Sir John Herschel gave us, who work in alternative photographic processes, so much. Without him would we have the anthotype, chrysotype and cyanotype? I also find it fascinating that a century and a half later his discoveries and new words are still relevant. ‘Snapshot’ and ‘negative’ are two that are still in use. Writer and photography / Malin Fabbri Many historians and researchers have written accounts of Sir John Herschel’s … Read more
Printing with plants is growing in popularity since it is sustainable and easy to learn. Mike Ware gives us an overview of the difference between anthotypes, photosynthesis and chlorophyll printing. Writer and photography / Dr Mike Ware In January of 1839, the invention of photography was publicly announced, independently by Louis Daguerre using silver-plated metal sheets, and by William Henry Fox Talbot, using writing paper coated with silver salts. Within … Read more
AlternativePhotography.com is now 23 years old. Help us make a list of birthdays for inventors of alternative photographic processes, women and men throughout history who contributed to making alt. photo. proc. to what they are today. Please note the information on this list is not verified with sources unless it states so (Wikipedia does not count as a source) and the name of the contributor is stated after each listing. … Read more
Christina Z. Anderson gives us all we need to get started with the chrysotype process as well as tips for experienced printers. Writer / Christina Z. Anderson Photography / Christina Z. Anderson, Pradip Malde, Mark Goddard, Kirk Cochran, Alyssa McKenna, Nick Sramek, Charlie Parrott, Joren Nelson, Max McDonough, Caden McCullough, Alex Glenn, Jake Culbertson, Thomas Callahan, Fran Browne. The chrysotype2 (from Greek chryso/gold and typos/strike or print) is a photograph … Read more
Have you ever wondered if the size of a drop is always the same? The short answer to the question of the size of a drop is that the volume of a drop usually does vary, in fact depending on 10 different factors. This is of course relevant to alt. proc. because recipes often specify “20 drops”, “20 gtt” or “20 gt” which also means drops. Writer and photography / … Read more
Platinotype: Making Photographs in Platinum and Palladium with the Contemporary Printing-out Process is the complete book on Platinotypes with the work of 40 artists using the platinotype. Read the interview with the authors Pradip Malde and Mike Ware. Photography / Pradip Malde, Mike Ware and Rachel Malde. This volume is the ninth in the Routledge Alternative Process series, edited by Christina Z. Anderson and published by Routledge. Pradip Malde interviewed … Read more
Alternative Photography, Art and Artists, Edition 1. A softback book representing over 100 artists working in alternative photographic processes.
An ironic history of alternative photographic processes written by Dr Mike Ware
Dr. Michael J. Ware is a chemist and photographer, known for his work in alternative photographic processes. He has invented variations of processes and refined many of them. Here he shows his cyanotypes, argyrotypes, chysotypes and more. From: Bromley, UK. Shows: Argyrotypes, chrysotypes, cyanotypes, platinum, palladium, palladiotypes. Dr. Mike J. Ware graduated in chemistry at the University of Oxford (1962) and obtained a doctorate by research in molecular spectroscopy (1965). … Read more
Jean-Claude Mougin shares his ambitious treatise on iron salts and also shows how to make ferric oxolate.
Mike Ware tests out the new Ruscome Mill papers – papers he has also helped develop especially for processes such as cyanotype, argyrotype, palladiotype, platinotype and new chrysotype.
Marco Boeringa, though not himself a platinum & palladium printer yet, researches the longevity of the print.
Mike Ware tests palladium, platinum, platinum/palladium, new cyanotype, new chrysotype and argyrotype printing on Weston Diploma Parchment.
We are pleased to announce an exciting newly-invented iron-based printing process, which we are today offering to the alternative photographic process community.
The following method of printing in platinum, palladium, or a mixture of both metals, has been evolved to overcome the difficulties and disadvantages of the traditional platinotype.
The cyanotype process, also known as the blue print process was invented by Sir John Herschel in 1842 and is still performed today by many darkroom enthusiasts.
Argyrotype is a user-friendly iron-based silver printing process that produces brown images on plain paper. It is derived from the Argentotype, Kallitype, and Vandyke processes of the 19th Century, but has greater simplicity, improved image stability, and longer sensitizer shelf-life.
The equipment, materials and handling procedures you will need for the three iron-based processes – new cyanotype, argyrotype and platino-palladiotype.
