There is the Guinness Book of Records and there is the Alternative Photographic Processes World of Records right here. Huge prints, long exposures… records are being set! Do “prove us wrong” if you have broken the record! This is most likely not a complete list, so if you have a record of your own please get in touch at talk@alternativephotography.com
This is how it stands at the end of 2024. Will you set a new record in 2025? Be sure to send it to us!
Artists are setting records, intentionally or not and here they are!
Alternative photographic processes records
- Longest exposure time: 13 months
- Largest area print: 22 square meters
- Longest print: 9 meters
- Largest wall print: 9 x 3 meters
- Longest negative: 7 meters
- Thinnest cyanotype: 9 gsm paper
- Largest anthotype database: 277 images
- Event with the most participants: 378
- Event with the most countries: 55
The ANTHOTYPES with the longest EXPOSURE TIME
1st place LONGEST EXPOSURE: 13 months for an anthotype
Anthotypes are known to be slow, usually taking hours, days or weeks to expose. Some artists have extraordinary patience and can wait for months! Francis Schanberger exposed an anthotype made from Black Walnut for World Anthotype Day 2024 and had the patience to wait 13 months. More info
2nd place LONGEST EXPOSURE: 10 months for an anthotype
Again, Francis Schanberger showed patience and exposed the anthotype from Black Walnut for 10 months for World Anthotype Day 2023. More info
3rd place LONGEST EXPOSURE: 8 months for an anthotype
Derpiochina Wilel exposed an anthotype made from Cinnamon for 8 months for World Anthotype Day 2024. More info
The LARGEST ALT. PROC. PHOTOS ever made
Many large prints have been made and we have a few contenders here. This is the largest we have found. Are there bigger ones? Let us know!
1st place by AREA: 125 square meters cyanotype
A 125-square-meter fabric (150 ft x 10 ft or 3 x 45 meters) was coated with cyanotype chemicals in 2017 by the Visual Arts Center of Richmond. The community came together and made the HUGE. This one will be hard to beat! See their Instagram: @visartsrva The community was invited and they laid down together for 7 minutes to expose the massive cyanotype. If you have Instagram, see the film here and when they coat here.
2nd place by AREA: 22 square meters cyanotype
This cyanotype measures 22 square metres – 10 meters by 2,2 meters. Maria Solaguren-Beascoa organized a cyanotype mural at the Experimental Foto Festival 2024. The cyanotype was made by 5 sheets tied together and made into a cyanotype collage totalling 10 meters by 2,2 meters.
1st place by LENGTH: 10.3 meters cyanotype
The longest cyanotype we have seen is made by Jackie Neale and measures 10.3 meters (34 feet)! The piece, titled “Wide Awakes”, was created on September 6, 2025, during the 20/20 Photo Festival in Philadelphia with a 10-minute exposure in the sun and clouds. Though Jackie planned the project for months, fabricated the open-eye stencils in advance, and had experience with site-specific cyanotypes, Jacquard generously donated the pre-coated fabric. Community members and volunteers from the festival collaborated on site, making the process as meaningful as the final artwork.
2nd place by LENGTH: 9 meters cyanotype
The second-longest cyanotype made as a photogram measures 9 meters by 1 meter. Lysiane Bourdon, Belgium, made a 9-meter-long cyanotype photogram of herself called “Blue Me” in 2018. She says:
The idea was not to make a record, but it’s fun and quite a challenge, especially with the self-portrait that I did. I was alone for everything, including making a small video. And it worked!
1st place: LARGEST WALL PRINT: 9 x 3 meters cyanotype
The largest alternative photographic process print made on a wall was 9 meters x 3 meters. It was made by coating the wall with cyanotype chemicals and using sunlight to expose it. It was made by @carloslalvayestrada and posted on Instagram @pica_pica_pica_pica_pica_pica in 2024, and invited and supported by @cultina.artlab and @campidarte.
“We exposed it three times to the Sardinian sun and then washed it with a hose.”
1st place: LARGEST ANTHOTYPE: 1.1 x 0.8 meters anthotype
This is what we believe is the world’s largest anthotype. Has anyone made a bigger one? This one is made from a huge amount of Cornflowers (Centaurea cyanus) and is 110×80 cm (that is 43.3 x 31.4 inches). It’s gorgeous too! Made by Dagmar van Weeghel.
The LARGEST NEGATIVES ever made
1st place by LENGTH: 7 meters long negative
The LONGEST NEGATIVE: 7 meters long negative (8-meter fabric) printed as a cyanotype. Frauk van Lierop made a 7 meters long printed negative on an 8-meter-long knitted fabric.
The THINNEST CYANOTYPE ever made
1st place:
The THINNEST CYANOTYPE: printed on 9 gsm paper
Printed on Tengusho Japonese Paper, which is literally paper thin and only 9 gsm.
The LONGEST developing time
1st place DEVELOPING TIME: 9 years
has a non-fixed, cameraless photograph 50x60cm FB Silver gelatin print on Ilford fiber base paper. It has been developing since February 2016 – the image is still “developing” in a dark place inside a box (February 2025), 9 years later.
“The paper was absolutely white when Itook it out of the chemicals. After a week, it began to “develop”, in white light. I decided not to fix it and see when the image stops.”
The LARGEST database of ANTHOTYPES
1st place LARGEST DATABASE: 277
In the largest database of anthotypes there are 277 unique anthotype emulsions. The anthotype database at AlterantivePhotography.com now contains 103 anthotype prints from 2022, 139 from 2023 and 134 from 2024. Combining the entries from 2022, 2023 and 2024 there are over 277 unique emulsions (240 from individual plants and 37 from mixes of several plants) made by 272 artists from 44 countries. They are all well-documented and ready to be used by others. This is the largest anthotype database in the world – thanks to all the artists who have contributed during these three years. More info
1st place MOST PARTICIPANTS: 378
The alternative photography event with most participants taking part was on World Cyanotype Day 2024 when 378 artists took part at AlternativePhotography.com. There may be some larger ones out there, do let us know! But for now, 378 artists took part in World Cyanotype Day 2024, and that is just counting participants here on AlternativePhotography.com. There were even more artists taking part at WorldCyanotypeDay.com and around the world. Watch the movie!
1st place MOST COUNTRIES represented: 55
Artists from 55 countries took part in World Cyanotype Day 2024 at www.AlternativePhotography.com. We believe we broke the record on World Cyanotype Day 2024 when artists from 55 countries took part here on AlternativePhotography.com. The true number is most likely larger with events happening on WorldCyanotypeDay.com and around the world.
Pinhole and Solargraph records
- Largest pinhole: 107.5 x 37.5 feet / 9.58 x 32.74 meters
- Event with most countries: 78
- Event with the most participants: 3865
- Longest exposure: 8 years 1 month
The LARGEST PINHOLE photograph ever made
1st place LARGEST SIZE: 107.5 x 37.5 feet / 9.58 x 32.74 meters.
In 2007 a pinhole photograph three stories high and eleven stories long was made by The Legacy Project in California, USA. Being the largest sized pinhole print it made the Guinness Book of Records, measuring 107.5′ long by 37.5′ high. That is 9.58 x 32.74 meters. More info here
1st place LONGEST EXPOSURE: 8 years 1 month
A pinhole camera was set up in 2012 to take a Solargraph and was found again in 2020.
“Eight years one month. That’s how long a beer can pinhole camera spent capturing this solargraph at the University of Hertfordshire’s Bayfordbury Observatory. Featuring 2,953 light trails of the sun’s movement, the image is thought to be the longest exposure photograph in existence.” Source:
www.thisiscolossal.com/
2nd place LONGEST EXPOSURE: 5 years 3 months
A 1932-day exposure was made between January 1st 2019, and April 15th 2024. That’s 5 years, 3 months and 15 days since installation. Ian looked for it some time, but after a few year,s it was found at Tunnel Beach near Sooke BC, Canada.
“It was likely only above ground on the stump for a short time judging by the slim band of sunpaths. There’s also some squiggly red lines that could be the camera moving in the wind, or floating around in the ocean before settling underground. Pretty sure the hot spot on the left is looking out the hole in the rocks towards the sky.”
There’s more red squiggly sunpaths near the hole and what looks to be the underside of plants and foliage. Record by @ianbeerphoto
1st place MOST COUNTRIES: 78
The pinhole event, in which most countries took part, took place in 2016. Pinholeday had images from 78 countries in 2016. See www.pinholeday.org
1st place MOST PARTICIPANTS: 3865
The pinole event with the most participants taking part was in 2012. 3865 different pinhole photographers loaded their images onto the www.pinholeday.org website on April 29th 2012. See www.pinholeday.org
Have you broken a record? Please let us know and we will post it!
World Anthotype Day
World Cyanotype Day