Beginning Photography

Assignment - Multiple Exposure

For this assignment you will need to shoot and produce two mounted pieces.

The main thrust of this assignment is to produce imagery that is made of more than one single exposure.  There are a number of ways to achieve this technically. These are some of your options:

1)        You may mount more than one photograph on your mounting surface, i.e. a diptych, triptych, collage/montage or even your contact sheet.  You may choose to produce a sequence of images that reads a narrative.  You may simply choose to mount more than one photograph on your mount as comparison /contrast which is either a visual or intellectual juxtaposition.

2) Another method you could use would be to combine images on the computer. This can be immensely complicated or rather simple. I would keep things simple this first time out. You can do "Uelsmann" like images by adding images via layers and making parts of those layers transparent so that other things show through.

3)        This third method can only be done via a FILM camera. If you have one or have access to a working one you could do these techniques that you can not do via digital cameras. You may use the technique of "In Camera Multiple Exposure".  This technique can be done in two ways. The first method is to shoot one roll of film through your camera twice or more times.  You do this by shooting all 36 exposures then rewind the film until it is off of the take up reel in your camera but not back in the cassette.  You then reload the film back onto the take up reel and shoot the film through again.  This method of multiple exposure relies on a bit of serendipity but can result in some very interesting images.  If you would like a little more control over which images you are doubling up you should use the second method.  For the second method you will shoot one picture and then you will cock the shutter on your camera without advancing the film.  This procedure will vary with different cameras so you may want to show me your specific camera to figure out how to make this work.  After cocking the shutter you then shoot another picture.  Next you will put your lens cap on the lens and shoot a blank picture and advance the film.  This will allow you to have a separate and distinct set of multiple exposures unlike the first method which, will appear as one long strip of exposed film with no frame lines.  To do either of these in camera double exposures you must make some adjustments for metering: If you plan to shoot the same film twice you must underexpose each shot by about half a stop to one full stop.  This will allow you to build up the proper exposure when you run it through the camera a second time.

            I want to remind you that this assignment is not about technique though it may have that appearance.  It is simply a means to an end.  You should be thinking about how all of your imagery works with one another.  It is easy to get caught up in the excitement of making something that looks different but that excitement will not last for very long if the images are inherently meaningless. Last but not least, I want you to have some fun with this assignment.  Be open-minded and you might be surprised at the images that you come up with.

Due Date: