Tanya L Hilliker
ART 295 Alternative Processes
Silver Prints; 8 x 12, 16 x 20
This semester I focused on using different printing methods in the dark room. I brought in foreign objects to expose (photogram) my paper, and then double exposed the paper again to fill in the remaining white space. My favorite ended up being a thin net; creating lots of texture and depth in the images.
I also, got to experience Mordancage. Another one of my favorite alternative processes. With the image of the girl on deck, I did a double exposure at night. First shot was long exposure f16 for 5 minutes on TMAX 100 film. Second exposure was with a strobe to light the girl so I wouldn’t get any motion blur in my image. After printing in dark room, I treated the print with Mordancage. I ended up liking how it looked wet, so I hurried and did a copystand photo of the image to document the bubbles that the Mordancage created.
Photography and Video Exchange 
I think your experiments with different development techniques were very successful for creating some interest captivating images. Your techniques create enough abstraction that has the viewer interesting. But the context you do give give a dark aesthetic, that can’t help but draw the viewer in
I really loved the coffee photogram and netting effect, and your mordancage was stunning both wet and dry.
I think these photos are very successful examples of alternative photography. I especially appreciate the mordancage because when I tried it it turned out pretty bad. As images I appreciate their abstraction of a person. Good job!
The texture these images have to them are incredible and the coloring is very complementary. The second image I especially like, the content is spooky and unerving.
The use of texture is effective in these photographs. It adds to the overall feeling of this work. I feel the colors that you achieved are also interesting. These elements together create enough abstraction to keep the viewer interested.
Your experimentation came out beautifully. I love the complexity of how each image is created. The abstraction you create by using these different textures is very strong.
I really like the bubbles effect you had on your second photo! And it’s so nice of you to share your idea and your techniques here too! I haven’t printed photos myself in the darkroom for a while and your work just made me want to back to darkroom and do tons of experiments again!
The overlay and texture on the top one are gorgeous. I think you found a great balance between the two photographs and making it into a completely different one. The second one is perfect in its eeriness.
I think both of these images are wonderfully eerie, but if I had to pick one, I’d say the second one is my favorite. It seems like its something right off of the title of a horror movie you’d see scrolling through Netflix. I think both of them demonstrate why experimentation is so important and that it can lead to very successful images.
Hello Tanya,
These images are very potent and surreal. I was especially drawn to the second image. The process and inclusion of the bubbles have created an intense surreal landscape past the foreground she stands on. The overall mood is very gritty and forlorn. The two images tie together well as both of the figures have fractal patterns in their heads. This reads as confusion/disorientation and pain. Keep creating compelling emotional work.
Tanya,
Both of these images are haunting! I love that about them though, and I love how you used a mixture of overlaying and texture to enhance the eeriness of the images. I also think its so creative to use what sounds like pretty difficult techniques to edit the photos in the dark room.
Hey Tanya! Woah, these two photos are absolutely amazing! I love the creativity you used to create the effects on both of your photos. I can easily see that your technical skills in the darkroom are quite widespread and impressive. I especially like the second photo because the texture reminds me of watching raindrops fall down the window.
These photos have so much personality. It feels like you took really good advantage of the dark room processes and manipulated it in a way that makes it feel tactile, rich, and gives it a lot of depth. I can’t pretend to know anything about the techniques you used (i’ve only ever done digital), but whatever it is, it’s working because it immediately reads as an analog manipulation. The photos themselves are interesting, it feels as though the different manipulations suit the photos themselves. The first one feels like an old antique that I would find in my attic, the second, something I wouldn’t want to find in my attic. Really enjoyed these pieces.
Hi Tanya. I’m speechless. These are so stunning. It takes me a while to understand the processes but it’s fascinating to read even though I’m not quite understand. The composition is so abstract, unique, and surreal. There’s a lot of wonders both about the processes and the message behind the photographs. The complexity allows them to be interpreted in so many different ways. Clearly, you have put so much thoughts into this series and have made a lot of attempts. I hope you continue making such great pieces. Very wonderful work!
These images are crazy good! The texture is out of this world, honestly. I love the chaos in the texture, but thinking about the purposeful design behind them is even more amazing because I can’t imagine the amount of effort it must have taken.
Really interesting work! I love the experimental darkroom techniques you are using they add a lot to the images that you chose to do them with. It adds a corrupted look to each image, which for me adds to the mood each one evokes. Another impressive part is the process of taking and printing the pictures. Very impressive work. I love the organic look of the bubbles in the bottom one mixed with the very calculated composition of the original image. Great work!
Really great images, I love how the darkroom techniques corrupt and play off the pictures you printed with them. For me the second one is the most successful as the framing and composition are incredibly stark and calculated while the printing adds this uneasy dark organic feeling to the image. The printing really makes these images.