Cyanotype

This is a process I tried in my last year at the Isle of Man College. It is a photographic process that is 153 years old that uses a cyanide based chemical to create blue toned prints. The liquid emulsion is spread onto a paper and left to dry. I photocopied an image onto acetate to create my pieces but it is also possible to use pinhole cameras (although not particularly successful) or you can create simple images by lying object on top of the paper once dry.

Once the emulsion had dried I used a UV light box, placing my acetate face down onto the glass, then placing the painted paper face down on top of the acetate. Closing the lid to the light box, I switched on the vacuum and set the counter to 180 units and left it to work its magic. Once the counter was finished I removed the acetate and the painted paper from the light box and took the painted paper to the darkroom where I left it in a cold rinse bath for roughly 20 minutes to remove the remaining traces of the emulsion. The finished effect is a strongly blue toned image which has an unusual quality.

I enjoyed using this effect and playing around with different variables but I wouldn't recommend it for everyday photography as the results vary greatly and it is a lot of effort for basic toned images... maybe if I were to go into photography as a career I would investigate cyanotypes possibilities more in-depth...

Here are some examples by "professionals":





I'm not sure if the process in which I made my images is the correct one as my photography tutor was a bit of a bodge-job man but here is a link to how to make your own cyanotype images