Tag Archives: black and white

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Day 15 – 30 Days Wild…

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Sun Prints… 

 

Printing…
Washing…
Sun Prints…

I finally got round to trying out my sun print paper today which is essentially prepared cyanotype print paper. In the same way as traditional Photograms are made, objects are placed on light sensitive photographic paper and exposed to light.

I was first introduced to this process in 2011 and had a go using some homemade hand painted paper, but when I saw everyone using the sun print craft paper I just had to buy some!

Cyanotypes were invented by Sir John Herschel in 1841 and originally used to create copies of architectural drawings known as ‘blueprints’. This process is much simpler than that of silver print black and white photography and gives a cyan blue print using a sensitising solution of Ammonium Ferric Citrate and Potassium Ferricyanide. When exposed to light (natural or artificial ultraviolet) these iron salts reduce down to their ferrous state that produces a high contrast blue image when oxidised. Oxidation is sped up by immersing it in running water that washes away the unused iron salts that ‘fixes’ to create a lasting image.

In the same way that I made my photograms at the weekend I sandwiched the flowers and leaves I collected between the paper and glass only this time I used the sun in the garden to expose the image. It is a lot of fun and so, so simple!

I love traditional photography, I am sure I am living in the wrong era!!!

❤ ❤ ❤

 

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Day 11 – 30 Days Wild…

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Wild Photograms…

 

 

 

 

Photograms drying…
Foraged flowers, grasses and leaves…
Setting up the darkroom…

Today I spent time doing one of my most favourite activities and created some wild art!

It’s been a year since I last spent time in the darkroom and to be honest it’s been far too long. I’ve been reading all the #30DaysWild posts from people who have been making sun prints with photo sensitive craft paper and it got me craving some time in the darkroom making photograms.

A photogram is a cameraless photographic image made by placing objects directly onto the surface of light-sensitive material such as photographic paper and then exposing it to light. Some of the first photographic images made were photograms, the process made famous by Henry Fox Talbot a British scientist, inventor and photography pioneer, Anna Atkins an English Botanist and photographer and later by Man Ray who called them ‘Rayographs’.

Over the past couple of days I have been collecting various grasses and leaves out on walks and flowers from my garden to use for this activity. It’s easy to lose track of time in the darkroom and what was going to be a quick one hour activity turned into three!

I have experimented a lot with photograms over the years and I discovered that the use of natural materials (and bubblewrap!!) are my favourite objects to use. Of all the technology we possess, getting back to the fundamentals of photography has got to be the most satisfying of all the processes…and once set up photograms really are such a simple and beautiful way of creating an image!!

Now I just need the sun to make a reappearance so I can create some sun prints with my paper that the postman delivered yesterday…

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Kindred Spirit…

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‘My inner peace is set free by my kindred spirit.’

The cemetery is a place I frequent to find sanctuary and stillness away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. This cemetery is unfamiliar to me and represents being at peace somewhere new while my kindred spirit watches over me from the other side. The cat, a stranger to me, symbolises new people in my life.

Chasing Shadows II © Lisa Cullingworth, 2014

Mixed media, digital image.