After sharing an exceptionally tasty meal of home-made rosemary buns, sausage cassoulet (yummy Jamie Oliver recipe) and home-made ice-lollies made with a bazillion tasty flavours, Nommy shared with us their most recent DEVELOP project.
DEVELOP is a monthly photography challenge that the two of them set a group of friends and facebook followers - this month's is tin can cameras or, as it is actually called, Solargraphy. Solargraphy is a process whereby you expose photosensitive paper to sunlight through the tiniest hole for a full 6 months - the result is quite spectacular (you should google it!).
They explained the process and equipment needed, complete with a handily pre-prepared can. We then cleared out enough space in their cupboard for me, Nommy and a small garden table, and the boys set about filling all gaps of lights with a variety of appropriately-shaped books (the cans must be prepared in the dark so as not to expose the photosensitive paper too early).
Once all light had been blocked out and Nommy and I had set up our little working area, we turned on the red bike camera and set to work. As mentioned, Nommy had already prepared the can, but if you are doing this yourself you will need to do this before shutting yourself in a dark cupboard; simply take an empty drinks can, remove the top with a can opener and pierce a small hole about half way up the can with a needle.
To resume - when safely in the dark, we removed a sheet of photosensitive paper from it's packet - Nommy handed me a little pair of scissors and a piece of lined paper already cut to size (seriously, Blue Peter eat your heart out). Using the paper guide I cut the photosensitive paper with the dinky scissors. I then had to roll it into a cylinder small enough to fit inside the can - we also decided to add a tiny bit of double sided tape on the back to help the paper stay in place over the next 6 months. I shimmied the paper into place, making sure not to cover the little hole (as this is where the light will need to come through). Then, using black gaffa tape and a stubborness my Nana would have been proud of, I set about fixing the lid back onto the can, covering up all gaps, or potential gaps, or areas that one day might be a gap...
Lastly, and crucially, we covered the hole on the front with a little bit of tape before opening the cupboard.
Et voila, a tin can camera!
As we are fast approaching Midsummer, and therefore the longest day, we've decided that this will be the ideal time to fix the camera into position. Joe and I have a sheltered garden/courtyard area so we have decided to fix our camera to the trellis on our porch in a hope to produce a photo with the old brick factories underneath and the line of the sun, traced over the course of the next 6 months, above.
I'll let you know how it goes.
No comments:
Post a Comment