Ray Harris gives an overview of the cyanotype process and his interpretation of blues and shares his cyanotype process. Writer and photography / Ray Harris Anna Atkins was born on 16 March 1799 and produced the first book to include ‘photographs’ which were in fact, cyanotypes. This post goes into more detail on making cyanotypes at home. The process, in its simplest form, is to mix two chemicals to produce … Read more
by Malin Fabbri The second book in the series from World Anthotype Day Anthotype Emulsions, Volume 2 – The collective research from photographers on World Anthotype Day 2023. $14.00 Download eBook (PDF) directly. $22.00 Buy eBook (PDF for Kindle) from Amazon Kindle. Buy from Amazon.com Kindle More marketplaces: UK Germany France Spain Italy Netherlands Japan Brazil Canada Australia India $22.00 Best paperback option. Buy from Lulu ($22 / €22 / … Read more
Clive Pigott tries out Annette Golaz’s recipe for toning cyanotypes with avocado. The original recipe can be found in Annette Golaz’s book Cyanotype Toning alongside many other recipes. Writer and photography / Clive Pigott I was first introduced to alternative and historical printing techniques back in the early 90’s, when I was in my late 20’s. I had picked up an anniversary copy of the British Journal of Photography which … Read more
by Ana Solo Buy the book here – published by Ana Solo Forgotten Sounds – A Journey of Sustainable Art with Anthotypes and Sonic Exploration is a cross between an artist’s book and a short reference book where Ana Solo shows her art and talks about her process. $7.00 Download eBook (PDF) In which format is the eBook? eBook: The eBook is in PDF format. What is included? … Read more
Sergio Devecchi, a member of the Namias group in Italy, has worked with alternative printing processes since the 80s. Sergio finds mysterious yellow stains on his prints. He investigates the problem thoroughly, experiments and comes up with a solution. Writer and photography / Sergio Devecchi Some days ago I removed a photo print from the frame, both the glass and the Passepartout are acid-free material from the 90s and surprisingly … Read more
The doretype is a photographic printing and finishing process that held the interest of many photographers during the heyday of dry glass plate photography from near the end of the 19th century until it’s general use petered out about 1940. Clayton Harley gives us an overview. Writer and photography / Clayton Harley The doretype is a photographic printing and finishing process that was popular during the heyday of dry glass … Read more
Trying to find relevant sources of information for the surface relief properties of gelatin, Paul A. Lehman finds an unusual source to find answers: The patent archives. He shares his findings here. Each patent provides detailed information on emulsion ingredients, preparation and processes, which can be reproduced in a suitable home darkroom laboratory. Writer and photography / Paul A. Lehman Color and Gelatin Relief Emulsions U.S. Patents Issued to Michele … Read more
Peter J. Blackburn begins a two-part informal “white paper” discussing synthetic sizing while reviewing two papers that use sizing and one that doesn’t! Writer and photography / Peter J. Blackburn Once again, the time has come to write about some wonderful watercolor papers currently available, which I find to work quite well for gum and casein bichromate printing. Those who have read my introductory gum printing articles know that applying … Read more
Simone Simoncini and Kees Brandenburg explore a new non-toxic method for pigment polymer printing. as an alternative to using the toxic dichromates. Writer and photography / Simone Simoncini and Kees Brandenburg Our motive In this article, we share the results we have obtained with a new emulsion for pigment printing to be used as a serious alternative to dichromates. It shows very interesting features in terms of stability, shelf life, … Read more
After struggling with making Carbon Prints in the late 1990s, Paul A. Lehman explored alternative approaches to making pigment prints. Writer and photography / Paul A Lehman, MSc. It is well recognized that the Carbon Print is considered by most as the quintessential historic pigment process. However, the process of making a carbon print is challenging and requires skill and patience. I struggled through this process in the late … Read more
Pinhole Day is coming up soon! On the third Sunday in April – this year the 30th of April, the Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day 2023 is taking place. We would like to support this day with a FREE BOOK offer – all you pay for is postage. The offer is limited since we only have 25 14 books currently in stock and only for our Supporting Members. You can read more … Read more
Have we not all dreamed about packing up, installing a portable lab and taking off? Richard E. Baker actually does it. Follow this series of his 3,000-mile-long road trip across the USA where he will be making kallitypes in his portable lab in his car. Writer and photography / Richard E. Baker Links to all the chapters in the Kallitype Roadtrip: Kallitypes roadtrip #1 – Preparation for the 4 week … Read more
The cuprotype is a process that uses similar chemistry to a cyanotype and a relatively forgiving, inexpensive and flexible process. Frank Gorga shares his working method for cuprotype. Writer and photography / Frank Gorga Background of cuprotypes Copper-based images (cuprotypes) were first described by Burnett in the 1850s. The process was modified/refined by Obernetter in the 1860s. However, the process was never particularly popular and sat more-or-less dormant for roughly … Read more
Apart from being a brilliant scientist and botanist, Anna Atkins was also an artist. She created numerous prints from plants, lace and feather arrangements. This is how you can print your own cyanotypes in Anna Atkins’ style. We have done research, but not managed to find out a lot on paper or oils used, so if you possess ANY knowledge at all in terms of which paper or oil was … Read more
by Malin Fabbri Buy the cyanotype notebook here – published by AlternativePhotography.com This notebook contains pre-defined pages with enough room to document 50 cyanotypes that will help you narrow down a universe of options to the perfect combination. $00.00 Download printable eBook (PDF) directly. Free for Supporting Members – become a member and email talk@alternativephotography.com. If you are already a member, email us and we’ll send it! $8.00 Download … Read more
by Calvin Grier If you have worked in the Gum bichromate process for some time and want to take it to the next level, this book could be for you. Buy “Technical Guide to Gum Printing” directly from Calvin Grier $49.95 for eBook – download direct. Why buy it here? When you choose the option to buy directly from the author, the book is shipped by the author … Read more
Günther Wilhelm has been working with historical photographic techniques for 20+ years. He shares his gum bichromates here but also works in a range of other processes such as cyanotype, salt, albumen and kallitype. From: Ludwigshafen am Rhein, Germany. Shows: Albumens, Cuprotypes and Gum bichromates. Günther Wilhelm, visual artist from Ludwigshafen on the Rhine, has been working with historical photographic techniques, the so-called “Edeldrucke”, which involve transferring a photography on … Read more
White spots have become an ever-increasing issue when making Bromoil prints, and this is not limited to one paper manufacturer. This is how you solve it. Writer and photography / Dave Symonds FRPS EFIAP Papers used for bromoil: Foma 112 & 113 & Other Papers The problem seems to have increased over recent years and is not limited to one manufacturer. For example, older manufactured papers worked fine with the … Read more
For several years now, Jennifer Booher has been making double-exposure cyanotype photograms of disposable plastic shopping bags. She calls the series “Extinction” and it began after her town banned plastic bags as a tongue-in-cheek typology imagining these bags as an endangered species. Writer and photography / Jennifer Steen Booher The process is pretty straightforward – I layer a plastic bag over a sheet of cyanotype paper on a hard board, … Read more
Lexy Xiao finds a way to get around the expensive shipping costs of chemicals necessary for Chromoskedasic painting. She shares her process on how to prepare her own here. Writer and photography / Lexy Liangzi Xiao | 肖靓子 WARNING: This is for experienced and advanced users only. Read the safety sheets before attempting to use chemicals and use the correct safety equipment. Hazardous chemicals are used. A little history and … Read more