much has been written by philosophers, such as Aristotle, Immanuel Kant and Wittgenstein, about the nature of beauty, aesthetics and the ever shifting values that we place upon what we see and observe; but what does it mean to be ‘seen’ by another and how does that impact upon us as individuals and how we perceive ourselves and our own appearance/beauty?
PRACTICAL
DREAMER - THE PHOTOGRAPHY OF NICOLAS TUCKERNic is on record as stating that he doesn’t see his work
as an… “abstract, a symbol or a statement…I’m trying
to make a decent picture, nothing more serious than that” but there
is far too much going on within his imagery, too many references, quotations,
symbolism and delightful constructs, for this to be anything more than just
a playful conceit and further example of his self deprecating humour and,
in truth, could possibly be a disservice to his work. The viewer is drawn
into his images and encouraged to ask questions – to enter into a
dialogue. His photographs are inherently about the sensuality and eroticism
of looking and they refuse to be ignored - writes Christopher John Ball.
AN
INTRODUCTION TO PHOTOGRAPHIC FILTERS AND THEIR APPLICATIONFilters
are used within photography to modify the light falling on the subject or
passing through the camera lens. Even though we are now in the digital age
and see the widespread use of photoshop, filters still have their uses and
it doesn't hurt to have an understanding of how they work or can be used.
- writes Christopher John Ball
CYANOTYPES
AND DIGITAL NEGATIVESI
favour making negatives via an inkjet printer and printing out to the desired
size onto Overhead Projection Film. Inkjet negatives give the photographer
greater control over the finished image - writes Christopher John Ball
BASIC
PHOTOGRAPHIC LIGHTING EXPLAINEDWhether
you are using flash or tungsten the basics of good photographic lighting
are the same - writes Christopher John Ball
A
SHORT INTRODUCTION TO THE KALITYPE PROCESS - The
Kallitype is another process that uses ferric salts with silver nitrate and
produces a brown-tone image. It was introduced by Dr. W. J. Nichol in 1899
and was based on Herschel's argentotype (1842). It is similar in appearance
to a platinotype but is formed of a metallic silver instead of platinum -
writes Christopher John Ball
HOW
TO USE EXPOSURE METERSThough
almost all of today's cameras come with a 'built-in' light meter this doesn't
mean that the good old fashioned 'hand-held' meter should be thrown away
as useless - writes Christopher John Ball
A
SHORT INTRODUCTION TO THE GUM BICHROMATE PROCESS The gum bichromate
process draws on techniques first developed by Alphonse Louis Poitevin in
1855. It was in this year that he patented a process he called 'helio-plastic'.
He had found that when bichromated gelatine was exposed to a light, strong
in UV, under a negative and then soaked in water; parts of the gelatine
stood out in relief to form an image. This was because the bichromated colloid
had undergone a hardening process, making it more or less insoluble, in
proportion to the action of light - writes Christopher John Ball
DEPTH
OF FIELD - When one focuses a camera upon a subject, to give a sharp image,
objects nearer to the lens, and those further away from it, do not appear
equally sharp. This decline in sharpness is gradual and progressive. There
exists an area of apparent focus, both behind and in front of the subject,
where the blur is too small to be noticeable and therefore appears sharp.
This area, between the furthest and nearest parts of a subject that be photographed
with acceptable sharpness, is known as the ' depth of field '.
DEPTH
OF FOCUS - When the camera lens is focused on an object there is one position
where the image is sharpest. The sharpness falls off as the film is moved
away from this position of exact focus. There is a certain range of focusing
movement within which it is not possible for the human eye to detect a difference
between what is actually sharp and a very slightly blurred, or soft, image.
In photography this is called depth of focus.
HYPERFOCAL
DISTANCE - When a lens is focused on infinity, the depth of field extends
from infinity towards a point nearer the camera lens. This distance from the
camera to the near limit of sharp field is called the Hyperfocal distance.
A
SHORT INTRODUCTION TO THE CASEIN PROCESS - This
is a process that was patented by the Neue Photographische Gesellschaft in
1908. Casein, the main protein in milk, can be used in combination with a
dye or pigment and potassium dichromate to make prints - writes Christopher
John Ball
PHOTOGRAPHIC
CHEMICALS - Descriptions
of the various chemicals most used within conventional photography. Includes
details of any health threats. Please
note: All medical suggestions are for information and advice only. On all
occasions please seek medical help, from a Doctor, immediately. Remember to
take any packaging, bottles, descriptions etc to the hospital
HOW
TO DEVELOP A MONOCHROME FILM. Whilst
it may seem that digital has made film redundant many serious photographers
are coming back to the medium or looking to try it for the first time. If
you are one of them then this short article will give you some tips on how
to process your first film - writes Christopher John Ball.
A
BRIEF EXPLANATION OF THE ZONE SYSTEM
The Zone System is a method of exposing, developing, and printing monochrome
images and is based upon pre-visualising the subject matter - writes Christopher
John Ball
THE
PIN-HOLE CAMERAIn
this day of digital perfection and software correction the 'Pin-hole' camera
is a breath of fresh air and a superb tool to consider using on your next
photographic assignment - suggests Christopher John Ball
A
SHORT INTRODUCTION TO THE ALBUMEN PROCESS
Until 1850 prints had traditionally been made on salted paper (paper that
had been impregnated with Silver Chloride) that had been coated with a solution
of Silver Nitrate. This process was thought to have little strength. A base
that could hold more silver was required. Blanquart-Evrard, of Lille, suggested
coating the paper with a thin film of egg white (Albumen) prior to sensitising
with a Silver Nitrate solution -writes Christopher John Ball
A
SHORT INTRODUCTION TO THE PLATINUM PHOTOGRAPHIC PROCESS - The platinum
print has been called the most beautiful photographic process. It has a
naturally warm colour and a greater tonal separation in the mid tones and
highlights. Please
note that this method of printing is expensive and can be complicated. Therefore
this page can only give a brief overview - writes Christopher John Ball.
INTRODUCTION
TO MAKING A SUCCESSFUL PHOTOGRAPHIC TEST STRIP/PRINTThough
it is possible to purchase an 'exposure meter' for calculating print exposure
times these can be expensive and, for fine art/exhibition printing, not
always accurate. By far the best way to ascertain the correct exposure for
any given negative/paper type is to produce a test strip - writes Christopher
John Ball
If
one were to attempt to describe the photographs that Jean creates it would
be in terms of a fusion of the images produced by Angus McBean (his theatrical
photomontages), Ralph Gibson (particularly his ‘The Somnambulist’
1970 era) and the Symbolist artists such as Gustave Moreau, Rodolphe Bresdin
and Fernand Khnopff - writes Christopher John Ball
Just
as he enjoys using female models to create much of his still imagery - Daniel
predominantly casts women in the film roles because “there is an ideal
balance to be found by expressing emotion and sensuality with woman as protagonist.”
Asked to expand further he explains that he believes that women have “a
face that looks out from some aspect of human experience I can never really
know” - writes Christopher John Ball.
Much has been written by philosophers, such as Aristotle, Immanuel Kant and Wittgenstein, about the nature of beauty, aesthetics and the ever shifting values that we place upon what we see and observe; but what does it mean to be ‘seen’ by another and how does that impact upon us as individuals and how we perceive ourselves and our own appearance/beauty?
Nic is on record as stating that he doesn’t see his work
as an… “abstract, a symbol or a statement…I’m trying
to make a decent picture, nothing more serious than that” but there
is far too much going on within his imagery, too many references, quotations,
symbolism and delightful constructs, for this to be anything more than just
a playful conceit and further example of his self deprecating humour and,
in truth, could possibly be a disservice to his work. The viewer is drawn
into his images and encouraged to ask questions – to enter into a
dialogue. His photographs are inherently about the sensuality and eroticism
of looking and they refuse to be ignored - writes Christopher John Ball.
Filters
are used within photography to modify the light falling on the subject or
passing through the camera lens. Even though we are now in the digital age
and see the widespread use of photoshop, filters still have their uses and
it doesn't hurt to have an understanding of how they work or can be used.
- writes Christopher John Ball
I
favour making negatives via an inkjet printer and printing out to the desired
size onto Overhead Projection Film. Inkjet negatives give the photographer
greater control over the finished image - writes Christopher John Ball
Whether
you are using flash or tungsten the basics of good photographic lighting
are the same - writes Christopher John Ball
Though
almost all of today's cameras come with a 'built-in' light meter this doesn't
mean that the good old fashioned 'hand-held' meter should be thrown away
as useless - writes Christopher John Ball 
In
this day of digital perfection and software correction the 'Pin-hole' camera
is a breath of fresh air and a superb tool to consider using on your next
photographic assignment - suggests Christopher John Ball
Though
it is possible to purchase an 'exposure meter' for calculating print exposure
times these can be expensive and, for fine art/exhibition printing, not
always accurate. By far the best way to ascertain the correct exposure for
any given negative/paper type is to produce a test strip - writes Christopher
John Ball