Posterizations

The title comes from my understanding of term as stated in the Kodak publication “More Special Effects for Reproductions” Q-171. The preface states:

“A growing trend in contemporary photography is the modification of a subject to create a special effect. Modification by the photographer/designer may be made on camera at the time exposures are made, or it may be done in the darkroom on an enlarger or in a development tray.”

My goal is to introduce special effects in photography using methods and techniques that were created before the digital age.

“Posterizing is a conversion technique that reduces the many tones of a continuous-tone image to a few selected tones. The objective of posterizing is to create an abstract image by eliminating tones. At the same time, however, the posterizing process maintains the shape and general character of the original image. Posterizing neither enhances nor detracts from an original photograph..it creates something altogether new.”

In the following examples I have created high contrast masks using contact printing techniques that combine a series of positives and negatives that created density shifts inside and outside the various graphic forms .