LUNAR ECLIPSE AND NATURAL SATELITTE

LUNAR ECLIPSE AND NATURAL SATELITTE 37800 SECONDS - Pauline Woolley 2015

Both of these images were taken on the same night of the lunar eclipse.  One was taken in a matter of seconds, the other an exposure of over 10 hours.  

DIFFERENT CAMERAS

With the shortening of days becoming more apparent, I gave a final push to capture just a couple more sun tracks over the course of a day.  This time I used an enlarger head complete with lens that I decided to stop down to f16. The bellows were interesting to use in the sense that unlike the pinholes, I had to consider distance and framing.  The processed results should prove interesting.

SOLARGRAPHS IN THAILAND

Travel is as important to me as making art work and it feels really great when I can combine the two or when one influences the other.  I have in the last week returned from three weeks in Thailand.  Though this time of year is rainy season, the weather was remarkably good which encouraged me to set up a few solargraph cameras whilst staying on Koh Phangan. I picked a few rocks along the beach to wedge the cameras in and for one lower down, disguised it with some sea weed.  The exposure time was around 6 hours and it had to be cut short when I began to watch a storm blow in from the horizon.

The results from the exposures were quite interesting.  A lack of sharpness seemed to prevail in both images probably due to humidity and atmospheric haze.

camera set up - Pauline Woolley 2013

camera set up - Pauline Woolley 2013

storm approaching - Pauline Woolley 2013

9.781468, 99.976358 - Pauline Woolley 2013

9.781468, 99.976358 - Pauline Woolley 2013

SOLAR TRACKS

APM 3 and a half hours 7/8 - Pauline Woolley 2013

SOLAR TRACKS 10 and a half hours in total - Pauline Woolley 2013

SOLARGRAPHS - VARIOUS METHODS AND TIMES

2 hours approx - harman titan - Pauline Woolley 2013

1 hour approx - 1920 APM folding camera - Pauline Woolley 2013

8 hours approx - Pauline Woolley 2013 

1 hour approx Pauline Woolley 2013

I have been experimenting with taking solargraphs with different cameras to see if lenses make a difference and then processing them digitally to then attempt printing them up in the darkroom.  At this stage I am not sure if the work is leaning towards it being a supplement to other work I have rattling in my head. They are beginning to lend themselves to other ideas than just a work in their own right.  With the lack of sun in this country, getting the images on shorter exposures such as few hours or days is becoming difficult.

UNTITLED WORK IN PROGRESS - Pauline Woolley 2013

I have begun creating hybrid landscapes using photographs taken on various trips abroad and using them to house my solargraph images.

SOLARGRAPHS 2013

07/04/13 14.10 - 18.10,  Latitude  39° 56' 26.1816" Longitude 3° 57' 25.7436"
Pauline Woolley 2013

10/04/13 10.00 - 18.00,  Latitude  39° 56' 26.1816" Longitude 3° 57' 25.7436"
Pauline Woolley 2013

These are two raw and unprocessed solargraphs that I set up this week on a roof terrace in Menorca.  It's the first time that I have been able to see the curve of the sun's journey across the sky as I was able to direct the camera the due south without much blocking the view.  I then spent some time one evening photographing the night sky for periods of up to five minutes to try and capture star trails.  Though the area I was staying was relatively small, light pollution still prevailed.

10/04/13 20.04 - 20.09,  Latitude  39° 56' 26.1816" Longitude 3° 57' 25.7436"
Pauline Woolley 2013

SOLARGRAPH 21ST JUNE TO 21ST DECEMBER 2012

6 month Solargraph - Pauline Woolley 2012

When you first set up a solargraph the urge to look at the results after only a few days is very strong.  Then after a while, you almost forget that the small pinhole camera is still capturing light after many months.

This the longest so far at 6 months between Summer and Winter solstice. Again, I think the rotation of the camera is incorrect as the tracking is arching upwards and not across the sky.  Regardless, it's interesting to see the breaks where the sun make no appearance.  This is very apparent lower down where there is one quite thick band of no Sun.  

March will be the next set up - I wonder if I could leave it a whole 12 months?  

Here to the emergence of Spring and lighter days.

FINAL IMAGE OF THREE MONTH EXPOSURE

3 month exposure March to June - Pauline Woolley

Here is the result after scanning.  Was astounded at the clarity of the tracks and that the cameras have survived some awful weather. 

3 month exposure March to June - Pauline Woolley

The cameras are to be posted back next week to Tarja Trygg  for her to process the data to hopefully add to her project.

SOLARGRAPHY AND THE TRANSIT OF VENUS

14 hours (Transit Of Venus) 06.05.12 - Pauline Woolley

Tomorrow is the 21st of June.  The longest day.  It's also when I take down my pinhole cameras to send back to Tarja Trygg in Finland.  The above image is a 14 hour exposure I took in Ibiza on the day of the Transit Of Venus. I was lucky enough to see the transit (all but 
briefly) and managed to also photograph it.

Transit Of Venus 06.05.12 - Pauline Woolley

This is the final time we will experience this transit in our lifetime.  The last one was in 2004.

PINHOLE TESTS

Orchard - 30sec ISO 3 Pauline Woolley 2012

More shots with the Titan.  I have two 5 x 4 Delta film negs to have processed.  Be interesting to see those results.


I have also been making my own pin hole cameras which I have been leaving to over expose and processing by scanning.  The results are quite interesting.  The scanner I used is on it's last legs hence the vertical lines.  Notice the sun trace on the right hand side.

Solar Track 8th - 9th May  - Pauline Woolley 2012

PINHOLE PHOTOGRAPHY WITH THE ILFORD TITAN 5 X 4 CAMERA

CABLE HUT - ISO 3, 30 SECS - Pauline Woolley 2012

As mobile phones begin to boast their capabilities of taking photographs with 14 million pixels plus, there is a sudden interest again in analogue/alternative photography.  Maybe a one button does all approach is beginning to loose it's appeal?  As an artist who's interests lie in process and experimentation these basic approaches of image capturing excite me greatly.

On a recent trip to to Pembrokeshire I took along the new Ilford Titan 5 x 4 pin hole camera and shot these two images on Kentmere VC paper.  The image is shot in negative then inverted through processing.

CABLE HUT, ISO 3, 30 SECS - Pauline Woolley 2012

The Ilford Titan

SOLARGRAPHY - TARJA TRYGG'S GLOBAL PROJECT OF SOLARGRAPHY

Last month I came across an article in one of the monthly photography magazines that talked about solargraphy and how to go about making a small pin hole camera to track the sun's progress in the sky over a period of 3 - 6 months.  Smitten by this idea I began to follow up internet links that lead to the website of Tarja Trygg's phD project in Finland.

Tarja encourages people from all around the world to contact her and by giving her your address she will send you two small pin hole cameras for you to secure to one south facing spot to leave for a period of 3 - 6 months.  After the cameras have been exposed you can send them back to her in Finland for her to then process.  A selection of the best images captured are then uploaded to her site.


On emailing Tarja she sent me two cameras that I put up on the 24th March which I shall then leave until the summer solstice in June.


A great overlap of art/photography/science.