Pure inspiration volume 2 and typewriter

Pure Inspiration, volume 2: Colour – Got yours yet?

Discover how 140+ artists bring colour to traditionally monochrome processes. This book explores pigments, chemistry, layering, and experimentation through real working examples. From anthotypes and cyanotypes to hand-coloured, gum bichromates, and hybrids, each print includes insights into methods and creative choices. A rich source of both inspiration and practical learning.   Pure Inspiration #2: Colour “Both the Pure Inspiration books are must-haves at the very least in digital form, not … Read more

The idea was born during the experiments later published in the volume PURE INSPIRATION #1 of Alternative Photography.

Pure Inspiration books

Pure Inspiration emerged unexpectedly from our Calendar & Journal event. The idea stemmed from a desire to preserve the beauty of entries beyond the year’s end. The theme, Composites, encouraged experimentation, resulting in stunning artworks that blended multiple techniques that seemed to spark creativity. Whether you’re a seasoned artist or a newcomer, this book will inspire you to explore alternative photography and unleash your own creativity.   Pure Inspiration #2: … Read more

Daybook, Caroline Roberts, 2025

Cyanotype Layering: Chemigraphs Followed by Contact Prints. Part 5

In part 5 of our cyanotype series, Caroline Roberts takes the chemigraph process one step further by layering traditional contact prints over chemigraphs. Building on earlier experiments with chemical ratios, additives, and transparency exposures, she explores how combining two exposures on a single sheet can create complex, textured images. Roberts shares her detailed workflow – from soaking and coating to re-exposing and managing contrast – and discusses common pitfalls such … Read more

Test pieces - top line with sodium carbonate, bottom line with salt. The pieces on the left were exposed wet, the pieces on the right were dried before exposure. NB there is some cross-contamination in the wet pieces!

Combining Cyanotypes, Chemigraphs and Transparencies. Part 4

In part 4 of our cyanotype series, Caroline Roberts continues her exploration of chemigraphs – abstract cyanotypes created through chemical reactions – by combining them with transparencies. Building on her previous articles, she experiments with how different drying and exposure methods affect the final image. Roberts compares results from outdoor and UV-unit exposures, revealing surprising variations in tone, blending, and contrast. Through detailed testing, she discovers that dried chemigraphs paired … Read more

Salt after exposing

Introducing Chemigraphs: Abstract Cyanotypes with Added Chemistry. Part 3

In the first two parts of this series, we explored how dilution, exposure time, and moisture can dramatically shift the tonal and colour range of cyanotypes. In this third instalment, Caroline Roberts pushes further by introducing everyday household chemicals into the mix – salt, alcohol, washing soda – each creating unpredictable, expressive effects. What began as an attempt to “address the blue” evolved into a new way of working, where … Read more

Rock #55 - a very dilute solution was used to coat the paper, the rocks were placed, and then more concentrated solution was added around two of the rocks

Working Wet: Techniques and Effects in Super-Wet Cyanotypes. Part 2

In part 2 of our cyanotype series, Caroline Roberts explores the “super-wet” technique – a variation where paper is soaked before coating, unlocking a vibrant spectrum of unexpected tones. Originally developed to cope with hot Texas weather, this method opens up creative possibilities for photograms, unconventional coating methods, and dramatic colour shifts. In this 5-part experimental cyanotype series, Caroline Roberts explores how variations in dilution, exposure, and moisture can expand the … Read more

Fabric tests

Going Beyond Blue to Explore Cyanotype Variables: Dilution, Exposure, and Moisture. Part 1

Want to go deep into experimental cyanotypes? In the first part of a 5-part series, Caroline Roberts shares her cyanotype research and how changes in chemical dilution and mixing ratios affect the tone and colour. Sharing the methods, discoveries, and visual results from her tests. In this experimental cyanotype series, Caroline Roberts explores how variations in dilution, exposure, and moisture can expand the creative potential of cyanotypes. Based on her … Read more

Cover image by Libby Mournement

Sir John Herschel tribute journal

The Sir John Herschel tribute journal is a daily planner and contains both pre-defined pages and blank pages for you to plan your year. The templates are there to help you focus on your art projects as well as get a balance with work, home and everything else that happens in life. The journal is a tribute to Herschel, who gave us many of our beloved alt. processes such as … Read more

Outside the Harry Ransom Center

In the Footsteps of Herschel: A Cyanotype Artist’s Journey into the Archives

Thought about visiting the Herschel Family Archives at the Harry Ransom Center? Through the lens of her own experimental cyanotype practice, Caroline Roberts explores Sir John Herschel’s original lab notes, anthotype test pieces, and poetic observations, drawing powerful connections between a 19th-century pioneer and a contemporary artist devoted to process, discovery, and wonder. Writer and photography / Caroline Roberts In June 2022, I visited the Herschel Family Papers, stored at … Read more

Anthotype Emulsions, Volume 3 - The collective research from artists on World Anthotype Day 2024

Anthotype Emulsions, Volume 3

by Malin Fabbri Can you really use black beans to print a photograph? What about moss or mushrooms? Discover the anthotype process and follow artists who explore plants or pigments to create colourful eco-friendly prints.   The third book in the series from World Anthotype Day Anthotype Emulsions, Volume 3 – The collective research from photographers on World Anthotype Day 2024. $18.00 Download eBook (PDF) directly. $28.00 Best paperback option. … Read more

Caroline Roberts Cyanotype

Caroline Roberts

Caroline Roberts explores the relationship between people and nature through camera-less processes. Her work, marked by chaos and control, reflects climate grief and wonder. With a background in Chemical Engineering and an MFA in Painting, she exhibits internationally and manages a riparian forest in Texas. From: Houston, Texas, United States Shows: Chemigrams, Cyanolumens Caroline Roberts explores the uneasy relationship between people and the wildness of the rat world. She thinks … Read more