Expository Text- How an instant photo works

To understand how instant photographs work, it is necessary to understand how a colour film works. A colour film consists of three layers that are sensitive to different colours. The top layer is sensitive to blue light, the next layer reacts with green light and the last layer is responsive to red. Each layer is coated with light- sensitive silver particles, which form into metallic silver after light is shone on them.

The component that starts the developing process is the reagent. The reagent is a mix of opacifiers, which make an object opaque, and alkali pigments. The reagent can be found between the image layer, which is on top of the reagent, and the three light-sensitive layers. Before you take the picture, which starts the chain-reaction, the reagent is collected in a blob separated from the light-sensitive material. This prevents the film from developing before it has been exposed.

To sum up the information so far;  the polaroid picture is a film which consists of a number of layers. Each layer contains different chemicals, which makes the developing process a step by step process.  The first step is to take the photograph. The film sheet is pressed out of the camera through rollers, which sets the reagent in the second layer free. The reagent starts the reaction with the other chemicals in the different layers. At the same time the opacifier prevents light from filtering to the layers below, so that the film is not exposed before it is developed. The chemicals are now moving down through the layers and turn the silver grains into metallic silver. Simultaneously, the chemicals dissolve the developer dye and the dye from the undissolved layers moves up to the image layer. For example, if the magenta layer was exposed than no green dye will wander up to the image layer.

While the chemicals work through the layers that contain the dye, the reagent and the alkali make the opacifier become clear. That way an image can be seen. This means that when the image appears, the last chemical reaction can be seen. Since the photo is already developed underneath. The last thing that happens is the opacifier clearing up, making the image visible. 

[378 Words]

Instructional text: How to make a camera lucida

The instructional text How To Make a Camera Lucida by Tim Hunkin does not provide the reader with useful instructions. Even though the author complies with a number of rules for instructional texts, such as making use of the imperative as well as writing short and simple sentences, the way the instructions are presented is neither clear nor logical. Looking at the sentences, it is extremely confusing for the reader to figure out the order of the steps since they are not numbered. Most of the steps are not written down explicitly but need to be figured out with the help of the images. This, however, is not the purpose of illustrations in instructional texts, instead they should be used to support the individual steps rather than to do the explaining. Moreover, there is no list of the materials needed to build the camera, there are no warnings or helpful tips, nor does the text say anything about the estimated time required. The usage of the camera lucida for drawing is mentioned within the instructions. However, it would have been helpful to know more about the camera from the start and an introduction should have been provided at the beginning. To put it in a nutshell, this piece of instruction clearly lacks organisation and logic.

[215 Words]

Migrant Mother- Group Description

The photo of the Migrant Mother is a back and white photograph, taken in 1936, during the Great Depression, by Dorothea Lange. It depicts a woman in her 30s with her three children, one baby and two toddlers. Taking a closer look at her face, you notice that her hair is umkempt and her brows are knit together. Her wrinkled, suntanned face looks careworn and sombre and her her hunched posture expresses her wish to protect her children. The children lean against their mother's shoulder, facing away from the camera. Their dishevelled pageboy hairstyles and their slight bodies exacerbate the already present melancholic atmosphere. The family is poor as can be seen by their dirty and threadbare clothes. The overall impression is one of desperation and the quiet determination to carry on living. 

Narrative: The history of photography

1^st Version:

Dear Diary,

Today my mother and I decided to clean up the attic. While rummaging through the dusty old boxes I found a photograph of my great-great-grandfather. The photo was in its own case which surprised me. My mother told me that back then taking photographs were something only well-off people could afford. I then asked her to tell me more about photography at that time.

She started telling me about a photographer called Dagueree. Daguerree accomplished a technique which uses ionised silver plates to take photos. Since they weren’t sensitive to light they had a long exposure time and couldn’t be copied. Due to the exposure time the photographer Hill took his photographs on a cemetery. Both the cemetery as background as well as the unpopulated area benefitted the process of photo taking.

In the first half of the 18^th century, photography was seen as blasphemous because humans were said to be made from God’s image and God’s image can’t be captured by a machine. This seems like superstition but many people, were afraid to look at the first photos because it seemed as if the person in the picture was staring at them. Therefore the sentence “Don’t look at the camera” became popular.

In the 1840s photography took over the portrait scene. Over the years people liked photography more and more up to the point where studio photography became popular, in 1860. For studio photography props were used for the people to lean on, however the good taste suffered a lot.

Although the technology improved gradually through techniques such as mezzotint, the society wanted the halo back. The halo originates from the Daguerreotype and symbolised prestige and wealth. While halo was on vogue for portraits a new style was developed through the improved techniques. This style is called Surreal photography. Textures and tissues could be seen more clearly which enabled photographers to concentrate on certain parts of objects.

During the time of industrialisation however, photography became functional and didn’t show reality but how life should look like.  Unemployment and underpayment weren’t shown; instead photos of promising companies were taken.

My mother then said we should stop talking and go back to work. Although I did what she said, I’ll make sure to talk with her about it more since I’m really interested in photography.

Yours,

Miranda

[390Words]

Feedback:

My classmates told me that my narrative contains mainly of facts which isn’t what a narrative is supposed to be. They tried to help me by telling that I should try to write the text in a more personal way. Therefore I tried to establish a personal connection to the story. They also pointed out some typos which I didn’t find myself while reading through the text.  In the re-written version I only included the information that suited the setting of my narrative. I included more feelings and thoughts so that the narrative focuses more on the main character.

2^nd Version:

Dear Diary,

Today my mother and I decided to clean up the attic. While rummaging through the dusty old boxes I found a photograph of my great-great-grandfather. The photo was in its own case which surprised me. My mother told me that back then; taking photographs was something only well-off people could afford. I then asked her to tell me more about photography at that time.

She started telling me about a photographer called Dagueree. Daguerree accomplished a technique which uses ionised silver plates to take photos. Since they weren’t sensitive to light they had a long exposure time and couldn’t be copied. It must have been really cool to have this “one of a kind” portrait of yourself which nobody could ever copy but I wouldn’t have liked to stay still for such a long time. The longest I ever had to wait for a photo was when I used the old Polaroid camera my mom once had.

Mom also mentioned a very well-known photographer. His name was Hill and he took his photographs on a cemetery because there weren’t many people passing by. He reminds me of my friends Annette, she has always been weird and lately she started posting photos of cemeteries on Tumblr. 

While I am on the topic of weird photographs; the picture I found looked really creepy as if the person in it was staring at me. When my mom saw me looking at the photo she assured me that many people back then were afraid of photos because they believed that the photographed person could see them. That’s why they sentence “Don’t look at the camera” became popular.

When I asked how the photography’s development progressed we came to talk about studio photography. After an explanation of what studio photography was, namely shooting photos in a studio with many props, I was reminded of my pictures when I was still a child. In these photos a lot of props were used too, like cushions or colourful backgrounds. My mom only said, “That was when the good taste suffered a lot”. After that time photography became really functional and played a big role during the industrialisation.

My mother then said we should stop talking and go back to work. Although I did what she said, I’ll make sure to talk with her about it more since I’m really interested in photography.

Yours,

Miranda

[400 Words]

One day in the life of......

During my stay in South Korea my newly found German friend Martina and I decided to make a trip to Seoul to explore the fashionable and modernised city. On our way to grab breakfast we came across two older ladies, in Korean they are called “Ahjummas”, which were exercising in a park while listening to old fashioned music. Immediately, we took some pictures of them since this wasn’t only a rare sight for us but also amusing.  After a nutritious and absolutely non-Korean breakfast, namely sandwiches, we found ourselves waiting for the subway when suddenly one of the Ahjummas from before started talking to us. Due to my poor Korean I could only tell her that we are from Austria and Germany, respectively. She started babbling uncontrollably about Angela Merkel and Germany, however I didn’t understand much. After 45 minutes she left us utterly confused and completely mind-blown, in a negative way, alone in the subway. Shortly after, a Korean girl came over and explained what the Ahjumma said and that it was her right, maybe even her privilege, to say whatever she wants to whoever she wants. Although I was completely out of it after the ride I suppose that Ahjummas are also a reason why I feel more at home in Korea than I do in Austria. 

                                   

     (The Ahjummas sitting on the bench after some gymnastics)

       
                                        (The ominous station where old ladies are waiting to lure you into their traps ^^ )

(My friend Martina; upon arriving in Seoul we went for some tea in a traditional tea house to calm our nerves)