I remember when I was in undergraduate school, I would take the most non-traditional photography classes I could find. I started doing this after I took one course that really affected me. It was called, “Experimental Photography” (see my actual transcript below). This course opened my eyes and heart to the possibility of making powerful images that break all of the “rules” in photography. Photographs that go way beyond the standard “chocolate box” photo or all of the digital “yawners” (film at that time). It was so lovely to get away from the traditional work and explore ideas and concepts that I hadn’t tried before. I learned so much from experiencing that, I have no words to describe how it changed my view of photography. This was the course that turned me onto Joel Peter Witkin. Watching him work and understanding why he did the things he did to the film made so much sense to me. It made the work transcend photography in a way. It became kind of a multimedia piece.
One of the biggest challenges you’ll face making a body of work is finding the “correct” aesthetic. Finding what process, or processes, support your narrative the best is beyond important. It’s absolutely crucial. We are VISUAL storytellers. The mood or emotion you set, rests entirely on the image (the way it looks).
You would miss the train if you were to randomly pick up any camera and start making photographs without thinking about what you wanted to say, and moreover, how you want to say it. I posted the “how” supporting the “why” the other day. If you haven’t read it, take a look. I so firmly believe this to be the driving force of a great body of work. Words can only go so far. We need what Donald Kuspit said in his book, “The End of Art”. He said, “…art is over because it has lost its aesthetic import. Art has been replaced by "postart," a term invented by Alan Kaprow, as a new visual category that elevates the banal over the enigmatic, the scatological over the sacred, cleverness over creativity.” How can you not agree with that. we need AESTHETIC IMPORT and ENIGMATIC work! This is what experimentation can give you.
“White Poppy” Whole Plate toned Cyanotype from a Calotype (Greenlaw). I bleached the print and used tannic acid and gallic acid to tone it. It did stain the paper, but I kind of like it. This is Strathmore Series 500 paper.
It’s a long process. Most experiments will fail. But you’ll learn a lot. And sometimes, while experimenting, you’ll stumble onto something that is perfect for what you’re exploring. You’ll know it when you see it. So get in the darkroom with some of your best negatives and start experimenting!
“They’re Coming With Crosses” Whole Plate Cyanotype from a wet collodion negative.
Plate #118, Whole Plate Palladiotype from a wet collodion negative.