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I don't have space for a darkroom at home, and while there are still a number darkrooms across London that provide training and rental, this quickly gets expensive and lacks convenience due to travel time involved. As such I have an interest in traditional photographic techniques which can be performed under normal interior or exterior light conditions. Film development requires nothing more than a changing bag to transfer the film to the processing reel. The cyanotype process only needs limited darkness after coating the paper while it dries, thereafter the actual exposure takes place outside in direct sunlight or via a UV exposure unit. While the chemigram process could be done in a darkroom, it is most commonly done in daylight as image formation doesn't rely on light, but rather interaction of the chemicals to write onto the paper.

Continuing with this theme, the time came to try out the Lumen printing process. Many people are familiar with the photogram technique. Objects are placed directly onto light sensitive paper, which is then exposed under a enlarger, typically forming silhouettes of the objects where they blocked the light source. The paper is then processed in developer and fixer following the normal black & white printing process. This of course requires use of a darkroom.

Those who have handled traditional black & white photographic paper may have noticed that when it is exposed to daylight it slowly changes colour. Normally this would be a disaster making the paper useless for further photographic use. The Lumen printing process though, takes advantage of this behaviour in combination with a photogram like technique. Objects are placed directly onto light sensitive paper, and it is exposed to a light source, but this time it is either sunlight or a UV exposure unit. Over the course of the exposure, which can last anywhere from 20 minutes to several hours, the photographic paper will gradually change colour forming a silhouette of the objects. Once the paper is exposed, it would NOT go anywhere near photographic developer as that would just turn the entire paper uniformly black. Instead it is placed straight into a fixer bath, followed by an archival wash

The image initially visible after exposure can be quite intense, but this will sadly fade somewhat during the fix, and the colours will also typically shift in tone. The result is an image which is fairly low contrast with quite subtle tones. What is surprising is that despite the use of black and white paper, the image will actually exhibit significant colouration. This is markedly different from what is seen when creating photograms where the image is still strictly black and white and high contrast.

There are a variety of factors which will influence the colours obtained in a Lumen print. A non-exhaustive list would include

Type of paper - each paper has a unique chemical formulation in its light sensitive coating(s) and as a result will behave differently when exposed to UV light

Age/condition of paper - the chemical formulation of the light sensitive coating(s) may change and degrade over time, depending on the way in which it was stored, which will in turn alter how it reacts with UV light

Time of exposure - the paper may undergo several colour changes as it receives increasing amounts of UV light. For example, it might start white, then go yellow, then blue. So varying the length of exposure will alter what colour the final image has.

Opacity of the objects - objects which are partially transparent to UV light will allow a range of exposures across the paper. Since colour is dependant on the amount of UV light, partially transparent objects can result in a range of colours being visible in the image.

Water on the paper - any water that is in contact with paper during exposure can influence the colours formed. The water can be applied manually, or it can leach out of the object (eg fresh cut flowers/plants) on the paper in the heat of the light.

Type of light source - while direct sunlight and UV exposure units both produce UV light, the sun provides a much broader spectrum, so will have a different effect than narrow band UV lamps. The sun is also a much more diffuse source than a lamp just millimeters away from the paper.

Toning of paper - the initial image will change and fade significantly during fixing. By toning the paper before fixing, it is possible to retain more intensity in the image and/or alter the colouring.

While some objects are heavy enough to make good contact with the paper and resist movement on their own, with others it might be necessary to weigh things down with a sheet of glass. This is particularly needed when using flowers and other plant material to form the image. There are a variety of options for this task. Those with existing darkroom equipment may well have one or more contact printing frames. These are quite expensive to obtain even on eBay, so more economical options are to obtain some suitable sheets of glass from a local glazing supplier, or use a cheap photo frame. With the prevalence of pound / dollar stores, finding cheap photo frames is remarkably easy. Why spend £50 on one contact printing frame, when you can buy 50 photo frames for £1 each. Being able to expose many prints at the same time will dramatically improve productivity, so it makes sense to go cheap and obtain many frames. It also means you won't care if they get damaged or broken during use

One important thing to note is that the photo frame should have quick release clips for the backing board, not tacks that require pliers to remove and a hammer to re-insert !

To use them, open up the back place the objects onto the glass in the arrangement desired. Remember to flip the arrangement left-to-right at this stage, since you're looking at the image from the back, not front. Then place a sheet of B&W photo paper on the object, so the emulsion side is in contact with the objects. Finally replace the photo frame back and secure the clips in place. There should now be good contact between the objects and paper to ensure they are held still and make good contact for crisp edges. The pressure also helps to squeeze fluids out of plants which can help with colouration of the print.

With the frame prepared, flip it over, place it in direct sunlight and leave it for a while. Over time the colour of the paper will change where it is exposed to the UV light. At a minimum 15-20 minutes will probably be needed, but don't be afraid to leave the image exposing for hours. Given the length of time involved, it is worth preparing many frames and exposing them all at once. When the desired arbitrary amount of time has elapsed, disassemble the frame to remove the photo paper and place it into the fixer. As mentioned earlier, the intensity of the image will fade somewhat and the colours may also change significantly. Once an archival fix and wash is completed though, the image should be stable thereafter.

The cyanotype process is often said to be one of the simplest to photographic techniques to teach people, but it is clear that the Lumen process gives it a good run for its money. If preparing your own materials, cyanotype requires a little bit of care in mixing the right quantities of chemicals for coating the paper. The Lumen process requires no preparation of the paper - it is merely necessary to mix up fixer at the documented dilution factor. There is a slight burden on Lumen printing when it comes to disposing of the fixer, as it will become increasingly contaminated with silver as more sheets are fixed. Overall though it is a quite straightforward and satisfying process to work with. It is hard go go wrong, beyond exposing for too short a time, so even with no prior experience you'll get some decent results.

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An introduction to the Lumen printing process

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I don't have space for a darkroom at home, and while there are still a number darkrooms across London that provide training and rental, this quickly gets expensive and lacks convenience due to travel time involved. As such I have an interest in traditional photographic techniques which can be performed under normal interior or exterior light conditions.

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Lumen prints are made by placing an object on photographic paper and exposing it to UV light. The results are poetic renderings of our natural world in one of the simplest, oldest forms of photography.

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* Sunlight or a UV light. In the most literal sense UV light is required to make the exposure and sunlight is a great source of UV light. Cloudy days can work but keep in mind that this will significantly increase exposure times to hours. In short, full sun is best. If no sun is present a UV light will also do the trick. Exposure times with full sun or UV light will be roughly 15-30 minutes depending on strength of the sun. This is why a contact printer is great here. You can monitor the exposure time and take away the guesswork.

* Subject. This is either a digital negative, plant material, or some other translucent object. Creating a digital negative is out of the scope of this article. Keep in mind that this is a tricky process. In my experience Pictorico brand transparency paper and a good digital printer are essential for good results. Here are the basics for creating a digital negative. First pick an image to print. Then open the image in Photoshop, convert the image to black and white, apply a curve, and invert the image to a "negative." Don't forget to flip your image horizontally so that you don't have a reversed printed image. Please not that variations in the black and white and curves adjustments will impact the quality of the image. You really need to experiment with this part of the process to find which adjustments will yield the best results. More information on creating digital negatives can be obtained online.

* "Darkroom Equipment." While you don't need a darkroom to create these images you will need some darkroom equipment to create your images. More specifically, you will need at least 2 developing trays, tongs, and containers to hold the mixed chemicals. In terms of chemicals you really only need fixer but some people like to also archivally wash their images. Note that neither chemical is required for a lumen print but fixer is mandatory if you want to keep the image. Without fixer the lumen print will fade with time. If planning on fixing the image, you will need a tray for the fixer and another for water. You will need an archival wash and tray for processing if you choose to include this in your steps as well. Finally, some people use a toner for their images to prevent the image from significantly fading after being fixed. I have not personally used this process but wanted you to be aware of this as I do think it would be beneficial when using digital negatives. Keep in mind that toning is done before fixing and you will need additional trays, tongs, and containers for storage. Also you will need an additional water tray before you tone.

* Film changing bag. This is really only useful if you aren't processing the images directly after exposure. I personally process after exposure because I like to work this way. However, if you are doing multiple exposures or don't have the time to process right away, you will need a film changing bag of paper safe box to store the developed images in until you can fix them.

Now that you have acquired your materials and printed out your digital negatives you are ready to begin! Assuming you will be processing directly after exposure it would be wise to set up your work station. Have you chemicals mixed, trays out, and filled with the appropriate chemicals in the following order; Fixer, wash, water.

Once everything is in order, place the digital negative and photographic paper into the contact printer. Note that this step does not need to be done in the dark. However, subdued low light is best to prevent the paper from completely exposing before having contact with the negative. In short, do not do this step in the sunlight outside.

When setting up the contact printer, the digital negative should go in first showing the correct image when seen through the glass. If the image is reversed you placed the digital negative in the contact printer on the wrong side. Also note that using two negatives will produce the best results when working with lumen prints. Take great care to align the negatives together if working with two. While two negatives aren't always necessary, I find that it yields the best results.

Once the negative is in place you will add the photographic paper with the light sensitive side down. If this is done improperly you will not get an image. Note that the type of paper used can alter the results. In my experience fiber based paper yields better results with a negative that has higher contrast while an RC paper yields better results with a lower contrast negative. If you want to add a little variety to your image, you could try wetting the paper prior to exposure as this thechique can also yield interesting results (see Lumen print with digital negative on expired AGFA Portriga-Rapid Baryta paper above). If you choose to do this please note that it will ruin the negative since negatives should never get wet.

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Sunlight or a UV light. In the most literal sense UV light is required to make the exposure and sunlight is a great source of UV light. Cloudy days can work but keep in mind that this will significantly increase exposure times to hours. In short, full sun is best.

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In this tutorial, I will be introducing an unconventional way of printing known as "lumen printing". "Lumen" is understood as the projection of light radiating from one ominous source, i.e. sunlight, or UV light. This is particularly pertinent to this method of printing as it utilizes available light (daylight) as opposed to controlled light (enlarger exposure light, or the rapid on/off light when creating photograms) in order to print an image.

Lumen Printing is also an alternative to printing contact prints or photograms, again requiring minimum time, equipment and money. This is a black and white photographic process, although with that in mind, you will be surprised by the results (and colour) of your creations. That is the beauty of photography.

Before getting started, you may like to read our guide to setting up a darkroom, as it has several useful tips that also apply to this tutorial.

Recommended Gear and Materials

The required equipment is as follows:

First you will need only two chemistry trays; unlike conventional black and white printing, you will only need a pre-mixed solution of fix chemistry, and a rinse tray of plain water. You will need black and white photographic paper and cello-tape or a Perspex board. Make sure that you are close to available light, i.e. a big window (or even have access to outdoors).

Locating Image Subjects

Like regular photogram printing, you will need to gather any three dimensional or two dimensional objects, i.e. paper cut-outs, wrappers, toys, your own fingers/hands/feet, statuettes, processed negatives, memorabilia of sorts, anything you can think of or that you would like to see translated onto a photographic image. Depending on the conditions of where you will be placing the images for exposure, the use of cello-tape or a Perspex board may be needed in order to prevent the subjects from shifting position on the paper.

Photo Setup and Composition

Remember that the only light that can be on while dealing with unexposed black and white photographic paper, is that of the safelight - nothing else. If the paper is exposed, it will get fogged, either leading to a greyish tint, or just turning black once placed in the developer. Therefore, it is best to set up and establish your image in a darkroom prior to exposing it to outside light.

Place the paper shiny side up in a dry area of your darkroom on a dry surface, continue to place the object(s) on the paper. This is where your creativity comes into play. Once the objects are placed on the paper as you would like, if need be, tape down particular objects that may need to be stabilised to the surface of the paper. If you do not want to use cello-tape, and you are only using 2D objects, place a decent sized Perspex board on top of the image to flatten and keep the subjects from shifting on the paper.

Place the arranged image on a flat and dry surface that is exposed to sunlight, either by a window or outdoors. You can leave the images exposed in sunlight for as long as you would like. The longer they are exposed, the more intensely the image is burned into the paper. This can range between minutes and hours. It is entirely up to you.

Once the time of exposure has been determined, take the image back to your dark room, carefully remove the objects from the paper, and place the image face down in the fixer.

Agitate (rock back and forth) for approximately two minutes, flipping face up in between. You will see your image changing from a blue-ish tint to a mottled brown/pink/orange colour.

With the fixer tongs, pinch the corner of the image and hold the image above the fixer tray to drain any left over fixer from the print as much as possible. Place the image into the wash bath tray for that final rinse. Agitate for approximately 2-3 minutes or until you feel the image is rinsed of fixer.

With this method of photographic printing, you will see how the light penetrates and creeps through the objects on the paper. This is a method that I use regularly, as I am able to create a lot of images at once, in a short amount of time. There is not much fiddling and changing that needs to be made when creating lumen prints as there would be when dealing with an enlarger. It's a great way to explore alternative image processing in an easy effective way.

Common Problems and Obstacles

Remember that whenever handling unexposed black and white photographic paper, to always make sure your hands are clean and dry, as well as physically being in a clean and dry area of the darkroom. Also, make sure you are not close to any light source, as you may sacrifice your sheet of black and white photographic paper, or even your entire box of paper to over-exposure or fogging.

Depending on weather conditions, I would suggest assessing the atmosphere and environment prior to placing your set up lumen print image outdoors. This way, you can determine whether or not you will need other materials to aid in fastening the objects to the paper to avoid them from shifting or just simply leaving them to be exposed indoors near a window instead. Experiment, and always try to have fun with it!

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In this tutorial, I will be introducing an unconventional way of printing known as "lumen printing". "Lumen" is understood as the projection of light radiating from one ominous source, i.e. sunlight, or UV light.

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A lumen print is a solar photogram - an image created on photographic paper, exposed by the sun. It was one of the first photographic processes developed by Fox Talbot in 19th century England. I began working with the lumen print process in 2008.

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Writer and photography / Natasha Sanchez

Natasha Sanchez works with Lumen prints and shows us how to make a dreamlike lumen print creation.

A lumen print is essentially a solar photogram - a camera-less process involving black and white photographic paper, a subject matter that usually (but not always) consists of an organic material, and of course, the most important element - The Sun. In truth, a UV source is what is needed, but I find the natural factors involving The Sun create dynamic images.

Materials needed

Black & White Photo Paper - RC or Fiber based. Its best to experiment with fiber based papers to find the one best suited for your image, as different emulsions create different color combinations

An easel or board to set the paper on

Glass to cover the subject. **Fun Fact: If you use a piece of glass smaller than the paper size, you get a nice "frame" effect.**

1 Arrange Your Subject on the paper. I used an azalea picked from my neighborhood. I then trimmed the leaves and stems, carefully placing them to help frame the flower. The metallic stars were simply scattered around the azalea. Sometimes I take the time to arrange the stars in a particular composition, depending on my subject and desired effect. This is an RC Paper.

2 Cover with glass and place outside. Again, composition is important here. Watch how 'the petals fall' as you place the glass over the subject. Sometimes they curl down and that will show up in the print.

3 Monitor. I tend to watch over the print as its printing. Sometimes, if I'm very very careful, I will peel back a petal or leaf to see how well exposed it is. I also check for condensation, which gives me an idea of how the water content from the subject will spread onto the paper. This step isn't necessary, but if you use the same paper at the same times of day, in the same season, it becomes easier to gauge exposure times. I also check to see if anything has wilted (strong southern sun), which may also affect the print. Here you can see how the water content has spread by noticing the darker portions of the paper. It also has to do with how the paper is taped down and the direction of the sun.

4 Fix & Wash. Now that the print has been developed by The Sun, its time to bring it inside and remove the subject from the paper. The print is placed into a fixer bath, which bleaches the print, then washed. I use the standard fixing/washing times for RC or fiber based paper, depending on which I'm using.

5 Finished Print Voila! This print I exposed for approx 3 hours in the middle of the day. Because the petals were layered, and the leaves were fresh, (less dense), I wanted to achieve as much detail as possible.

Lumen Printing Tips

While the lumen print process is pretty straightforward - arrange your subject on paper, under glass, and place in the sun - things aren't always what they seem. (Much like the print this process creates!) It is actually an involved process. Below are some printing tips.

Think of The Sun as your enlarger

Is it a "condenser head" (bright cloudless sunny day) or is it a "diffused head" (cloudy, patches of sun) - You will get more detail and contrast with a bright sunny day. A cloudy day requires more time, but gives your subject a nice, soft, quality. Determine what you print with these thoughts in mind.

Timing - time of day, year, strength of sun - your exposure times will vary depending on these solar factors.

I print anywhere from 30 minutes to 6 hours. Here in New Orleans, Louisiana the sun is super strong in the summer. If I make a lumen print in the summertime, I make sure to do it in the morning hours. Or, if only the late afternoon hours are available to me, I use subjects and papers that take less time. **Fun Fact: To get the most out of my morning exposure, sometimes I set the print out the night before so that it will start printing as soon as the sun comes up.**

Density/water content of objects - plants and flowers have a water content that spills out onto the paper giving the print more texture and richness

Some flowers are easier to print than others. Flowers with "thin" petals may not be able to stand too much sun, while flowers with "thicker" petals may require more sunlight to gain more detail in the print. Leaves tend to be Very Dense, however, and fresher is better. Be aware of how dense the leaf is in comparison to your flower (if you are using flowers). A super dense leaf may not expose all the way and the resulting bright spot can sometimes be distracting.

Composition - Yes, composition plays a big part in the making of a lumen print.

Trimming leaves, stems, and petals will help you set up the arrangement, giving you more control on the layout. The placement on the paper is important too. All the compositional rules, guidelines, apply in lumen printing.

Experiment

This process began as an experiment, and there's no reason to stop!

Natasha Sanchez is a photographer & songwriter from New Orleans who works in liquid emulsions and lumens and handpaints her work.

Natasha Sanchez has published a book of lumen prints from her series Crescent City Illumenations: Lumen Prints and Insights from New Orleans' Garden District. It is available on Blurb.com.
More of Natashas work can be seen here in the gallery and Natasha's website.

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How to make a starry lumen print - a step-by-step process with printing tips

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Writer and photography / Natasha Sanchez Natasha Sanchez works with Lumen prints and shows us how to make a dreamlike lumen print creation. A lumen print is essentially a solar photogram - a camera-less process involving black and white photographic paper, a subject matter that usually (but not always) consists of an organic material, and of course, the most important element - The Sun.

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Making a lumen print takes you back to the beginnings of camera-less photography in 1830s when William Henry Fox Talbot made his "photogenic drawings." He placed foliage on sensitized paper and exposed it to sunlight. This created a negative print or a photogram from which positive contact prints could be made. Today, the process is exactly the same with the addition of image manipulation using digital technology.

The appeal of lumen prints rests in the way they capture nature's fleeting beauty - its vulnerability, strength, form, color, and physicality. So if your experience with botany is limited to a gin and tonic, then why not try making a lumen print?

Materials

Expired photographic paper of any size or age

Two dishes for washing and fixing

Hypo fixer mixed at 1:9. Use at 20 C° (temperature is not critical)

Tongs

Contact printing frame (you can also create a makeshift printing frame using a board and glass)

Procedure

Select a plant specimen. Place the plant specimen on the photographic paper, then insert it on the contact printing frame. This should be done under green safelight or subdued lighting.

Expose it to sunlight for up to 60 minutes while you read your email or have a cup of tea. Then check exposure. Exposure time depends on the strength of the sun and how you want your image to look. I waited for about 55 minutes before my print was ready for washing and fixing.

Carefully remove the plant specimen from the paper. Place your exposed paper on the wash tray for 30 seconds. Afterwards, put it face down on the tray with the hypo fixer and fix it for about two minutes. Remember to do this process under tungsten light or subdued light.

Wash it again for another 20 minutes to remove any excess fixer and dry it overnight. Your print is now ready for scanning!

Scan your print. Using a photo editing software, you can adjust the levels or tweak the brightness or contrast if you wish. And presto, you now have a lumen print!

Composing Your Print

Composition is critical to making a successful lumen print. For me, lumen printing is both a challenge and an addictive delight which connects me to the history of photography, just like Talbot.

When placing your materials, focus on the figure-ground relationship.

Place paper under the contact printing frame and the materials outside or above the frame for soft focus and distorted shadows. Try even or uneven arrangements, masking, and overlaps.

Freestyle by scattering leaves or seeds on paper.

Contact print a photo face down on the unexposed paper.

Hand-held opaque objects also work with minimum exposure times up to 90 seconds in bright light. There is no limit to the different effects possible using this simple historical process!

Other Tips:

Different papers produce different results according to type and age. This is part of the fun of making a lumen print!

On your photo editing software, you can hit the Invert button for a positive print and complementary color. Go wild with Color, Hue, Saturation, and Lightness. Going for a hard-edge pop? Soft impressionism? Incorrect color? It's your choice! You are limited only by your imagination.

Various effects can be achieved by sunlight exposure in the morning, noon, or afternoon.

Place the print out of the frame at different angles for shadow ghosting.

Aside from plants, try using an opaque material such as glass, plastic, artificial flowers, stencils, etc. Mix and match. Talbot made an early photogram using lace.

Camera-less photography is at the forefront of contemporary photographic practice and employed by the likes of Wolfgang Tillmans, Adam Fuss, Catherine Yass, Susan Derges to name a few. Feel free to experiment!

Des Brough (@lomodesbro) is a self-taught, amateur photographer who loves pinholes, vintage cameras, and his extended family. Aside from being in the Lomography community, he also enjoys experimenting with alternative processes and contact printing. He has self-published a photo book entitled "Monumental Wellington" and is planning to release another book on his lumen prints.

written by Des Brough on 2016-06-26 #tutorials #alternative-process #lumen-prints

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Learn how to create your own lumen prints, à la William Henry Fox Talbot, with this tutorial by Des Brough (@lomodesbro).

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Writer / Tiffany Pereira
Photography / Tiffany Pereira and Binh Danh

The chlorophyll process is an organic alternative photography process akin to the anthotype process. However, instead of printing on the crushed extract of fruit or plant matter, the prints are bleached by sunlight directly onto the surface of leaves using a positive. Tiffany Pereira shares her experience with this process.

Sunlight, Water and Leaves: Using the pigments of the life-giving photosynthesis process to develop images

The chlorophyll process is an organic alternative photography process akin to the anthotype process. However, instead of printing on the crushed extract of fruit or plant matter, the prints are bleached by sunlight directly onto the surface of leaves using a positive. The resulting images are stunningly delicate and beautiful, ranging from haunting silhouettes to crisp definition. Despite the simplicity of the finished product, the process itself can be tedious with plenty of trial and error.

But, to those who are willing to experiment with varying sunlight, exposure times and different leaf specimens it can be a fulfilling and humbling way to engage the natural world as part of your craft.

History of the chlorophyll process

British artists, Heather Ackroyd and Dan Harvey were among the first to define the Chlorophyll Process, though, in a slightly different format. They developed a method of projecting an image onto grass using a negative and light cast by a projector bulb after noticing vague outlines of a ladder cast onto one of their "grass installations". The range of contrast of the negative denied or allowed light to reach certain areas of the grass surface resulting in the bleaching of the light deprived areas (see "The Science of Beaching" section below).

While effective, the grass bleaching process is complicated due to space and setup needs. Building on this concept, Artist Binh Danh took the Chlorophyll Process on a new path. Drawing on the Anthotype Process, Danh refined a method for securing a positive directly to a live leaf and allowing sunlight to bleach the image onto its surface naturally. He has also addressed a fundamental challenge with natural photography processes; that of fixing the image to prevent further bleaching and deterioration over time. To save his work, Dah casts his finished pieces in a layer of resin allowing them to be enjoyed for years to come.

The Science of Bleaching

When it comes to the Chlorophyll Process, and even the Anthotype Process in this case, having an understanding of the mechanisms behind the method can not only produce better results, but can also ease the learning curve for beginners.

We can understand how light bleaches an object at the atomic level. Pigments can be bleached by the colors of its compliment. When light hits an atom, electrons absorb energy of specific wavelengths exciting them to a higher energy state. The atoms quickly fall back down to the previous state, emitting a photon of light equal to that being absorbed, resulting in the observed color we see.

Bleaching occurs when a photon has enough energy to completely free an electron form its atom, becoming an ion with a net positive charge. Higher light intensity equals a higher concentration of ions, resulting in a surface which has the ability to react with the oxygen in the air. This reaction causes the bleaching of the surface.
It is important to remember that the photo-bleaching Chlorophyll and Anthotype Processes work due to the photo-sensitive pigments in leaves (Chlorophyll-a) and flowers and vegetables (Flavonoids) respectively. Thus light intensity and time of year as well as the natural differences in the concentration of these pigments between species and specimens will have an effect on the results.
Getting Started - What You'll Need

Leaves of your choice (broader and flatter are easier to work with)

Positive / transparency (higher contrast preferred)

Contact printing frame / sheets of glass

Scissors / gardening stem cutter

Newsprint / blotting paper

Optional - You will need a way to provide the leaf with water if you want an even longer exposure. Small plastic bags and rubber bands work if you tie them around the stem securely (I use florist stem water tubes).

Optional - UV stabilized polyester resin to cast the finished piece (Binh Danh's recommendation http://www.tapplastics.com/product/fiberglass/polyester_resins/tap_surfboard_resin/38 )

The chlorophyll method

Special Thanks

Special thanks to Binh Danh for his contributions to this article. All images used with permission from Tiffany Pereira and Binh Danh

Special thanks to Xavier Fumat, for introducing me to alternative photography and being my faculty mentor at USC.

Additional thanks to Binh Danh for taking the time to be a reference for this article. I appreciate your wisdom.

Tiffany Pereira is a wildlife biologist, botanist and artist who lives and works in the Mohave Desert. She and her partner Daniel Trujillo seek to test the bounds of scientific illustration with their collaboration Feather and Dot Productions.

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The chlorophyll process is an organic alternative photography process akin to the anthotype process. However, instead of printing on the crushed extract of fruit or plant matter, the prints are bleached by sunlight directly onto the surface of leaves using a positive. Tiffany Pereira shares her experience with this process.

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In need of a break from your photography routine? Experiments are the best intermissions from your ordinary workflow, and what better way to do so with some alternative photographic printing techniques? I found a special yet inexpensive way to conduct an experiment by making my very own leaf photographs through the chlorophyll printing technique.

Making a Chlorophyll Print

This is a super simple and fun way to make contact prints - using plant leaves. Maybe you have tried drying leaves and flowers as a child and noticed how they lose their color as they dry, especially if you leave them in the sun. This photosensitivity can be used to make prints of your pictures.

All you have to do is print a high-contrast image onto one of those overhead projector transparency sheets you can get from an office supply store. Then, pick a nice, big leaf from a plant. Put the transparency on top of the leaf in a photo frame. The glass will keep it nice and flat and in place.

Place the frame on a sunny spot and leave it there for a while. If you live in a dry climate, outdoors is fine; if not, put it somewhere in front of a window. Leave it for at least a few days. In time, the color of the leaf will fade, but the bits that are covered by the ink on your transparency will remain darker. After a while, you'll have a print!

Guidelines for Chlorophyll Prints

I used vine leaves because I like the typical irregular leaf shape. These produce pale green prints, although one leaf turned reddish. I also used Indian cress, which takes a bit longer until it's dried all the way, but it produces nice, high-contrast prints on a pale yellow background. I tried dogwood, too, because it was there. It takes pretty long to produce a decent print (about three weeks). The wisteria needs over three weeks, I've yet to produce a decent print on it.

Be patient! How long it takes to produce a print varies, depending on the kind of leaf you use and on how strong the sun is. The vine leaves I used took about four to five days. Other types of leaves that I tried took much longer, up to three weeks or more. Experiment with different exposure times and different plants to find out what works for you. A rule of thumb is that it will probably take at least a few days longer than you first estimated.

Try not to look at your print for at least a few days because if you open the frame and move the transparency, it's very hard to put it back in exactly the same spot. If your image is not ready yet and you accidentally move the transparency, you might create a blurry image. I didn't wait until my leaf was dried all the way, so now you see only half a radar installation:

Credits: stratski

This technique works best with clear, high-contrast images. The prints will be pretty low contrast so subtle shades of grey will probably get lost. This picture of a fern, for instance, didn't work very well because the background is a bit too blotchy. It may be a good idea to edit your picture in Photoshop for extra contrast before printing it.

Don't be too disappointed if you don't get a good image or no image at all. Just try again with a different kind of plant or a longer exposure time. Once you have some transparencies, making new prints is absolutely free so just go out and pick some more leaves.

You could try using a large format negative as well, but you'll get a negative picture of course.

If you like your print and want to put it up in a frame, be careful not to put it on a sunny wall because your print will fade in the light. An album is probably a safer place to put it.

Curate your leaf prints by uploading them to your LomoHomes. Don't forget to keep experimenting!

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Lomography - Let the Sun Do the Work with Chlorophyll Prints

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In need of a break from your photography routine? Experiments are the best intermissions from your ordinary workflow, and what better way to do so with some alternative photographic printing techniques? I found a special yet inexpensive way to conduct an experiment by making my very own leaf photographs through the chlorophyll printing technique.

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Photographer Binh Danh observed one summer that there was a difference in color between grass under a water hose and the grass directly exposed to sunlight. He then began to experiment with combining photography with photosynthesis, and came up with what he calls "chlorophyll prints" - photographs printed onto leaves using the sun.

Here's Danh's process according to NPR:

From start to finish, his technique is this: Binh Danh begins by picking a leaf - often from his mother's garden. To keep it from drying out, he fills a small bag with water and ties it to its stem. He places the leaf on a felt-covered board, and puts a negative directly on the leaf (he has an archive of images he's collected from magazines and purchased online). He places glass over the leaf, clips the glass and board together, and puts the assemblage on the patio roof.

Binh Danh will check the image periodically to see how it's "baking." The process can last days or weeks. Four out of five times, he's dissatisfied, and throws the leaf away. But when the chlorophyll print is right - whether precisely rendered or eerily vague - he takes the leaf, fixes it in resin, and frames it.

You can find more of Danh's work over on his website.

Thanks for the tip, Micah!
Image credits: Photographs by Binh Danh and used with permission

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Photographer Makes "Chlorophyll Prints" Using Leaves and Sunlight

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Photographer Binh Danh observed one summer that there was a difference in color between grass under a water hose and the grass directly exposed to sunlight. He then began to experiment with combining photography with photosynthesis, and came up with what he calls "chlorophyll prints" - photographs printed onto leaves using the sun.

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The goal of this instructable is to explain the cyanotype process. Cyanotype is a super easy (and cheap) photo printing process that you can do at home with a few special materials. Digital pictures printed as cyanotypes make great gifts.

Some history, from wikipedia :

Cyanotype is an old monochrome photographic printing process which gives a cyan-blue print.

The English scientist and astronomer Sir John Herschel discovered this procedure in 1842. Though Herschel is perhaps the inventor of the cyanotype process, it was Anna Atkins, a British scientist, who brought the process into the realm of photography. She created a limited series of cyanotype books that documented ferns and other plant life. By using this process, Anna Atkins is regarded as the first woman photographer.

Process Overview
1. Mix two chemicals to create photo sensitive solution of 'sensitizer'.
2. Brush, smear, or soak the sensitizer into cotton-based watercolor paper.
3. Create a negative image on a transperency with a laser/inkjet printer or copy machine.
4. Place the negative over the dried, sensitized paper.
5. Expose to UV light.
6. Wash the image in water to develop.
7. Hang to dry, and enjoy!

Step 1: Chemistry

Cyanotype requires a simple 2 part 'sensitizer' that is sprayed, brushed, or smeared onto a high-cotton content paper.

Safety
The cyanotype is perhaps the safest photo printing method. Still, basic safety measures should be observed. Cover your work surface, don't use any utensils that will be used for food, and wear safety gear. In the picture below I'm decked out in safety glasses, a DIY style face mask, and heavy rubber kitchen gloves.

The basic formula (from here):
100 ml water and 25g green ferric ammonium citrate is mixed together.
100 ml water and 10g potassium ferricyanide is mixed in a separate container.
The two solutions are then mixed in equal parts.

What I did:
I could not find the required chemicals in the Netherlands. My cheapest option was to buy from the Photographer's Formulary in the US (even with international shipping).
http://www.photoformulary.com
FAC 100 grams
PF 100 grams

Most tutorials suggests making 100ml of each solution. I didn't want to store these liquids so I made a much smaller batch. I chose to make 5ml of each solution, to be mixed for 10ml total sensitizer.

I do not have a scale, so I estimated the volume of each chemical I needed based on the overall size of the bottles (100g). I mixed a very rough 0.5g PF and 1.2g FAC each to 5ml de-mineralized water (used for clothing irons, car batteries, etc. Sold in bottles in the Netherlands for ~50 cents). These were mixed individually and then combined, as per the instructions above.

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Step 2: Paper

A cyanotype can be printed on almost any paper, cloth, or even tile. I used 100% cotton water-color paper from an art paper store. It was not fancy (about 2 euro for a huge sheet), nor thick (~170 lbs?). Some people are more careful about paper selection. For other's views, check out the Alternative Photography forum here .

Brush, spray, or soak the sensitizer into the paper.

Leave the paper to dry, or speed it up with a hairdryer set to low.

Step 3: Negative

The cyanotype process is a negative photo process. Black on the negative becomes white in the final print.

I loaded my digital pictures into photoshop. Removed the color information (for a B&W image). Did image->invert for the negative.

The negative can be printed on an inkjet, laser printer, or copy machine. I printed my negative using an inkjet printer with inkjet transparency sheets. I used "high quality black and white" mode (which uses the color inks to make B&W). I did this because the colors are more UV-resistant than the black (in my experience, I make positives for doing UV/foto printed circuit boards that need very high accuracy).

The negative was placed with the ink against the paper. This is the same thing I do for PCBs - it really helps prevent unwanted light leakage.

The paper and negative were placed in a cheap picture frame to keep everything flat and aligned.

Step 4: Exposure

The print is put under UV light until the exposed sensitizer turns from yellow-green to 'confederate grey'. The sun or a UV tanning lamp can be used as a UV source. See the The Big Cyanotype Exposure Survey for more information on exposure times and techniques.

What I did:
The frame with paper & negative was placed directly under a home tanning lap set face-down on a table. This is exactly the same setup I use to make PCBs, albeit with positives and photosensitive copper-clad fiberglass board.

I did a number of exposure tests. First I tried recommendations from the survey, 15 minutes and 10 minutes. These were way over exposed. Next I tried 5, 3, 2.5, 2, 1.28 (the exact time I use for PCBs), and 1 minute. I settled on 1 minute and 45 seconds.

Step 5: Developing

First, wash the print in demineralized (distilled) water until all the yellow areas of unexposed sensitizer are washed out of the paper.

Next, rinse it in the sink (under running water) for a few minutes.

This can be your final step - hang the image to dry.

If you are impatient (like me), dip the print into a solution of 125ml (.5 cups) water with one cap full hydrogen peroxide to finish the development instantly. Without this treatment, the image will change to its final color over a few hours (as it dries). Note: at first I made a new solution each time, but then I used the same solution for 10 or so prints without a decrease in potency. Rinse the print again to clean it of any remaining hydrogen peroxide. Hang to dry.

Step 6: Other Stuff

I tried toning and bleaching on a few of the 'rejects'.

Toning
I simply steeped a bag of tea in hot water from the tap for a few minutes. I tossed the tea and print into a shallow container. It soaked for 5-10 minutes. The color is somewhat 'Diesel' denim or brown/black, depending on the observer.

Bleaching
I also did a bleach test. I mixed a heap of baking soda (naturium bicarbonate) in some warm tap water. This bleached the image clean off the paper in a matter of seconds. I know it works, but I have not tried to tune or control the process.

Improvements
My UV source is too close to the paper. Rather than getting over developed spots, I get light-ish underdeveloped bars where the reflector doesn't adequately distribute the UV light. This will probably be fixed by raising the UV light a few inches over the paper (of course this will throw off my exposure times...)

Conclusion
I'm really really pleased with my results. My images were not washed off by the Amsterdam tap water (my initial concern). A total lack of precision chemistry didn't hamper my ability to get great prints.

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Cyanotypes - Super Easy Photo Prints at Home.

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Cyanotypes - Super Easy Photo Prints at Home.: The goal of this instructable is to explain the cyanotype process. Cyanotype is a super easy (and cheap) photo printing process that you can do at home with a few special materials. Digital pictures printed as cyanotypes make great gifts.Some hi...

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Cyanotype process - a modified extract from the book Blueprint to cyanotypes describing the classic or traditional cyanotype process.
Always be careful when handling chemicals. Read the health and safety instructions.
Writer / Malin Fabbri and Gary Fabbri. Photography / Malin Fabbri

Unlike photographs set in silver - such as black and white photography - cyanotypes are using a solution of iron compounds.

The photograph can be taken with a camera, like a digital camera, and the resulting photo turned into a negative that can be used to make a cyanotype.

The basic cyanotype recipe has not changed very much since Sir John Herschel introduced it in 1842. However, some advances have been made by Mike Ware in what is referred to as the New cyanotype process. Ware's cyanotype formula has less bleed, shorter exposure times and a longer density range than Herschel's, but it is also slightly more complicated to mix and uses more toxic chemicals.

The cyanotype process at a glance

The cyanotype process is simple. It can be done easily in a few steps:
If you want to just try using cyanotype paper check out the suppliers. It's commonly available and you can even get it at Walmart!

Mixing chemicals
The cyanotype is made up of two simple solutions.

Potassium ferricyanide and Ferric ammonium citrate (green) are mixed with water separately.

The two solutions are then blended together in equal parts.

Preparing the canvas

Paper, card, textiles or any other naturally absorbent material is coated with the solution and dried in the dark.
Printing the cyanotype

Objects or negatives are placed on the material to make a print. The cyanotype is printed using UV light, such as the sun, a light box or a UV lamp.
Processing and drying

After exposure the material is processed by simply rinsing it in water. A white print emerges on a blue background.

The final print is dried and admired.

What you need

Before you start, get all the items you need together.

25 grams of Ferric ammonium citrate (green)

10 grams of Potassium ferricyanide

Water (distilled if possible)

Scale or measuring spoons

Measuring jug

3 glass containers for mixing ingredients

Plastic spoons

Face mask (DIY style)

Goggles

Rubber gloves

Apron or old shirt

Newspaper to cover work surface

Cleaning cloth

Brushes or coating rod

Clothes pegs (plastic)

Washing line or rope (plastic)

Art paper or fabric for coating

Glass or a contact print frame

Sunshine or a UV light source

Mixing chemicals

Cyanotype is a very simple process. It involves treating a surface with iron salts that reacts to UV light. Wear a face mask and rubber gloves when working with chemicals. In this case, Ammonium ferric citrate and Potassium ferricyanide. Two separate solutions are made and then equal quantities of each solution is mixed together in a third container.

The formula

This recipe makes approximately 50 8×10 inch prints. The cyanotype is made up of two simple solutions:

Solution A: 25 grams Ferric ammonium citrate (green) water to make up 100 ml solution.

Solution B: 10 grams Potassium ferricyanide and water to make up 100 ml solution.

1

Mixing the chemicals
Dissolve the chemicals in water (start with a little less than 100 ml in each) to make two separate solutions. Add Ammonium ferric citrate to water into one container and Potassium ferricyanide to water in another. Stir with a plastic spoon until the chemicals dissolve. Add water to make up 100 ml of solution. The chemicals will also have volume, so do not add 100 ml of water - the final solution should be 100 ml. Mix equal quantities of each solution together in a third container. Unused solutions can be stored separately in brown bottles away from light, but will not last very long once they have been mixed. Dispose of any unused chemicals in a sensible and environmentally friendly way!

Your work area
Your floors, carpets, walls, work surfaces, clothes and skin can be stained by the chemicals. Cover all possible areas, use rubber gloves and an apron or an old shirt to work in. If you have the space, choose an area where you can spread out. Ordinary light bulbs or tungsten light is safe to use, but UV light will affect your prints. Some fluorescent lighting may also affect your prints.

2 Preparing the canvas
Using a brush, simply paint the chemicals onto the material. Paper, card, textiles or any natural material can be used to print on. Decide how big your print is going to be, and cut your material to size. Make sure your working area is dimly lit, or lit with a low-level tungsten bulb. Once the material is coated, leave it to dry in the dark.

3 Printing the cyanotype
Print a cyanotype by placing your negative (to reproduce a photograph) or object (to make a photogram) in contact with your coated paper or fabric. Sandwich it with a piece of glass. Expose the sandwich to UV light. Natural sunlight is the traditional light source, but UV lamps can also be used. A photogram can also be made by placing items on the surface. Plants, decorative items or other objects can be used to create silhouettes or interesting shapes. Exposure times can vary from a few minutes to several hours, depending on how strong your lightsource is or the season where you are printing.

4 Processing and drying
When the print has been exposed, process your print by rinsing it in cold water. The wash also removes any unexposed chemicals. Wash for at least 5 minutes, until all chemicals are removed and the water runs clear. Oxidation is also hastened this way - bringing out the blue color. The final print can now be hung to dry and be admired.

Notebook by Malin Fabbri

50 pre-defined pages for you to document your cyanotype process.

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Cyanotype - the classic process - AlternativePhotography.com

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Cyanotype process - a modified extract from the book Blueprint to cyanotypes describing the classic or traditional cyanotype process.

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Keen to get more creative? Angela Chalmers reveals how working with the historic cyanotype process can generate really eye-catching images
While many photographers make decisions about which lens, aperture or shutter speed is required to capture a moment of creativity, my photographic images are made without using a camera, and use the traditional cyanotype formula that was invented in 1842. The British botanist Anna Atkins, who has been described as the first woman to produce a photographic book, used the process to illustrate specimens of algae in Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions in 1843, while famous artists such as Man Ray and László Moholy-Nagy rediscovered photograms during the avant-garde movements of the early 20th century.

The biggest joy of working with an alternative process is the impressive results you can achieve when you experiment and break rules. There are no boundaries with making photograms. In fact it is such a liberating way to make images that even if your first attempts are not masterpieces the creative experience of producing a simple photographic image without a camera is something that I feel all photographers should try at least once in their life. I would compare the sacred act of making black & white prints in the darkroom to making cyanotype prints - a simple yet satisfying photographic experience with unlimited possibilities. Indeed William Henry Fox Talbot, one of the pioneers of photography in the 1830s, continued to experiment with camera-less images for many years after he discovered how to produce photographic negatives.

The aesthetics of a photogram are somewhat mysterious, which is what grabbed my attention when I first saw the works of surrealist artist Man Ray. Almost any object that blocks the light can be used to cast shadows on a support. I have worked with feathers and birdcages, wedding dresses and veils, and even people. There are infinite options to make unique photographic prints. Whatever the subject matter, they are quite intriguing and in some way ethereal. I always tell participants of my workshops that semi-transparent objects create the best effects. A solid object will block the light leaving a white silhouette, and translucent items allow the light to pass through and around. This can be interesting and creates fluctuating tones of blue. When working with nature, I prefer to choose flowers that are delicate, such as poppies, sweet pea and dandelion seed heads. The soft translucency of their petals and form create beautiful tones. Obviously, digital negatives or traditional large-format film negatives can be used to produce cyanotype prints. I am currently working with both digital negatives and 3D objects together on a series called 'The Flower Collector'.

Observe nature

I love to walk into the landscape and work directly with nature using sunshine as my light source. Direct sunshine will yield harder shadows, and diffused sunlight creates softer edges. Regarding the best time to expose outside in the UK, the sun gives more consistent results from March to September when the sun is higher in the sky; a couple of hours each side of noon usually work the best.

When travelling, I often carry a basic kit to process my prints outdoors. These prints are mostly on smaller sheets of paper, which are easier to carry around. The experience of working on location becomes one of a physical engagement with my environment. You could call it multisensory. It is wandering, seeing, smelling, feeling, gathering and printing.

It is important to look closely at plants in their natural environment; this will be a useful practice to enhance your compositions back in the darkroom. While gathering foliage I make a mental note about the way certain flowers and grasses sit harmoniously side by side. A field and hedgerow full of bracken and hogweed is chaotic and wild; an elegantly designed parkland is much more orderly. When I am back in the studio with a collection of plant life, I create my own landscapes through considered composition. I might remove flower heads from their stalks to allow them to be placed flat on the paper.

Controlled UV

It is best to print in bright sunshine. The summer months are best for shorter exposures and stronger blues. However working outside under the rays of the sun leaves very little time to fiddle or move anything. If you do, your image may end up blurred. You don't have time to be indecisive when your paper is fast exposing. If a precise composition is more essential to your final print this needs to be done under a controlled light source. UV lamps are essential for all-year-round printing. Exposure units and even facial tanning lamps can be used.

My set-up is basic. I have a simple yet straightforward UV lighting system on an adjustable stand that can be moved up and down to accommodate a range of paper sizes. This gives me plenty of time to organise my composition under safe light. The downside is that exposure times are longer; large papers require 2-3 hours under my system. I use a 300W Osram lamp, which is designed to be a UV light source for amphibian cages. I made a basic lamp housing that I just plug into a 13 Amp socket. Get a qualified
electrician to make this for you.

Be experimental

My favourite read is Shadow Catchers: Camera-less Photography by Martin Barnes. It's full of experimental techniques by contemporary artists who extend the creative possibilities of making a photograph image without the use of a camera. Cyanotypes sound terribly toxic, but are quite safe if used with care. They can be printed on paper, textiles, wood, ceramics and even glass.

Why it works

There are many ways of creating depth with a camera, using various apertures and focal length. Photographers can also see what their final image will look like. Using the photogram technique offers an element of surprise, and the final outcome often reveals an unusual visual element.

Why does this hogweed image work? When working with nature, it is difficult to predict how the final picture will emerge. I often let the creative process go, and allow chance to play a part in my image-making process. In this case I was pleased with the way the overlapping forms created a sense of depth in the composition. I had no preconceived plan of what to expect with this print apart from my decision to document a wild verge on the North Yorkshire moors.

The exposure time was 10 minutes on a bright sunny day. After arranging a few items of plant life on the unexposed paper, I allowed for space to make additions nearer the end of the session and added new elements throughout the exposure. This affected the density of the Prussian blue. It also helped yield delicate graduations of tone that I feel give this photogram its magic and strength.

Top tips and techniques

Change the background

I often move objects during a long exposure. I arrange my composition knowing I will remove a flower head or perhaps add another leaf. This helps to add a sense of depth and create various tones to the final print. This can be done at any time during exposure.

Be experimental

To create extra tones and textures I spray the dried unexposed paper with water before I arrange the plants. The cyanotype solution becomes diluted and dries quickly in the sun leaving interesting marks. Also try coating your paper for a second time and double expose.

Be creative

The way you coat the paper is subjective. Painterly brush strokes are very much a big part of my work. I occasionally coat the entire sheet of paper leaving no border, or use sheets of card to create a mask. This works well if you prefer clean straight edges.

Create more depth

It's not always necessary to flatten plants under glass. Delicate flowers, such as dandelion clocks, work best when they simply sit on the paper. This technique allows for light to pass through and around the 3D object creating soft blurry edges, and encourages shadows to form.

Enhance the blues

Prints will not reach their full density until they are dry (usually overnight), because it takes time for the sensitiser to oxidise in the air. To achieve an immediate oxidation, rinse the print for 1 minute in dilute hydrogen peroxide. While not necessary, it provides 'instant gratification'.

Tea toning

It's possible to change the colour of cyanotypes by toning. The cyanotype must be left to oxidise first. A short immersion in tannic acid (a strong inexpensive tea), will transform the Prussian blue colour to a navy blue. The tannic acid does not affect the archival qualities.

10 simple steps
Angela Chalmers' top tips for creating successful cyanotypes

1. My chosen cyanotype formula is: solution A - 25gm dissolved in 100ml water, solution B - 10gm and 100ml water. The two solutions are then blended together in equal parts to produce solution C.

2. Remember to use safety equipment, especially when mixing chemicals. Gloves should be worn during coating and washing. Don't forget to consider your clothes.

3. Coat your paper in low-level tungsten light using a sponge or brush. My favourite tools are Japanese Hake brushes. They soak up the fluid and coat beautifully.

4. Allow the papers to dry in a dark place, such as a cupboard or drawer. Keep in mind that cyanotypes are only affected by UV light.

5. Place objects on the paper and if necessary hold them in place using glass. Remember that the parts that cover the surface are not exposed to light and will remain white.

6. Achieving good results depends a great deal on how you compose and arrange objects. However, despite this importance I often embrace playfulness and randomness to allow for an element of chance.

7. You can make a simple test strip for exposure times. A properly exposed print will turn a dark blue/green, while the shadows look slightly solarised.

8. Once the print has been exposed, process your print by rinsing it in cold water for at least five minutes and until the water runs clear. This thorough washing process will remove any unexposed chemical.

9. The final print can now be hung to dry. Once dry they may be prone to wrinkling due to a large amount of washing. I use heavy boards and weights to flatten the prints.

10. You don't need a hot sunny day to make cyanotypes. Even on a cloudy day there will be enough UV for an exposure. Alternatively you can use a UV lamp.

Kit list

Safety equipment Cyanotype chemicals must be handled with care. The most hazardous practice is mixing raw chemicals to make stock solution. For basic protection you need protective glasses, mask and gloves.

Chemicals The cyanotype solution is made from two chemicals: Ferric ammonium citrate (green) and Potassium ferricyanide. These solutions are generally labelled A and B. Mix equal measures of A + B to make the working solution.

Coating Handcrafted coating allows you to be free and give painterly edges, while a sponge gives a harder edge to the emulsion. Do not use a brush with a metal ferrule, as this may react with the cyanotype chemistry and corrode.

Exposure Working outdoors you will need a board, glass and clips. I use plywood or stiff cardboard to clip the glass in position while making exposures. This is particularly useful in windy conditions as it holds everything in place.

UV light source The summer sun works beautifully. A good south-facing window ledge can work surprisingly well. For total control an ultraviolet (UV) lamp can be used effectively. I use an Osram Ultra-vitalux 300W bulb plugged into a 13 Amp plug socket.

Angela Chalmers is a photographer and painter with a first-class honours degree in Fine Art. Her working methods range from expressive watercolours to painterly camera-less cyanotypes. Angela has exhibited internationally and her work is held in many private collections. See www.angelachalmers.com.

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How to make cyanotypes: top tips - Amateur Photographer

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Keen to get more creative? Angela Chalmers reveals how working with the historic cyanotype process can generate really eye-catching images While many photographers make decisions about which lens, aperture or shutter speed is required to capture a moment of creativity, my photographic images are made without using a camera, and use the traditional cyanotype formula that was invented in 1842.