Photographic Techniques and Processes

Photographic Techniques and Processes

• Half-tone: A printing process used to reproduce shades of gray in images. It creates the illusion of continuous tone by using dots of varying sizes.

• Negative/Positive/Direct Positive: Differing processes in photography. A negative creates an inverted image, a positive is a direct image reproduction, and a direct positive produces an image without negative intermediary.

• Straight Photography: A style emphasizing the unaltered appearance of the subject; aiming for realistic representation without artistic manipulation.

• 3-part laminar structure of photographs: Refers to the layered structure of a photograph or print, often involving separate layers for image, pigment, and support.

• Pre-visualisation: The mental process of picturing an image or scene before taking a photograph.

• Latent Image: The invisible image formed on a photographic material by exposure to light before a developer.

• Photogravure: An intaglio printing process used to produce detailed photographic images.

• Tintype: An early photographic process creating a direct positive image on a thin metal plate.

• Gum printing: A photographic printing process using gum arabic as the binder to create a varied, often painterly, image.

• Ambrotype: An early photographic process producing a positive image on a glass plate, backed with black varnish.

• Celluloid/Nitrate film: Early photographic film stock, prone to flammability. It was used in the development of motion pictures and later replaced by safety film.

• Cartes de visites: Small photographic portraits popular in the late 19th century, usually printed onto visiting cards. Photocards.

• Photomechanical reproduction: Methods of copying and printing images using mechanical or chemical processes for mass distribution.

• Cyanotype: A photographic printing method using iron salts that produce a lovely blue image.

• Photo-magazine: Magazines published with extensive use of photographs, significant for the early history of photography and image dissemination.

• Stereoscopy/Stereograph: A technique creating 3D images by using two slightly different images to give a perspective effect.

• Autochrome: An early color photographic process.

• Dry plate: A photographic process using light-sensitive materials that don't require liquid solutions for imaging, allowing for quicker setup.

• Instantaneous photography: Early photographic techniques that reduced exposure times, allowing for quicker captures.

• Kodachrome: A line of color films.

This quiz explores various photographic techniques and processes essential for understanding photography. Topics include half-tone printing, the differences between negative and positive images, and the concept of pre-visualisation. Test your knowledge on the foundational elements that contribute to effective photography.