Miscellaneous processes – AlternativePhotography.com

Eco-printing: How to Print with Leaves, Rust, and Heat

Eco-printing is not generally defined as an alternative photographic process, but a closely related printing technique. it shares the same spirit of experimentation, natural materials, and handcrafted image-making. It also combines beautifully with processes such as anthotypes, which is why we want to share it. Yulia Kapustynska shares her eco-printing process. Writer and photography / Yulia Kapustynska Eco-printing creates images through direct contact between plants, metal, paper, heat, and time. … Read more

The final vertotype print with subtle tones.

Vertotypes – Eco-printing, based on cyanotypes

During a residency at The Sustainable Darkroom, Pedro Mendes Leal learned Vertotype – a technique discovered by Jonathan Bradley, similar to cyanotype, but developed with greater environmental awareness. Since then, he has been experimenting with and refining the process and shares what he has learned. Writer and photography / Pedro Mendes Leal Read the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) before attempting to use chemicals and use the correct safety equipment. … Read more

FerroBlend: A Blended Ferrocyanide Printing Process

An introduction to FerroBlend for the experienced alternative photographic artist. FerroBlend’s inventor Raghavendra Udupa (also known as Raghu Kuvempunagar on online forums) shares the process, which is a recent iron-based alternative photographic process that blends cyanotype and cuprotype chemistries to produce expressive duo-tone prints, extending the creative range of non-silver image-making. Writer / Raghavendra Udupa Photography / Raghavendra Udupa, Sabir Ahmed, Debanjan Dasgupta, Ramesh Adkoli, Rajkumar Krishna WARNING: This is … Read more

Sustainable Plant Proteins as a Less-toxic Alternative to the Gum-bichromate Process

The ferric-lupin process was developed by Peter Friedrichsen and to some extent the naming follows the convention of gum bichromate (the sensitizer and colloid form part of the name) but instead, utilizing a sustainable plant-based protein. It can be hardened in several ways, here Peter follows the less toxic CHIBA system. Writer and photography / Peter Friedrichsen In this article, I am going to explain how one can use plant … Read more

Doretypes – an overview

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

CarbroGel example print. Mission Door, San Antonio, Tx by Paul A. Lehman. 8"x9". Negative 1975. Print 1999.

Novel Experimental Approaches for Making Pigment Prints

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

Working Process for Cuprotypes

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

Günther Wilhelm

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

Anonymous 19-7, 2022, Lexy Liangzi Xiao, chromoskedasic drawing with the recipe 1 on the FB warmtone paper

Self-made activator and stabilizer for Chromoskedasic painting

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

Cuprotype history from 1850s until present

A Cuprotype is a photographic print of Copper II Ferrocyanide on paper or fabric. Jim Patterson gives us a history of the Cuprotype process. Writer / Jim Patterson with help from Niranjan Patel, Peter Friedrichsen, Frank Gorga, and Alberto Novo Photography / Jim Patterson, Peter Friedrichsen, Alberto Novo, Niranjan Patel and Frank Gorga A Cuprotype is a photographic print of Copper II Ferrocyanide on paper or fabric. Cuprum = copper … Read more

Porphyrography – no darkroom required

Writer and photography / James Tanguay Porphyrography is a long exposure dry plate process that uses a lensed camera and novel iron-based chemistry to make direct positive transparent images on glass plates. Porphyrography is often attractive to students because of its relatively simple technique and its use of inexpensive chemicals. Perhaps its most appealing aspect, however, is that it does not require a darkroom. The light-sensitive iron salt used in … Read more

Making large format negatives with X-ray film

Scott Wittenburg shares his experience of working with large format x-ray film photography and how he uses them as an inexpensive and fun way to create large-format negatives. Writer and photography / Scott Wittenburg I began my X-ray film experience after building a homemade 11×14 view camera from scratch several years ago. Having finished construction, I started looking for traditional 11×14 black and white sheet film online so I could … Read more

Handpainted negative process by Ronni Mae Knepp

Watercolor painted negatives process

Writer and photography / Ronni Mae Knepp Ronni Mae Knepp paints her negatives to create a mix between photography and painting. She shares here Painted Negative process here. The Watercolor painted negative process My process is pretty straight forward. I shoot 4×5 Black and White Ilford HP5 film and develop the sheet film. I use a flat lightbox and place a sheet of clear transparency over it to protect the … Read more

The Sury process – an essay

Writer and photography / Simone Simoncini Simone Simoncini is looking for a way for the surface of her paintings to accept more pigments and re-discovers the Sury process. A few months ago, I started finger painting with pastels on some scrap palladium and gum prints I had made. I found it difficult to get a decent amount of pigment where I wanted it to be unless I sprayed with a … Read more

Preparation & use for Siderotypes: Cyanotype, Vandyke Brown, Argyrotype, Ziatype, and the silver halide process of B&W silver gelatin v.1.5

The Special Edition Art Project was created to afford photographers and artists practical access to the creation of wet-processed photographic prints. This photographic processes user guide focusses instruction on classic B&W silver gelatin printmaking as well as the historic light-sensitive iron based Siderotypes processes of Cyanotype (iron), Vandyke Brownprint, aka VDB, (silver / gold), Argyrotype (silver / gold), and Ziatype (palladium / gold / tungsten / platinum). Writer and photography / … Read more

Hand colored photograph by Holly Roberts

Handcoloring using water, oil or chalk as a base

A chapter from Laura Blacklow’s book New Dimensions in Photo Processes on how to handcolor photographs. The chapter is instructions on hand coloring using water-based methods, oil-based method and chalk-based methods. Writer / Laura Blacklow Photography / Holly Roberts, Erica Daborn, Laura Blacklow and Gabriel Garcia Román Hand coloring is a means by which you can add color to a photograph, photographic printing technique in this book, or digital print and … Read more

Figure 2. Lippmann photograph by Neuhauss, recorded in 1899 (Collection: Royal Photographic Society)

Lippmann Colour Photography

1891 Gabriel Lippmann – an inventor and physicist from Luxembourg – invented a process for recording colour photographs. The result is beautiful colour photographs with high resolution. Professor Hans I. Bjelkhagen shares with us how it works. Writer and photography / Dr. Hans I. Bjelkhagen Few photographers today are familiar with the name Gabriel Lippmann (1845-1921), even fewer have seen a Lippmann colour photograph. Lippmann was awarded the 1908 Nobel … Read more

Jill Enfield’s Guide to Photographic Alternative Processes: Popular Historical and Contemporary Techniques

Ceramics and photography – a beginning

Many alternative photographic processes can be used to print on ceramics and clay. In this excerpt from “Jill Enfield’s Guide to Photographic Alternative Processes”, Jill shows us how to print Pyrofoto, Laser Transfers, Gum bichromates, Cyanotypes, Silkscreen PhotoEZ and Phototransfer onto different surfaces.

The physautotype process

The physautotype is produced using lavender dissolved in alcohol. When it was invented in 1832 by Niépce and Daguerre the emulsion was then applied to a silver plate and exposed in a camera obscura. It can also be done today.

Shooting With X-Rays

An X-ray is like a picture, except the fact that it uses the infamous x-rays instead of visible light. Another difference is that in photography we usually capture the light that is reflected by objects, while in x-ray capture the rays pass through the objects, more precisely our body. But if it were an analogue camera?

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