But you're not limited to blacks and whites. Tissue paper, pieces of loosely woven cloth, or wax paper can produce full-tone abstractions if you layer and expose your subjects properly. Leaves, feathers, shells, lace, ferns, or loosely woven fabrics typically make good photograms. This assures a crisp outline for your photogram subject, and it keeps lightweight objects like feathers from shifting during exposure.
Leaves make good photogram subjects.
When you use glass to flatten them against enlarging paper, leaves can cause green stains. Cover the paper with a protective layer of plastic wrap. Place the paper into the developer face up. Put it under quickly. A properly exposed print will appear in about 10 seconds and will have a deep righ black where the light hit and a clean white where it was protected after a full 60 seconds in the developer.