Elizabeth Graves Archives - AlternativePhotography.com

Preparing your photogram image for cyanotype printing

An excerpt from Blueprint to cyanotypes: Exploring a historical alternative photographic process. Making photograms in the cyanotype process.

Say goodbye to cyanide: a less toxic approach to fixing wet collodion plates

Elizabeth Graves experiments with Waldack’s Formulas for Collodion Positives “Formula No. 1. For Dead-Whites” followed by a sodium thiosulfate fixer.

Get Organized, Alt Process Photographer!

Elizabeth Graves recommends some good organizational habits for wet darkroom, alt-process photographers.

Blue plate special: Wet collodion images on blue aluminum

Elizabeth Graves satisfies her curiosity about straying from black to explore wet collodion on deep blue plates.

Image of a large format film holder modified to hold metal plates

How to modify a film holder for wet plate collodion: design #2: magical magnetic tape

Elizabeth Graves develops another impermanent, non-damaging way to hold thin metal plates in a conventional large format film holder.

Wet collodion ferrotype image detail of reflective CD Roms

Is what you see what you get? Sometimes.

Elizabeth Graves remarks on the perils of digital reproduction of analog media in a un-color-calibrated age.

The mysteries of pricing art for distant shows: a plea

Elizabeth Graves on the mysteries of pricing art for distant shows, what research to do and guidance needed.

Elizabeth Graves

From: San Francisco, USA.
Shows: Cyanotypes, Kallitypes, Photopolymer gravures, Vandyke browns, Vandykes over cyanotype and Wet plate collodions.
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How “alt” is alt?

Elizabeth Graves on the alt. proc. label on art – loathing it or loving it?

Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery: Thoughts on Faux-Alt-Process Digital Images

Thoughts from Elizabeth Graves on why new digital imaging technology is often used to imitate the appearance of old, chemical photography.

Subtle blues: Impossible Color Shade

Elizabeth Graves reviews the first edition of The Impossible Project’s experimental color film, Color Shade First Flush and finds the aged prints resemble color photographs of earlier eras.

Impossible Project Silver Shade Film: so very temperature sensitive

The Impossible Project (the IP) has been releasing their re-engineered integral films for use in Polaroid cameras this year, and before trying out any manipulations or lifts, Elizabeth took two versions of their monochrome film for a test drive in a Polaroid 600 camera to view their unique characteristics.

Against all good advice: how to build a large format camera for wet collodion work at home

The unlikely story of how Elizabeth Graves built a large format camera, modified film holders by her own design to hold wet plates, mixed collodion chemistry without blowing up her home, used her garage door as a shutter, and (after several adjustments) got her homemade plates into a group gallery show in New York City.