Reflection – Contact Sheet and Print

One of my peers and I had initially used Canon AV-1 to share a roll of film in order to discover the relation between the camera controls and the images results. Having no experience with operating a single lens reflex camera, nor the skill to presume the balance of the aperture and shutter speed to complement the lighting of the surround environments, our contact sheet revealed that more than half of the photographs we have taken were overly exposed.

Having to have experimented with Canon AV-1, I was grateful to have access to Canon Rebel Ti for this project. Unlike the former, the latter is a digital based camera that has more indications to assist the operator with the exposure control. Even with the full manual settings, the exposure level indicator would still appear in the viewfinder to facilitate on capturing correct exposure images. Therefore, I took the liberty to benefit from this camera.

Since I am  geographically disoriented, I had never given myself an opportunity to wonder around unfamiliar places by myself. For this project, I decided to take a mini adventure to explore the city and to document sceneries and things that interested me. After breakfast with a friend, I departed from my favorite creperie and set out into the Old Port. As I walked in this vintage section of the city, I eventually adopted architectures and street views as the general subjects in my two rolls of film.

Thanks to the previous experience of developing the experimental film with my peers, the process of developing of my final rolls went smoothly. With a few attempts, my contact sheets came out nicely as well. When it came to choosing the final photograph, it took me a moment to search for slides that were significant to me. As predicted, I ended up favoring the photographs that were more personal or had a special meaning to me, such as the first test shot of my morning latte, the table shot of my gloves and Chai, a close up shot of a street clock, as well as my two final shots of a wall filled with books and a piano in a second hand store.

My final print was not chosen from any of the shots that I described above. This one was actually a happy accident. As I was focusing on the buildings and was ready to press the shutter button, a couple came into the frame  from behind me. Instead of waiting for them to disappear into the vanishing point, I took the photograph. I used to be someone who would stick to the plan and dislike the unexpected, but now I have learned to appreciate the derails. This might not be the best photographs from all of my shots according to the requirements from this project’s grading rubric; nonetheless, the longer I look at this photograph, the more meanings it induced. I believe in the importance of having a connection with our own artworks, whether they evoke an experience, an emotion or a memory. A work of art that is meaningful to the creator can better convey an idea or a message to reach out to its viewers. For this reason, I have chosen this shot over my other ones.

My final print took me many trials to achieve its sharpness in focus and strong contrast. Once I reached a satisfying print result, I began to experiment with the filters.  Since I did not recall that we had to readjust the focus and re-explore the expose times  to achieve contrast, a few of my prints came out slightly blurry and fairly light. Further in my exploration with the filters, I ultimately settled with the 3 filter, because I believe it gave contrast to my print without losing its details. On a side note, now that I have experienced the pitch-black room for the purpose of film-retrieving, the darkroom does not seem too eerie anymore. In fact, I enjoyed the hours I spent in the darkroom in pursuing a good final print.

If I were to deliver this project, I would made some adaptations for participants as young as elementary level students. Instead of single lens reflex camera, I would assign them cameras with fixed-focus lens, known as the full-focus 35 mm camera to facilitate the operation in order to adapt to their age. Since darkroom might not be an appropriate working environment for young students, it is not a common asset in elementary schools. For this reason, I would place emphasis on exploring their themes, seeking meaningful subject matters, and grasping the rule of a third instead of focusing on the film and print developing progress and techniques. Similar to this assignment, I would offer students the freedom to discover their own learning process, ideas, and themes. Since students have diverse interests, allowing them the liberty to choose their own subjects can encourage engagement and promote creativity.

Overall, I enjoyed working on this assignment. Through the process of discovering, I acquired a more thorough notion on the relation of aperture, shutter speed, and lighting for the exposure control. The experimentation on the filters provided me the comprehension on the balance between expose time and the intensity of the filters. I now am looking forward to developing my other shots and seeing their results.