It is easy to make a picture. Right? Think again. Of course, in today world, pictures are everywhere and tools for making them are available to everybody. This is a good thing, of course. That was in the inception of photography and still is one of the main goals of this medium; ability to record and remember for everybody. This book takes you to the time when photographs were not easy to make; time when in order to make a photograph, you should have a knowledge of chemistry, medicine, geology, optics, physics, astronomy. When photography was not the right, but luxury; when it was not done with the click in the split of second, but it was slow work by hand. Cyanotype, Dive into the Blue Process, is a book that speaks about, for a long time now commercially obsolete but beautiful photographic process, the Cyanotype. The book is not intended for scientific research, advanced or professional photographic artwork. The book is intended for the starters in alternative photo processes and professional that could use simplification of the process. It is the summary of the experiences in working with this alternative process. However, this does not mean that the workflow is not complicated and it should be followed step by step. This book will cover all those steps needed to get educated and proficient in creation process. Today you can purchase every chemical needed for the creation of the cyanotype already premixed, even already presentenced paper. In that way you just need to put the negative, or the object we want to make a photogram of, and just expose it to the light. In this book you will find not just the chemical needed to make the solutions for mixing the your own magic lights catching potion, but also the reasons to do so. The cyanotype, the simplest among alternative photographic processes is made with combination of two, easy to get, chemicals. They have to be mixed in proper order and amounts for formula to work. These instructions should be followed strictly; however there is always space to experiment. Once the chemicals are separately mixed, they are also mixed together, and they become light sensitive. Once you have a light sensitive emulsion, you can start your work. In this book, we describe step-by-step, tool-by-tool, how do you get to this step and what you could expect. Everything else is left to you, your intuition, interests and creativity. For us, it was very important to perceive our work, so we taught it would be for you too. After you are done with creating, it is important to save your work, that is, to archive and present it in the right way. At the end of the book, its last chapters, you can find the sub-chapters that will explain the process of archiving and presenting, such as: flattening you prints; you can learn how to protect it from moisture and too much sun; how to mat your own work, and couple of different ways of framing your print. And believe me, if we could do it you can do it too About the Expert Marijana is a photographer based in Podgorica, Montenegro. She is student of Economy, but also for several years now a proficient photographer interested in analog technologies and alternative printing processes. Two years ago, Marijana tried Cyanotype process for the first time, immediately fell in love with it and since then uses it to create beautiful photograms of everything. It was not easy; she was charmed by Anna Atkins’ Book of British Algae, its beauty, process and history, and it was hard to match it. However, even limited by resources and even essentials, she is able to learn and create on everyday bases. Today, she is confident in her skill of creation, and feels the need to share her experience and knowledge with others! HowExpert publishes quick 'how to' guides on all topics from A to Z by everyday experts.

Cyanotype: The Blueprint in Contemporary Practice is a two part book on the much admired blue print process. Part One is a comprehensive how-to on the cyanotype process for both beginner and advanced practitioners, with lots of photographs and clear, step-by-step directions and formulas. Part Two highlights contemporary artists who are using cyanotype, making work that ranges from the photographic to the abstract, from the traditional to the conceptual, with tips on their personal cyanotype methods alongside their work. These artists illustrate cyanotype’s widespread use in contemporary photography today, probably the most of any alternative process. Book features include: A brief discussion of the practice of the process with some key historical points How to set up the cyanotype ÒdimroomÓ The most extensive discussion of suitable papers to date, with data from 100+ papers Step-by-step digital negative methods for monochrome and duotone negatives Chapters on classic, new, and other cyanotype formulas Toning to create colors from yellow to brown to violet Printing cyanotype over palladium, for those who want to temper cyanotype’s blue nature Printing cyanotype on alternate surfaces such as fabric, glass, and wood More creative practice ideas for cyanotype such as handcoloring and gold leafing Troubleshooting cyanotype, photographically illustrated Finishing, framing, and storing cyanotype Contemporary artists’ advice, techniques, and works Cyanotype is backed with research from 120 books, journals, and magazine articles from 1843 to the present day. It is richly illustrated with 400 photographs from close to 80 artists from 14 countries. It is a guide for the practitioner, from novice to expert, providing inspiration and proof of cyanotype’s original and increasing place in historical and contemporary photography.

This explores the history of blueprinting, explains the how-to's in clear detail, and offers step-by-step instructions to make the process foolproof.

An excellent beginners’ guide to cyanotypes – all you need to get started, and some goodies for more advanced cyanotypers too. About the book The cyanotype is often the first alternative process that people try. It is relatively easy and safe enough to nurture a child’s interest in photography. It can also be seen as a gateway to further exploration of historic photographic methods. In addition, it gives experienced photographers and artists a great excuse to take their eyes off the computer screen and get their hands dirty. Blueprint to cyanotypes is all you will need to get started with cyanotypes. It offers the beginner a step-by-step guide, from choosing material to making the final print. It is full of information and tips. Even the experienced cyanotypist may learn a thing or two. Blueprint to cyanotypes is published by AlternativePhotography.com – a website and information center dedicated to alternative photographic processes. From Malin Fabbri, the author: Why a book on cyanotypes? Of all the alternative processes the cyanotype is the one closest to my heart. I made my first cyanotype in 1999. I was intrigued by the blue images and wanted to test the cyanotype process to see what it had to offer. I bought chemicals and spent an evening coating paper and cloth. The results of the next day’s printing surprised me. Although the alchemy of the darkroom had always captivated me, developing a print in the sun was like a liberation. One of the things I found most refreshing about the process was the unpredictability of the results. Some of my best prints were the product of ‘happy accidents’. The developing process is straightforward. The chemicals are cheap, and most of the other items used can be found around the house. Pre-coated paper is available, but one of the benefits of working with cyanotypes is the great flexibility of material and paper available to you. Cyanotypes print on anything made of natural fibre. Cotton, linen, silk, handmade paper, watercolor paper and rags are just number of alternatives. Some artists even print on wood. So, if you want to explore a fun alternative photographic process or seriously want to experiment with producing unique fine art, make a cyanotype.

For over two decades visual artist and historian Brenton Hamilton has created a sustained body of work, mostly concentrated within the historic processes employing nineteenth century photography techniques, no longer commercially available. Hamilton has produced a unique body of work using methodologies like gum bichromated forms, platinum, and collodion ambrotypes on black glass, French variants of paper calotypy and of course the embellished cyanotype. Influenced by the Surrealist motifs; coaxing dream like, chance collisions of fragments from art history, Hamilton shapes a new landscape in his photographs. The present symbolism of the dark night sky and the freedom to look outside himself towards unfettered ideas and musings, learning to make a new place with paper and metal salts and light allowing him to rest and wonder. He combines human anatomy, astronomy and botanical imagery to create intriguing and provocative arrangements. His work references to ancient Greece and Rome, as well as 15th and 16th century Dutch and Italian paintings. Hamilton uses symbols and visual elements from the history of art to create a thoroughly contemporary vision.

Shortly after William Henry Fox Talbot announced his invention of photography in 1839, the dedicated amateur botanist Anna Atkins, daughter of a prominent British scientist, began to experiment with the new medium. In 1843 she turned to her friend Sir John Herschel's recently discovered cyanotype process to publish her growing collection of native seaweeds--a daring way to introduce photography into book illustration. At regular intervals over the next decade, Atkins printed and issued these bracingly modern, deeply-hued photograms to her "botanical friends" in the form of hand-stitched fascicles of a book she entitled Photographs of British Algæ: Cyanotype Impressions . The fi rst book to be illustrated by photography and the earliest sustained application of photography to science, British Algæ is a landmark in the histories of publishing and photography. Of the nearly two dozen substantially complete or partial copies known to exist, each is distinct in its appearance and often in its number and arrange- ment of plates. The set of 13 parts she gave to Sir John Herschel--now in the Spencer Collection of The New York Public Library--is especially important and was carefully preserved by generations of the Herschel family exactly as Sir John received it. This sumptuous facsimile edition reproduces the recto and verso of each plate, presenting the work as its creator intended: as bound volumes to lingered over, studied and admired, page by extraordinary page.

New Dimensions in Photo Processes invites artists in all visual media to discover contemporary approaches to historical techniques. Painters, printmakers, and photographers alike will find value in this practical book, as these processes require little to no knowledge of photography, digital means, or chemistry. Easy to use in a studio or lab, this edition highlights innovative work by internationally respected artists, such as Robert Rauschenberg, Chuck Close, Mike and Doug Starn, and Emmet Gowin. In addition to including new sun-printing techniques, such as salted paper and lumen printing, this book has been updated throughout, from pinhole camera and digital methods of making color separations and contact negatives to making water color pigments photo-sensitive and more. With step-by-step instructions and clear safety precautions, New Dimensions in Photo Processes will teach you how to: Reproduce original photographic art, collages, and drawings on paper, fabric, metal, and other unusual surfaces. Safely mix chemicals and apply antique light-sensitive emulsions by hand. Create imagery in and out of the traditional darkroom and digital studio. Relocate photo imagery and make prints from real objects, photocopies, and pictures from magazines and newspapers, as well as from your digitial files and black and white negatives. Alter black and white photographs, smart phone images, and digital prints.