It’s hard to believe, but AlternativePhotography.com is celebrating 25 years! What started as a small online resource has grown into a thriving community of artists, experimenters, and lovers of alternative photographic processes. Our story is still being written, but here is how it started.
To mark this milestone, we’re releasing Alternative Photography: Art & Artists, Edition 2! This much-anticipated book showcases the work of 137 artists, featuring everything from cyanotypes and bromoil prints to platinum/palladium and wet plate photography. It’s a tribute to the incredible creativity in alternative processes – and a celebration of the artists keeping these techniques alive.
A Huge Thank You!
This journey wouldn’t have been possible without the generosity of our Supporting Members, who help keep AlternativePhotography.com running. Your support allows us to share knowledge, publish how-to guides, and showcase incredible artists. Not a member yet? Join us and help keep alternative photography thriving! As a Supporting Member, you are invited to take part in special events and have the chance to be featured in future projects.
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To celebrate, we’re also running a special giveaway! Subscribe to our newsletter for a chance to win books, magazine subscriptions, and other fantastic prizes. Check out the prizes here!
Thank you for being part of 25 years of inspiration, learning, and creativity!
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Learn more about the book
The story of AlternativePhotography.com – timeline
1997: Malin Fabbri discovers cyanotype during her MA at Central St. Martin’s School of Design in London and chooses it as the topic for her thesis.
1997–1999: Research into cyanotypes and alternative photography processes begins. Malin connects with artists online via email lists and slow modems.
April 8, 2000: Malin publishes her thesis online by registering www.Cyanotypes.com. It becomes a place to share essays, artist contributions, and process guides.
November 22, 2000: The domain www.AlternativePhotography.com is registered to reflect a broader range of processes beyond cyanotypes.
October 2002: The site grows to feature 50 artists and becomes a hub for resources, community, and knowledge-sharing in alternative photography.
2005–2008: Exploration of non-toxic processes, especially anthotypes.
2006: Publication of Blueprint to Cyanotypes and Art and Artists: Edition 1 featuring 115 artists.
2009: Launch of the Facebook group “Alternative Photographic Processes” after closing chat forums. The group now has over 64,000 members (as of April 2025).
2009–2013: Annual calendar events are held, featuring community-submitted images. The event pauses in 2014 due to the loss of a printing partner.
2012: Publication of Anthotypes – Explore the Darkroom in Your Garden, focusing on plant-based image-making.
2020: Launch of Instagram account @alternativephotography_com during the pandemic. Now with over 13,000 followers.
2020: Online support begins for World Cyanotype Day with galleries and social coverage.
2022: Launch of World Anthotype Day with global participation and an online emulsion database.
2022–2024: Annual anthotype research compiled into Anthotype Emulsions Volume 1, Volume 2 and Volume 3.
2022: Calendar and journal revival with the theme “A Tribute to Anna Atkins.”
2023: Event theme “Composites” inspires the 2024 calendar, journal and a book, Pure Inspiration, Volume 1.
2025: Calendar theme announced as “A Tribute to Sir John Herschel.”
8th of April 2025: Our 25th anniversary is celebrated with the publication of Art and Artists, Edition 2, featuring 137 artists.
Today (2025):
- Website features 900+ how-to articles and over 400 featured artists.
- Operates as a non-profit run by volunteers.
- Hosts regular events and maintains a mission: “As much as possible, for as little as possible, to as many as possible.”
Ongoing:
- Continued artist features, new publications, and community events planned.
- Donations and memberships support free access to resources.
- Join at www.AlternativePhotography.com/become-a-member
The story of AlternativePhotography.com – long version
A quarter of a century – 25 years – has passed since our organisation began. In fact, it’s been a little longer, as www.AlternativePhotography.com started its journey back in the 1990s. Many things in life happen by coincidence, and the story of how www.AlternativePhotography.com began is one of those “sliding doors” moments.
At the time, 1997, I, Malin Fabbri, was living in London and had enrolled in a Master of Arts program at Central St. Martin’s School of Design. One weekend, I visited an exhibition. I can’t remember the gallery or the artist, but I’ll never forget seeing my first cyanotype. I was captivated by its handmade quality – the brushstrokes of chemicals, the vibrant blue, and the painterly effect of the print. I didn’t know what alternative photographic processes were, and I had never heard of cyanotypes before, but in that moment I found the topic for my master’s thesis.
I decided to focus on cyanotypes and alternative photography. Over the next two years, I researched how alternative photographic images – mainly cyanotypes – were perceived compared to standard darkroom and digital photography. That’s when I discovered and fell in love with the versatility and artistic expression of alternative photographic processes.
Many hours of diligent research followed. It was challenging but also fun and rewarding. Back then, finding written material on the subject was not easy. I uncovered a few rare art books in the London Printing Library, including an amazing copy of Anna Atkins’ cyanotype book. While textbooks explained the chemical process, I wanted to explore the artistic potential of these techniques. To do that, I needed to talk to artists.
Thanks to the internet – although slow and clunky at the time – I connected with a small number of artists. Some even had websites showcasing their work, which was pretty rare at the time. The internet was so basic back then that people debated whether images should even be allowed online because they bogged everything down. Kind of hard to imagine today when we even stream movies! Every one of the artists I reached out to was incredibly enthusiastic. They shared information, answered questions, and shared their own notes and research. Just to put it in perspective: back then, we used really slow modems that beeped as they dialled up to connect to the internet, and it often disconnected, and everything came to a standstill. Communication was via “email lists,” a kind of group email conversation. The enthusiasm of these artists kept me going for the two years I worked on this project.
Two years went by, and in 1999, I completed my thesis and wanted to share it with the artists who had collaborated with me. However, as a student with little money, printing and mailing copies was too expensive. I felt devastated at the thought of putting the results in the loft to gather dust. I had worked hard on collecting all the information including some that was hard to get hold of. I wanted to give back and share it with others – as people had shared their work with me. I decided to share it online. On April 8, 2000, I bought the domain www.Cyanotypes.com and published my thesis there. Soon after, one of the artists I had worked with emailed me, asking if I could publish his essay on the website. I did so without hesitation, and others started reaching out to share their cyanotypes. The site grew steadily, with more artists, essays, and how-to tips being published regularly.
As my interest expanded, I discovered there was more to life than cyanotypes, and the name www.Cyanotypes.com became limiting. On November 22, 2000, I registered the domain www.AlternativePhotography.com, and the platform became a hub for alternative photographic processes.
I never imagined it would take off as it did. By October 2002, the site featured 50 artists and included a wealth of resources like instructional articles, essays, and tips for finding chemicals and supplies. Despite the clunky internet of the time, it became a knowledge bank, learning resource and community for artists and enthusiasts. It grew organically through word of mouth as artists shared it with one another, and teachers introduced it to their students.
“I am so proud of you for all you have done to promote alternative photography over the years!”
Today, www.AlternativePhotography.com focuses on historical photographic methods still in use. That means mixing emulsions and coating substrates such as paper, fabrics, glass or metal plates by hand. The goal is to help people learn, get inspired, and connect. Over the years, expenses grew alongside the site, but thanks to donations and supporting members, we’ve managed to keep it going. This has always been a non-profit organisation, and we’re deeply grateful for the support from our community.
The years of research into cyanotypes were the start of a long, explorative journey, and in 2006, they were channelled into a book Blueprint to Cyanotypes. The book received fantastic feedback and inspired many to explore alternative processes. This sparked a new idea, and an inspirational coffee table book was drafted. The purpose of the first edition of Alternative Photography: Art and Artists was simply to urge people to try something new and the first edition was published in 2006. Featuring 115 artists, it aimed to inspire. At this point, analogue photography had not yet been buried by the onslaught of digital cameras; film was still abundant, and darkrooms were still open and for hire. In 2009, the book From Pinhole to Print was published to give artists a quick start in making pinhole cameras. Pinholing is a fun and unpredictable way of making images, full of surprises.
After 9 years of working with fighting spam in the chat forums on the website, we closed them and shifted the “group sharing” to Facebook. In April 2009 we started the Facebook group ‘Alternative Photographic Processes’. The group grew steadily and over the years the member contributions and discussions have shaped the group into a vast knowledge resource. It now (April 2025) has over 64,000 members. Moderators work tirelessly to keep discussions engaging and free from trolls and spam. Without them, it would not be possible.
To strengthen connections within the growing community, a calendar event was launched. Artists submitted images created with alternative photographic processes, and the community voted to select 12 winners for the 2010 calendar. The event ran annually for four years – 2011, 2012, and 2013 – until we lost our printing partner. Unable to find an affordable replacement, the event was paused for what turned out to be a decade.
In 2005, my first son, Maximillian, was born. During the years of pregnancy, breastfeeding, and welcoming my second son, Ruben, in 2008, I searched for a non-toxic photographic process to work with. My previous research into cyanotypes led me to the life and discoveries of Sir John Herschel, who not only invented the cyanotype but also processes like the anthotype and chrysotype. It is hard not to get curious about these wonderful processes, and especially the anthotype struck my heart. I am a restless person, and I was particularly drawn to anthotypes, a process that uses plant pigments to create images. Its endless possibilities, with hundreds of thousands of plants to experiment with, never ‘gets old’. This journey culminated in the publication of Anthotypes – Explore the Darkroom in Your Garden and Make Photographs Using Plants in 2012.
We were latecomers to the Instagram party, but when COVID struck, we were looking for new ways to support the community. In the summer of 2020, we launched our account, @alternativephotography_com. It has been steadily growing and currently has over 13,000 followers.
“AlternativePhotography.com offers so many venues that I strongly urge photographers interested in working with printing processes to become a member. It provides a home for those of us working with historical processes.”
In 2020, we began supporting World Cyanotype Day with online galleries and social media coverage. Celebrated on the last Saturday in September, this event brings together a global community of artists passionate about cyanotypes. Founded in 2015 by the Shootapalooza collective and led by the late Judy Sherrod, it started around a kitchen table and grew into a worldwide celebration encouraging participants to create cyanotype flags. Now coordinated by Dennis Waltrip, it continues to thrive, with a dedicated Facebook group. Join at worldcyanotypeday.com or their Facebook group and “make something blue with a friend you haven’t met yet!”
By this time, several dedicated days celebrated various photographic processes, including World Cyanotype Day, World Pinhole Day, World Wetplate Day, and Daguerreotype Day. It felt only fair to create a special day for the anthotype as well. In 2022, we launched World Anthotype Day to honour the art of making images with plant-based emulsions and sunlight. Unlike other days, it has no set theme but a clear mission: to expand the database of plants and pigments that can be used to make anthotypes. Participants worldwide collect local plants, create emulsions, coat paper, and expose prints in the sun. They then share their research notes and results, contributing to a free, growing online emulsion database. World Anthotype Day continues to thrive as a collaborative effort supported by volunteers and the creative community. To participate, visit www.AlternativePhotography.com/world-anthotype-day and “discover the beauty of making images with nature!” The collaborative findings have also been compiled into reference books: Anthotype Emulsions – The Collective Research from Photographers on World Anthotype Day, with Volume 1 released in 2022, Volume 2 in 2023 and Volume 3 in 2024.
In 2022, we decided to revive our calendar event and sought a meaningful theme. Sir John Herschel, a friend of the Atkins family, introduced Anna Atkins to cyanotypes in the 1840s. As a botanist, Atkins embraced the process, finding it a more accurate and time-saving way to document plants compared to drawing. She is considered the first person to publish a book illustrated with photographic images, and we wanted to highlight her achievements. Her prints of British algae and other plants are both delicate and beautiful. The theme, “A Tribute to Anna Atkins,” got over 100 artists going, creating images in Anna Atkins’ honour. The resulting 2023 calendar and journal were also published as undated versions.
The 2023 event theme was more experimental: creating composites by combining techniques, processes, and ideas into something entirely new. This pushed artists to stretch the boundaries of creativity – merging processes, reassembling materials, and mixing media. The stunning results inspired the 2024 calendar and journal, and we compiled the work into a book, Pure Inspiration, Volume 1 – Composites. As the title suggests, this series may continue in the future. The theme for the 2025 event is “A Tribute to Sir John Herschel.”
On the 8th of April our 25th anniversary is celebrated with the publication of Alternative Photography: Art and Artists, Edition 2. The long-awaited book, featuring 137 artists, a handful of whom were in edition 1 back in 2006.
Many individuals and groups generously share their knowledge and expertise. However, running a learning resource is not always rainbows and unicorns. Over the years, we have also faced challenges, including content theft by others claiming to be “curators”, pawning content off as their own and selling it in their courses and books. However, the majority of our community is generous, supportive, and committed to learning and sharing.
Today, www.AlternativePhotography.com features over 900 how-to articles, highlights the work of 400 artists, and hosts regular events. Operated entirely by volunteers, it remains a non-profit organisation dedicated to providing free access to educational resources. The platform showcases artists’ works to spark creativity and fosters opportunities for photographers to connect and share knowledge. Its guiding philosophy captures this mission: “As much as possible, for as little as possible, to as many as possible.”
Looking ahead, we aim to feature more artists, organize new events, and publish more resources. To everyone who has been part of the journey, thank you for making www.AlternativePhotography.com a vibrant and inspiring community. Your support ensures this resource remains free and accessible to all and enables its growth.
This independent learning resource relies on the generosity of its members to keep the lights on. We don’t charge for access to learning materials, and we don’t get paid. We do this because we love doing it. Our goal is to keep it hands-on, fun, and inspiring, and to make it easier for photographers to connect with each other. If you appreciate what we offer, we would be grateful for your support. Please consider helping with the running costs by making a donation or becoming a Supporting Member. Apart from supporting the learning resource, you will also be invited to take part in our members-only events and have the opportunity to join the galleries at www.AlternativePhotography.com.
Join us at www.AlternativePhotography.com/become-a-member
Thank you!
World Anthotype Day
World Cyanotype Day