An Exploration of Alternative Processes in Photography

It is hard to believe that life on Earth is the only life out there. All the photographs in this project relate back to this idea. While exploring this idea, I was also faced with the challenge of exploring alternative processes in photography. I experimented with ziatype, tintype, and gum bichromate. It is important to note that these processes are very different than traditional silver gelatin prints in that they aren’t perfect, and each print is unique and different. The ziatype images all relate to the famous abduction case of Betty and Barney Hill. The couple was driving home when they observed lights, which then started following them. The craft eventually caught up to the couple, and the next thing they knew they were 35 miles down the road and couldn’t remember a thing. They had damages to their car, Barney’s shoes and Betty’s dress were ruined, and Betty insisted their luggage stay by the back door. The tintype images are all images of the night sky. I chose quiet images on clear nights because this is typically when most UFO’s are sighted. The gum bichromate images are all scenes where UFO’s were reported. I travelled to each location with the written report in mind, and photographed each scene according to the location when the person said they saw the UFO