My First Traditional Cyanotype

Nowadays the Cyanotype method of printing is called an alternative process. However, it's one of the oldest forms of photographic printing. It's a contact printing method, which means that a picture is reproduced on the paper by being in contact with the source of the image. The source can be either a photo negative or a photogram.

Photographs reproduced using the cyanotype process are also called Blueprints which is a term we are familiar with when discussing building plans and other images associated with architecture.

The distinctive colour is Prussian Blue and is created through the use of the chemicals used in the cyanotype method. The chemicals used are Ferric Ammonium Citrate and Potassium Ferricyanide.

It's a really easy method to try and it doesn't need a darkroom. It relies on good old fashioned UV light so the summer is the ideal time to try the technique outside in the garden. It's also a good technique to try with kids because it's fast and the resulting image appears before your eyes like magic which is wonderful for the kids amongst us. The chemicals are also easy to get hold of and safe to use despite their scary names

Cyanotyping also involves some painting as well so it appeals to the inner Painter in me. I particularly like the different textures you can get from the use of a variety of absorbent materials. Also, the feathered edges produced by the brush strokes give each image an individual charm all of its own.

Cyanotype photographs look better in real life because they are rough and imperfect but I have scanned one of mine that I produced in the workshop on Saturday just to see it on a computer screen. The Prussian Blue is much more vivid in reality.

Expect to see lots of cyanotypes in my house when you next visit me.