How to Create Holographic Photographic Art
Holography is a unique art, using the science of lasers and light to create a three-dimensional image. Because of the scientific principles, you may think it's too complicated to do holography at home with a camera. Although it's certainly challenging, it isn't nearly as impossible as you might assume. All it takes is some advance preparation and a few extra tools to bend the light properly when you take the photo.
Things You'll Need
- Holographic film glass plate
- Helium-neon laser
- Spherical mirror
- Small steel plate
- Bar magnet
- White cardboard
- Black cardboard
- Small carpet square
- 12" inner tube
- Steel plate or heavy plywood
Instructions
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Choose an appropriate location and environment for your holographic setup. In general, you need a place that's dark and completely free of vibrations. Even a gentle, barely detectable vibration can prevent the holograph from being imprinted. If you have a cement floor, place the setup directly on it. Many photographers choose to use an isolation table for the camera, which is essentially a square of carpeting, a foot-wide small inner tube, and a thick steel plate on top. You can also use green safe-lights to help you find your way in the dark, as the green hue will not disrupt the holography process.
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Install the holographic setup. Because the nature of holography requires a light source to be both monochromatic and coherent, you'll need a light source that fits both requirements; a helium-neon laser will work perfectly. Make sure the laser has a minimum power of one million milliwatts or more. The power of your laser directly correlates to the amount of time it will take to develop your photo. Attach the steel plate to the bar magnet to keep it in place, and a small spherical mirror to spread the laser. A holographic glass plate should go in front of the object, with clips on either side to hold it in place. Secure the object with putty or clay to help further prevent unwanted vibration.
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Take the photo. To take a picture visible in white light, you need a white piece of cardboard the size of your holographic plate and a black card with binding clips to act as a shutter. Put the white card in the same area where the glass plate will be so that the mirror reflects the laser evenly across the card from a 45-degree angle. Once the object is where you want it to be, block the laser with the "shutter" card and replace the white card with the glass film plate. In darkness, remove the shutter and allow the laser to penetrate the film plate for 10 seconds. If you purchased a higher powered laser, the exposure time will be less.
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Develop the photo. The process for developing holography is the same as it is for regular photos, and no less toxic. Using a pair of rubber gloves, soak the film in developer solution first for at least two minutes, followed by rinsing it for a minute and bleaching for another minute.
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Tips & Warnings
Never look directly into a laser.
