One thing that stuck out in the last few months of my course, was the Grotto exhibition at CSM and some of the feedback provided by Jonathan for my Unit 2 assessment. It’s a medium that I hadn’t previously explored, so I was thrilled to get the opportunity to experiment with it during the lead up to Grotto.

Then upon reading the Unit 2 feedback, one thing that stuck with me was the idea of exploring the cyanotypes further. It’s something that I feel very drawn to, largely as it encompasses many of my interests in photography, monochromatic work and gives me the more hands on experience I enjoy.

So, over Christmas and New Year, I delved into researching more about cyanotypes, the different processes, use of chemicals vs organic materials, ways of toning the final image and began to experiment with different materials and processes.

I also love the idea of creating these in the outdoors; going on a little adventure and then capturing the moment, before undertaking all the processing and developing out in the open. I was getting poor results developing the images on my kitchen windowsill, largely due to the lack of sun at the moment. I decided to invest in a UV light and was astounded by the results in just 5 minutes! Jonathan also recommended a rechargeable portable UV light which I can carry with me and use on the go, which has been a worthwhile investment.

I prepped some small pieces of paper along with some cardboard I cut up from a cereal box. It was interesting to see the difference between the paper and cardboard too.

I went to the Lancaster University library over Christmas, but was surprised to find very little in the way of cyanotypes. In the end I ordered a book from the central library in Lancaster which has some good information about the different processes.

Since I did the small ones using the white vinegar, I also ordered a bottle of peroxide to see what the difference would be.

This past week I have been playing around with using the peroxide to develop. Once these are dry, I will come back with further updates.