Listed are titles available on Amazon. We only list the books we truly recommend on the subject. If you buy through the links here, a small percentage of the price will go towards running this website.
Books covering more than one subject
The Book of Alternative Photographic Processes
Christopher James
Cyanotypes, kallitypes, ambrotypes, anthotypes and more in classroom format.
Spirits of Salts / Alternative Photographic Processes
Randall Webb and Martin Reed
A Working Guide to Old Photographic Processes.
Note: Spirits of Salts is the UK title and Alternative Photographic Processes is the US title.
Coming into Focus
John Barnier
Practical instructions on 20 processes.
New Dimensions in Photo Processes
Laura Blacklow
Clear instructions in step-by-step to many of the processes.
Breaking the Rules. A Photo Media Cookbook
Bea Nettles
Pinholes, cyanotypes and more. Out of print.
Photographic Possibilities: The Expressive Use of Ideas, Materials and Processes
Robert Hirsch, John Valentino
A well researched reference book covering many alt. procs.
Photo Art: In-Camera/ Darkroom/ Digital/ Mixed Media
Tory Worobiec and Ray Spence
More inspirational, less technical.
The New Photography. A Guide To New Images, Processes, and Display Techniques For Photographers
Catharine Reeve and Marilyn Sward
Covering cyanotype, kallitype, salt, gum bichromate and pt/pds.
The Art of Enhanced Photography. Beyond the Photoraphic Image
James Luciana and Judith Watts
Centered around interviews with seventeen photographers.
Alternative Photographic Processes: A Working Guide for Image Makers
Martin Reed, Randall Webb
An overview of alternative processes.
A guide to early photographic processes
Brian Coe and Mark Haworth-Booth
Detailing all the early photograhic processes. Out of print.
Historic Photographic Processes
Richard Farber
Extensive research and resources.
The Darkroom Cookbook
Steve Anchell
Description of 170 photographic processes.
Photo Imaging – A Complete Visual Guide to Alternative Techniques and Processes
Jill Enfield
A definite resource for mastering alternative photo-imaging techniques. Out of print.
An Ansel Adams Guide: Basic Techniques of Photography. Book Two
John Schaefer
Covering both ‘straight’ and alternative processes.
Photography’s Antiquarian Avant-Garde
The New Wave in Old Processes
Lyle Rexer
Information on many of the processes.
Cyanotypes
Blueprint to cyanotypes – Exploring a historical alternative photographic process
Malin Fabbri and Gary Fabbri
Or order it from CreateSpace (best option) or order it from Lulu. Download the first 22 pages of Blueprint to cyanotypes free. Read a review
An excellent beginners’ guide to cyanotypes!
Cyanotype Printing Kit – classic formula
Photographers’ Formulary
Makes 24 8×10 Prints. Just add water.
Cyanotype Printing Kit – Mike Ware’s formula
Photographers’ Formulary
Makes 50 8×10 Prints. rind the Potassium Ferricynide prior to mixing and it.
Daguerrotype
The Daguerreotype: Nineteenth-Century Technology and Modern Science
M. Susan Barger, William B. White
Gum bichromate
The Gum Bichromate Book: Non-silver Methods for Photographic Printmaking
David Scopick
Step-by-step guide to gum bichromates.
Gum Bichromate Printing Kit
Photographers’ Formulary
Easy to use kit, strongly recommended for beginners.
Gumoil
Gumoil Photographic Printing
Karl P. Koenig
Step-by-step guide to gumoils.
Infrared photography
Infrared Photography Handbook
Laurie White
Comprehensive guide and techniques leading to successful infrareds.
Advanced Infrared Photography Handbook
Laurie White Hayball
Taking infrareds one step further.
Infrared Wedding Photography
Barbara Rice, Patrick Rice, Travis Hill
Practical without being tacky.
The Art of Infrared Photography
Joseph Paduano
Clearly written and well illustrated.
Kallitype & vandykes
Vandyke Brown Printing Kit
Photographers’ Formulary
Makes 100 4" x 5" prints or 25 8" x 10" prints – great for beginners.
Kallitype Printing Kit
Photographers’ Formulary
Makes 30 4" x 5" prints – recommended for beginners. Read a review.
Lith prints
The Master Photographer’s Lith Printing Course: A Definitive Guide to Creating Lith Printing
Tim Rudman
The World of Lith Printing
Tim Rudman
World-wide collection of lith printing works.
Liquid emulsion
Silver Gelatin: A User’s Guide to Liquid Photographic Emulsions
Martin Reed, Sarah Jones
A practical art book illustrating the use of liquid photographic emulsion.
Negatives – digital negatives and analogue, Photoshop and digital printing
Making Digital Negatives for Contact Printing
Dan Burkholder
A step-by-step Guide to affordable enlarged negatives.
Precision Digital Negatives for Silver & Other Alternative Photographic Processes
Mark Nelson
An eBook describing Color Density Range Control, matching the density range of the digital negative to the exposure scale of any process and/or contrast mix—before applying a Process Adjustment Curve. Read more.
Digital Negatives
Using Photoshop to Create Digital Negatives for Silver and Alternative Process Printing
Brad Hinkel and Ron Reeder
Both easy, quick start recommendations and expert instruction.
Photoshop Artistry: For Photographers Using Photoshop CS2 and Beyon
Barry Haynes, Wendy Crumpler, and Sen Duggan
For those who loves photoshop and want to know it all.
Digital Black and White Printing
George Schaub
Basic black and white image manipulation.
Photoshop for photography – The art of pixel processing
Tom Ang
Focussing on real darkroom problems and not just effects.
Photoshop Channel Chops
David Biedny, Bert Monroy, Nathan Moody
High-end imaging techniques.
The Digital Printing Handbook
Tim Daly
From Scanning to Printing, this book will explain the basics to get you started in digital photography.
Dictionnary of Photography and Digital Imaging
Tom Ang
A useful addition on the bookshelf.
Photoshop Restoration and Retouching
Katrin Eismann
Restoring what has been lost, fixing incorrect exposures, erasing dust and scratches, or even re-creating reality.
Photopolymer, gravure, solarplates and printmaking
Printmaking in the Sun
Dan Welden, Pauline Muir, Melvyn Petterson, Dan Weldon
Covering the solarprint, or the photopolymer process, a brilliant read!
Copper Plate Photogravure – Demystifying the Process
David Morrish and Marlene MacCallum
Step-by-step basic printing procedures for a photogravure plate, complete with trouble shooting information.
The Complete Printmaker
John Ross, Jim Ross, Tim Ross
Step by step through the history and techniques of over forty-five print-making methods.
Polymer Photogravure: A New Method for Photographers and Graphic Artists
Taneli Eskola, Kari Holopainen
Hard to get hold of, try getting a used copy on Amazon.
Pinholes and camera making
From pinhole to print
Gary Fabbri, Malin Fabbri and Peter Wiklund
Or order it from CreateSpace (best option) or order it from Lulu. Download a chapter free. Read a review from Photographers’ Formulary. Read review from The Royal Photographic Society Journal.
The quick and easy way to learn how to build a pinhole camera!
The Pinhole Camera – A Practical How-To Book for Making Pinhole Cameras and Images
Brian Krummel
Buy ‘The Pinhole Camera’ from CreateSpace Estore. Download 35 pages free. Read an extract. Read a review.
The benefits of pinholing, making cameras, material and darkroom skills.
How to Make Three 8×10 Pinhole Cameras
Anita Chernewski
A really fun booklet and lenses. Out of print, may be back soon.
Primitive Photography: A Guide to Making Cameras, Lenses, and Calotypes
Alan Greene
The entire process from the beginning to end, at advanced level.
Pinhole Photography
Eric Renner
An inspiring book including ideas and techniques. Not for beginners.
Adventures With Pinhole and Home-Made Cameras: From Tin Cans to Precision Engineering
John Evans
A variety of approaches to pinhole with lots of examples of camera building and technical aspects of building your own.
The Beginner’s Guide to Pinhole Photography
Jim Shull
Back to basics, recommended for beginners.
Platinum & palladium
Image and Polaroid transfers, emulsion lifts and SX-70′s books
Polaroid Transfers: A Complete Visual Guide to Creating Image and Emulsion Transfers
Kathleen Thormod Carr
Everything you need to know about Polaroid transfers.
Polaroid Manipulations: A Complete Visual Guide to Creating SX-70, Transfer and Digital Prints
Kathleen Thormod Carr
Detailed hands-on instructions and step-by-step procedures.
Photographer’s Guide to Polaroid Transfer: Step-By-Step
Christopher Grey
Tutorials from the winner of the Nikon Certificate of Excellence.
Watercolor Portrait Photography: The Art of Polaroid SX-70 Manipulation
Helen T. Boursier
The art and techniques of SX-70s.
Spice up your photosNitsa Malik
Buy: Amazon.com
Creative photography techniques to put a spark in your photos.
Temperaprints
Making Monotypes Using a Gelatin Plate
Nancy Marculewicz, Francis S. Merritt
Includes a section on temperaprints.
Creative Sunprinting
Peter Fredrick
A cookbook of various processes. (Out of print)
Toning and handcolouring
The Master Photographer’s Toning Course: A Definitive Guide to Creative Toning Techniques
Tim Rudman
Full of vital details on toning.
Toning and Handcoloring Photographs
Tony Worobiec
More inspirational than techical.
After printing: craft, mounting, framing and image preservation
Mechanisms of Image Deterioration in Early Photographs
Mike Ware
Very well researched.
The Pocket Engineer, Volume 1
Carol Barton
How to Make Pop-Ups step-by-step. Read an excerpt.
The Pocket Engineer, Volume 2
Carol Barton
More Pop-Ups step-by-step.
History of alternative photographic processes
Seizing the Light: A History of Photography
Robert Hirsch
Brought to Light: Photography and the Invisible, 1840-1900
Scientific experimentation blend with stories of showmanship to reveal how developments in 19th-century technology could enlighten as well as frighten and amaze. Read a review.
Black & white photography and darkroom techniques
The Negative (Ansel Adams Photography, Book 2)
Ansel Adams
Devoted to a discussion of light, film and exposure.
Basic Techniques of Photography – Book 1
John P. Schaefer
Camera systems, lenses, films, film developing, printing, and color photography.
Basic Techniques of Photography – Book 2
John P. Schaefer
Guide to Ansel Adams’ brilliant Approach to creative photography.
Exploring Color Photography – From the Darkroom to the Digital Studio
Robert Hirsch
In-depth color theory and practical advice.
Artbooks – the art of alternative photography
Alternative Photography: Art and Artists, Edition I
115 artists working with alternative photographic processes. Or order from CreateSpace (best option) or order from Lulu. Read a review.
Sun Gardens: Victorian photograms
Anna Atkins
Reproduction. Anna Atkins was the first photographer to produce a book using photographic illustrations – in cyanotype. It was called British Algae, Cyanotype Impressions, which predates Talbot’s Pencil of Nature. Out of print – if you find a copy, grab it!
The Nature of the Beast
Alfons Alt
Winner of the European Publishers award for Photography (2000). ‘One-off’ prints, of animals.
Betty Hahn: Photography or Maybe Not
Photographs: Betty Hahn, text: Steve Yates, essays: David Haberstich and Dana Asbury
Incorporates alternative processes with other media.
Tintypes
Jayne Hinds Bidaut (Photographer), Eugenia Parry (Editor), B. Martin Pedersen (Editor)
Two distinct bodies of work in tintype: one of rare and exotic insects, the other of female nudes.
Life’s Evening Hour
Peter Devine, photographs by John Dugdale
Having lost 80% of his sight, Dugdale continues to use cyanotypes to explore indefinable areas of life.
Blue Prints: The Natural World in Cyanotype Photographs
Zeva Oelbaum
Fine art and an essay by Tracy Chevalier.
