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The cyanotype process is one of the earliest photographic techniques that remains popular to this day. Paper is coated with the cyanotype solution then exposed to ultraviolet light. Objects placed on top of the paper – whether natural things like plants, man-made items or negative film – is reproduced on the paper in stark monochrome, the silhouetted details held back to white while the exposed areas bloom into shades of Prussian blue. In the past its simplicity made it especially useful for reproducing documents of building designs, hence the term ‘blueprint’.
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These days you can even use the technique to physically print your digital Nikon photos by first converting them into negatives in Photoshop and printing them onto a sheet of transparency film, before overlaying the physical transparency onto your coated cyanotype paper and exposing it. The process is inexpensive and easy. You’ll need cyanotype chemicals that can be ordered for under £20 – ready-coated paper exists, but coating the paper yourself is easy enough, works out cheaper and allows you to create lovely brushed borders at the edges. Cyanotypes are exposed via daylight or UV light like a black light or UV torch.
Relatively slow exposure times allow us to fine-tune the composition of objects and experiment with movement. With a UV light, we can also finesse our exposure by ‘burning’ areas that need more light, or vignetting the edges of the print. After washing and drying, we’re left with a beautiful piece of analogue art ready to display.
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