Cyanotype: First Prints

One of the things that first drew me to photography was the ability to create something unique, original, and artistic.  Late nights in the dark room with hands wet with chemicals was a big part of what it was all about in my early days.  Don't get me wrong, digital is a great tool, but a big part of me still yearns for those sleepless nights.  In the spirit of getting my hands into some chemicals again I decided to embark on a mission this year - to create fine art using film, hand mixed chemicals, and unique papers/mediums.  

With that goal in mind I selected Cyanotype printing as my focus because it is truly a hand-made process.  From mixing chemicals to coating my own paper, my hands are all over each print from start to finish.

The artist in me was too excited to wait for the first 4x5 negatives of the year to come back from the lab so I dug up a few medium format negatives to test Cyanotype printing with.  All the images were created with my beloved old Yashica Mat-124G.  

This camera creates a unique square negative which I absolutely love!  It forces you to look at the world in a wildly different way than 35mm (or today's digital).  The Yashica also creates negatives over twice the size of a 35mm negative which makes it great for many alternative processes that involve contact printing, like cyanotypes. 

As a portrait artist and a man in love, all the negatives I found were of my lovely fiance!  With some great images to work with (and wonderful memories to dig though!) I couldn't wait to get printing!

“Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.”

— Scott Adams

Negs dusted off, darkroom set up, and we are all ready to go!  The first print (left) was a huge learning experience.  I had a little trouble keeping the negative flat to the paper while printing and attempted to use thumb tacks to give me a hand, but it only had mixed success and left light areas in the corners of the print.  

So, the first print was a bit of a learning experience, but that's what life is about!  After a few refinements in my method I was able to finally get the hang of it and a perfect image in beautiful blue appeared.  Can't wait to print more!

A Return to Film

Many people choose to ring in the new year by making half-baked resolutions to work out, quit smoking, use Facebook less, or get organized.  As a Professional Photographer my half-baked resolutions are perhaps a bit more esoteric - use Facebook more, return to surfing, and perhaps most importantly shoot more film!

In the spirit of that last resolution I made a pilgrimage to Freestyle Photographic Supplies in Hollywood.  An hour and a couple hundred dollars later I emerged - arms full of film, chemicals, and processing tools.

A few days later and I'm back in Pacific Grove dusting off the old Toyo 4x5 view camera.  It has been 10 years or so since I have really gone out and shot with this camera, but much like riding a bike it seems to all come back to me.  Bellows tested, lens checked, screws tightened, film loaded!  I lost my dark cloth somewhere along the way but a black jacket will do for now.  I have set out to shoot 2 sheets of film today as a test, just in case I'm not remembering as much as I think I am.  

Working with this camera is such a beautiful experience.  If 35mm film vs. digital is apples to oranges, then this is sushi.  It is so much more time consuming, but also more thought provoking and even spiritual to create images with a large format camera.  Just amazing.  As an Artist I really appreciate how this process forces you to think, reflect, take note of yourself and your surroundings.  In an hour I created 2 negatives - 2 shots, that is all.  

I can't wait to develop the negatives!