Experiments in Digital Imaging: From Pixel to Paper
Professor Terry Towery email terryt@mac.com
"Every act of creation is first of all an act of destruction." -- Pablo Picasso
"Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep." Scott Adams
"I don't think there's anything to be afraid of. Failure brings great rewards -- in the life of an artist." Quentin Tarantino
"The urge for destruction is also a creative urge." Mikhail Bakunin

Textbook:

Required Textbook: Robert Hirsch's Photographic Possibilities: the Creative use of material and processes
Optional Recommended Textbook: Real World Photoshop

Recommended Readings:
The Digital Printing Handbook - A photographer's guide to creative Inkjet Techniquesby Tim Daly
Mastering Digital Printing by Harald Johnson ISBN 1-929685-65-3 Musk & Lipman publishers

Prerequisites:

Knowledge of, and interest in, photography, photoshop and some other art making process besides zone system photography is required (eg: painting, drawing, sculpture or multimedia, etc...)

 General: There is to be NO EATING OR DRINKING in the classroom. We will take short breaks for Input and output. I expect you to be on time to class. We will often have lecture/demonstrations at the beginning of class and then allow time for in class lab/practice time at the end of class.

Course Description:

This class is designed to encourage the student to experiment with digital output. This will be an exploratory class to encourage the student to integrate digital tools into the traditional creative process. We will focus on integrating photo quality digital imaging along with tradtional art making processes. Using the Epson Photo quality printers, the film recorder, polaroid materials and alternative/nonsilver processes we will concentrate on producing a portfolio of experimental images. The focus of the course will be on printed still images however it should be noted that mixed media is strongly encouraged. While Photoshop and other software packages will be explored, We will focus on output devices and their alternative possibilities. Breaking the rules and learning a healthy DISrespect for the technical process will be encouraged.

 

Grading:

Your grades will be based on both technical ability and creativity. Creativity is your own unique approach to the assignmmnet or problem, Technical ability is straightforward and relates to how well the technique suits the imagery.
There will be three open content assignments that will comprise 15% each of your grade = 45%
There will be an oral presentation that will comprise 10%
There will be a final portfolio Due at the beginning of the last session that will comprise 35% of your grade
Class participation will comprise the remaining 10%

Structure: The course will alternate weeks between lecture/Demos and critiques. It is expected that the student will create a portfolio of 15-20 images for the final session. Traditional straight photographic images are not acceptable as fulfilling this criteria. The student will submit at least 20 JPEGs on a cdrom (not SLIDES) of their final pieces for me to keep. The final portfolio will be as though you were submitting your work for gallery review or publication

Recommended Materials:

Lazertran - wait until I discuss it in class.
1 box Polaroid type 59 from B&H (Can be shared amongst 2-3 students)
1 package 10 sheets 17" x 11" lazertran (the regular kind, not the inkjet) from
AND
1 package 10 sheets 17" x 11" lazertran Inkjet from
1 10 pack paper red blue anaglyph glasses
1 package Epson Inkjet transparency material from B&H or staples etc...
1 Brayer from nycentral
Artists paper: nycentral
1 sheet Fabriano,
1 sheet Rives cold press,
1 sheet Arches hot press
4 5"x 7" gessoboard Art panels from ny central
4 5"x 7" art-boards from ny central

  Digi Negs info
Dan Burkholder wrote a book on making enarged negatives digitally for non silver processes
http://www.digital-negatives.com/ has a good step wedge file for free
http://www.alternativephotography.com/articles/art056.html interesting use of color to block UV for specific tone control

Interesteing 19th century reading relevant to the 21st century
Everything you need to know about albumen

Amazing comprehensive list of 19th century materials on Albumen

Rejlander, O.G.

An Apology for Art-Photography. The British Journal of Photography. February 16, 1863
Mr. O.G. Rejlander's Glass Room, &c. The British Journal of Photography. p.76-78. March 2, 1863
Robinson, Henry P.Composition Not Patchwork. The British Journal of Photography. p.189. July 2, 1860On Printing Photographic Pictures from Several Negatives. The British Journal of Photography. p.94. April 2, 1860

 

MAKE imaging
HDR How To http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2007/12/how_to_hdr_photography_in.html
And http://backingwinds.blogspot.com/2006/10/how-to-create-professional-hdr-images.html

DIY Photo

Top Ten Disposable digital camera MODS

 

Topic

weekly reading

Week 1

 Introduction to course Philosophy
Midterm assignment given, Extending the image

Weekly assignment Due in 2 weeks 10 different versions
Begin Lecture on the Imaging Chain.

 

 

Image transfer techniques

Week 2

Demo of Output devices available. film recorders, laser printers, plotters, inkjets, Dye Sublimation,Projectors, shooting off the screen...


 Listen to Duchamp's The creative act

Wikipedia photographic processes

Week 3

Discussion of different output devices. Example slides.
Image Transfers - Inkjet tranfers, Polaroid and Lazertran

   

Week 4

Crit 10 different versions

Flexible Images: Handmade American Photography,
1969 – 2002

© Robert Hirsch 2003

Week 5

 Digital negatives assignment Discuss Digital negatives

Resources
Alternative photography
Digital Negs book
Dan Burkholder
Precision Digi negs

  Digital Tansfers and INKAID

Week 6

 Critique Extending the image
Crit
direct scanning and Digital negs projects. Student example slides.
Input and its impact on the output or Garbage In Garbage Out. Flatbed, Slide, PhotoCD, Drum... Resolution, Bit Depth, File size

 Second assignment given The 3rd dimension

Week 7

Anaglyph demonstration
See the handout

  Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction

Week 8

 Immersive imaging eg; QTVR HDR
Direct scanning assignment   

 

Week 9

 Crit 3d assignment

 

Week 10

 Third assignment Multiple imagery. Series, scrolls, books...

 

Week 11

 Permanence and stability
Reading See wilhelm-research.com
and
Getting seen, how to go about an artists career

 

 

Week 12

 oral projects given in class

 

Week 13

 Third Critique

 

Week 14

 preparing a portfolio for submission

 final portfolio

Week 15

 Final Critique The final portfolio should consist of at least 15 pieces. High quality, properly labelled slides along with support materials of the works must be submitted at THE BEGINNING OF CLASS for you to pass the course.

 

Notes:
A conceptual project
History of experimental apporaches to image making
As seen What was that transfer material coating they were selling at the expo.?
Can i coat transparency film with medium, print on it coat it again then wet the print and separate the medium with image on it from the tranparecy materials? Transfer it to gilt panels.

 

resources
Here are some interesting links:

camera hacking
Dirkon papercraft pinhole
http://www.cyberbeach.net/~dbardell/pinhole.html

 


Photographer's formulary an excellent resource for those hard to find chemicals and maintains a reat list of links to other artists' pages
Digital art supplies for high quality papers and inks
Inkjetmall also sells ink and paper as well as "quadTone" inksets
Digital Truth
Polaroid maintains a site about polaroid lifts and transfers

Suppliers:
B&H
lazertran papers
Anaglyph glasses
ny central art
The Art store
Dick Blick has gesso boards and other great materials
Gesso Boards also from http://www.nycentralart.com/
Art Boards also from http://www.nycentralart.com/
Pearl Paint


Fred Endsley's alt process links
Lazertran Paper for making laser printed transfer prints
Epson Maker of high quality, reasonably priced photo printers.
Luminos Maker of "archival" quality of inks for a variety of printers
inkjetmall and cone editions makers of ink and fine paper for printing

Places that make prints from your digital files
www.photoworks.com
www.ofoto.com
www.shutterfly.com
www.kodak.com
www.snapfish.com

Artists:
Jill Enfield
Daniel Lee
Olivia Parker
Dan Burkholder
Mariko Mori
Maggie Taylor
Anna Tomczak
Anselm Kiefer
Rauschenberg
Adam Fuss
Lucas Samaras
Fichter
Uelsmann
Bea Nettles
Duane Michals
Starns
JP Witkin
Jeff Byrd
Basquiat
John Reuter
Gerhard Richter
BEUYS
Joseph Cornell
Nick Bantok

Longevity:
wilhelm-research.com

stereographic
http://stereophotoworld.com/
http://www.photo3-d.com/ sells kits and viewing systems
http://www.pokescope.com/ sells an interesting viewer
http://www.stereoscopy.com/ is a good source for supplies
http://www.berezin.com/3d/ also sells supplies
http://www.stereographics.com/products/monitor_zscreen/indexmac.html expensive but unique 3d screen and shutter glasses
http://www.i-glassesstore.com/
http://www.stereopia.com
http://mitglied.lycos.de/stereo3d/ viewer

Lenticular
http://clik3d.com/processing.html
http://www.orasee.com/cgi-local/SoftCart.100.exe/online-store/scstore/c-Refills_AoLens_MaterialAp.html?L+scstore+gbyp4896ffe1bee1+1083813271
http://www.3dphotopro.com/lenses.html
http://www.mediabop.com/home.htm
http://www.rit.edu/~bekpph/Lenticular/
http://www.rit.edu/~bekpph/Lenticular/553_Assignment_1.html
http://www.iart3d.com/
http://www.newsystems.com.hk/lenticular/en/order.html source for screen material
www.3dcreations.ukcompanies.org or email 3dcreations@ukcompanies.org process lenticular photos

  • Microlens is the major manufacturer of lenticular lenses.
  • Pro Magic makes Magic Interlacer Pro 100 software used to interlace lenticular images.
  • Gelardi Design carries a line or software and lenses you can use to create your own lenticular images.
  • Insight is the home of Merge Software and supplies for desktop lenticular printing at home. It also has a good tips section on making lenticular prints.
  • National Graphics is a major producer of lenticular images and their site shows the various effects you can get from these prints and how they have been used in various applications.
  • Lenticular Development has a nice gallery of GIF images that look somewhat like lenticular images. Their software, Lenticular F|X (WIN 95/98/NT), makes lenticular images.
  • Flip Signs makes Flip!, a Win 95/98/NT program that interlaces images to fit a lenticular screen. They also make a slider bar you can use to create 3D images with a digital camera. They have a good section on capturing lenticular images.
  • Depthography has a lot of information and products listed on a very hard to navigate site.
  • Lexjet sells lenses and mouting supplies.

3D Info
www.stereoscopy.com The world's largest stereoscopy site!
History of Stereo Photography - Perhaps you knew that Sir Charles Wheatstone invented the idea of paired image stereoscopy in 1833, but did you know he also invented the concertina?
Viewmaster Resource Site
Fabulous site with all kinds of information about Viewmaster history, production, and collecting.

in England http://www.3dcreations.ukcompanies.org/index-page3.html

Yahoo groups
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pokescope/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lenticular3D/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/3dphoto/