Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Anna, Bonnie, Elizabeth and me


I was lucky enough to make this photograph with Bonnie.  It was shot with my 1903 Conley and I really thought I messed up the negative.  I did not use enough chemicals and the majority of the image was not developed.  I cut the bad parts out.  I have been studying non-silver techniques with Elizabeth. Thank you both.


Wikepedia
Cyanotype is a photographic printing process that produces a cyan-blue print. Engineers used the process well into the 20th century as a simple and low-cost process to produce copies of drawings, referred to as blueprints. The process uses two chemicals: ammonium iron (III) citrate and potassium ferrycyanide.The English scientist and astronomer Sir John Herschel discovered the procedure in 1842.  Though the process was developed by Herschel, he considered it as mainly a means of reproducing notes and diagrams, as in blue prints.  It was Anna Atkins who brought this to photography. She created a limited series of cyanotype books that documented ferns and other plant life from her extensive seaweed collection.  Atkins placed specimens directly onto coated paper, allowing the action of light to create a silhouette effect. By using this photogram process, Anna Atkins is regarded as the first female photographer.




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