Cyanotype: nature "photography"

Blue is my favorite color, so when I heard that there was an image-transfer method that worked entirely in shades of blue, I couldn't wait to try it.

Cyanotype uses a combination of chemicals on treated papers to create light-sensitive image transfers using sunlight.

Object height, time of day, and length of exposure were all very interesting variables to play with

Our first job was to treat the papers. Combining Chemical A with Chemical B, which creates a sickly yellow-green color, we painted the chemical mixture onto the papers in a room with no access to natural daylight. While the treated papers dried, it was time to go on a nature walk.

We searched for objects with cool positive and negative spaces, and spent a lot of time holding things up to test their shadow-throwing capabilities. Because of the quick, time-sensitive nature of the chemical process, we planned our "compositions" in advance as much as possible- using the location and lighting to see how the shadows would lay when we brought the paper out.

No matter how much pre-planning we did, the sun waits for no one, and this process really shows the passage of time on your paper. The tricky part was how the composition still looked different when it was put onto paper- the shadows shifted quickly, and it still ended up being quite an "in the moment" creation that responded to the chemical-treatment patterns on the paper, the position of the sun, and how much the wind may or may not be blowing at any moment!

The exposure results vary based on the age of the chemicals, the acidity of the papers, the density of the objects used to image-transfer, and the strength of the sunlight. Because the cyan image isn't revealed until the process has been stopped, you make your best guess, then rapidly remove the paper from the sunlight and wash it until the yellowed chemicals are removed from the paper and leave only the shades of blue on your paper.

This bug-eaten rose leaf ended up being an abstract favorite

I love how the original object looks next to its cyanotype piece, and my mind is buzzing with ways I can adapt and manipulate this process to create lots of different effects. My next steps are to experiment with embroidery and man-made objects, and possibly some image-transferring techniques. I also want to use this technique with fabric in the future... I think I may have a new obsession!