How instant photographs work

When taking a photograph with an instant camera, the actual picture can be hold in hands a few minutes later. What may seem like magic is in fact the result of a chemical reaction. The process begins with the plastic film base that is coated with silver particles. These particles are light-sensitive. Black and white films have one layer of silver, whereas color films have three layers which are sensitive to different colors. The top layer is sensitive to blue light, the layer in the middle is sensitive to green and the third layer is sensitive to red light. When a film is exposed, the light-sensitive particles react to the different colors and form metallic silver. In order to get a picture, the film needs to be developed. Instant cameras are similar to a photo laboratory because they contain all chemicals which are necessary for the developing process. There is a developer layer attached to each color layer. The reagent, a mix of light blockers, neutralizers and other elements starts the chemical chain reaction and activates the developer on each layer. The reagent is collected in a blob at the white bottom of the film sheet. After having taken the picture, the camera rollers push the chemicals from the blob in the middle of the film sheet and roll it up to the end of the frame. The reagent chemicals then move through the layers and, after a chemical reaction, appear as colors. When watching an instant image develop, this chemical reaction can be seen.

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Instructional/Group: How To Make a Camera Lucida

http://anitagoestocollege.blogspot.co.at/2014/05/how-to-make-camera-lucida.html

Migrant Mother - Description

Depressed, hopeless and gazing into space, Florence Owens Thompson depicts the sorrow surrounding her. She is in the center of the photograph, taking up most of the image. Her arm is supporting her head, looking like she is in fear of the future. The long and bony fingers are touching her narrow and dry lips, which have not tasted proper food and clean water for quite some time. Deep wrinkles around her mouth and eyes make her look older than she probably is, as well as revealing her concern for the family's future. The mother is wearing a checked shirt and a vest that look old, torn and itchy, as if they were made out of burlap. Hidden in her arm lies an infant wrapped in a dirty blanket. Next to the mother are her two older children leaning on her shoulders. Both children are not facing the camera but have instead buried their faces in their hands. It seems as though they are trying to hide behind their mother where they feel safe and protected. What can be easily noticed by looking at the children is that they have the same hairstyle, namely a bowl haircut. The light hair color of the child standing on the viewers right side makes a good contrast to the mother’s and other childs dark hair. Last but not least, the pale background illustrates the hopelessness and bleakness of her situation.

(237 words)

Narrative: Little History of Photography

2^nd Version: History of photography - narrative

Boulevard du Temple, taken in 1839 by painter and chemist Louis Daguerre, is hanging on one of Louvre’s walls and is watching the tourists who pass by. Suddenly it notices a man in his 40s with shorts and a t-shirt who looks very dissatisfied with his camera. The photo can hear him moaning that the camera he bought does not take pictures satisfyingly. Boulevard du Temple laughs to itself and thinks of the time it was taken. The photo is sure that if this man could hear the story of photography, he would appreciate the tiny device he is holding in his hands.

The day the photo was taken was a very special one. Daguerre was the first photographer who managed to depict a person on a photo. Because of the long exposure time it was impossible to photograph moving objects such as passersby. Nevertheless, the man on the photo remained still long enough and so became part of this historic photo. However, it was not the first one that had been taken. In 1825 Joseph Niepce photographed Le Gras in France. Niepce’s idea was to apply bitumen to metal plates. The material hardened in the light and the unhardened rest was washed away. The metal plate was polished, the negative covered with ink and the photographed image would appear. Still, this early technique had its downsides. The plates were very heavy and expensive. Therefore, only rich people could afford being photographed. Secondly, exposure time was very long thus people being photographed needed something to lean on, namely props. This is why oval tables and pillars can often be seen on early photos. Long exposure would also lead to Mezzotint which means that photos have a soft black to grey to white gradation.

 A few years later, Daguerre invented his own technique, the daguerreotype, where the plate would be coated with silver, exposed and then the remaining silver would be removed. Time went by and photography became more popular. In 1840 almost every miniaturist had become a professional photographer because no one was interested in miniatures anymore.

The photo remembers all these events as though they were yesterday. The tourist in the museum should be grateful for all the people who worked on developing photography and cameras which led to what he is holding in his hands right now.

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Comment:
My fellow students had some very useful suggestions for my text. They pointed out that the introduction should be separated from the main text. They also felt that there was no connection between some sentences so I rewrote these parts.

A day in the life of ... Katrin

 “Here in the city, the measure is frozen…” Milow is singing on my bedside table. Unfortunately he is not really there, it is just my alarm clock. Still humming his song, my Thursday can begin. I usually get up at 6:50 am to make sure that the day does not start off stressful. After I have dressed myself and packed my backpack, I am ready for the world. I live in a dorm and therefore share a big kitchen with the other residents. One of them is my “breakfast buddy” Benedikt with whom I always have a nice chat before going to university. My breakfast usually looks the same – one yoghurt pot. I do not drink coffee or tea in the morning, so I am rather quick.

My breakfast

After breakfast I head off to university by my bike, Jessy. I do not like to take the bus because every time I have to do it, e.g. when it rains, it comes late and/or is overcrowded. Using Jessy is a great way to exercise and to wake up.

Jessy :)

University starts at 8:15 with English. It is followed by Sign Language and another English class. After all those courses I am really looking forward to cycling home and cooking dinner. While cooking I like to talk to my friends in the dorm about current events. I then do my homework or read a book. Between half past seven and eight the best part of the day begins. We all gather in the kitchen for what we call “cake evening”. Every Thursday one person is in charge of baking a cake. We sit around the table, gossip about university, play “Activity” or watch TV. At the moment we are busily engaged on watching “Germanys next Topmodel”.

This week we had "Peach and Strawberry Crumble"

I usually go to bed around midnight because I have to get up again at 6:50 am on the next day. On Fridays I normally take the train home to Lower Austria, but this is another story…