Photographs by Frank

30 April 2020

April Photos

Filed under: Early Spring,Landscapes,Monadnock Region — Frank @ 6:03 PM

Here it is the end of April and I have not posted any new photos since the 10th of March. Early spring is usually a slow time for me photographically, but this year given the pandemic, has been especially slow.

I have been spending much of my time thinking about and making cyanotypes and I continue to do this. I have made some new photographs in April mostly by taking a camera with me on my regular walks around the area, although I did not download any files off the camera until today.

So, here are ten photos made in April… the earliest from the 6th and the most recent from the 28th. They are displayed in chronological order below.

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20 April 2020

Toned Cyanotypes

Filed under: Cyanotype — Frank @ 10:00 PM

I’ve spent the past week and a half working to perfect both my basic cyanotype process and to re-explore the toning of cyanotypes in order to get colors other than the Prussian blue that is the native cyanotype hue.

If you are interested in the gory details of toning continue reading after the images. Otherwise you can stop here!

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The first three prints are on platine (a paper designed for alternative processes such as cyanotype); the last image print is on Stonehenge Warm, a traditional printmaking paper. Note that the tone achieved with carbonate is influenced by the paper.

Here are the gory details…

Toning of cyanotypes involves two classes of chemicals, one needs a polyphenol and a base (alkali).

Tannic acid and gallic acid are commonly used pure polyphenols; coffee or tea are also sources of polyphenols and are sometimes used to tone cyanotypes.

The two most common bases used are sodium carbonate (washing soda) and ammonium hydroxide (common household ammonia).

If one looks at the literature, there are many, many different procedures people have devised to use these compounds to tone cyanotype.. Many of the descriptions talk about the variability in cyanotype toning and some even entourage one to embrace the serendipity and make one-of-a-kind, never to be reproduced singletons.

I guess that I am too much of a scientist, I want toning procedures that are repeatable and controllable. Thus, I have spent sometime experimenting to find a stable procedure.

My procedure, using prints that have dried overnight, is this:

  1. Re-wet the print for at least 2 minutes in water
  2. Soak in tannic acid* (2.5 g / 100 mL) for 5 minutes
  3. Rinse by dipping quickly in water (15-30 seconds)
  4. Place print in either sodium carbonate (7.5 g / mL) or ammonia (5 mL of household ammonia in 100 mL water) until desired tone is achieved; generally 30 – 90 seconds.

When one places the print in the base, the color quickly begins to change. I usually let the color change go to completion as I have found it difficult to stop the change in a reproducible manner; something to work on in the future. Sodium carbonate gives red-brown tones ending with a rich chocolate brown at completion. With ammonia one gets various shades of purple ending with an almost gray color at completion. In both cases the final shade achieved is influenced by a little by the paper used.

This procedure gives little if any bleaching of the image. In my view, this is a big plus. It basically eliminates the need to print the original cyanotype on the dark side and then hope that the result of bleaching (characteristic of many other procedures) is both pleasing and reproducible.

* I have done a few experiments using gallic acid as well but for the moment have concentrated on tannic acid. I have been using reagent grade tannic acid which is fairly expensive. I have ordered some food grade tannin, which is a reasonablly priced, but less pure for of tannic acid. We’ll have to see if it is an acceptable substitute.

9 April 2020

Cyanotypes

Filed under: Alternative Processes,Cyanotype,Landscapes — Frank @ 4:30 PM

It has been just a month since my last post. Like most of us, I imagine, my world has shrunk in these strange times. I have not made many new photographs in the past month. I have been busy though.

Back on 3 January, according to Amazon, I bought some “black light” LED strips with the intention of refitting my UV exposure unit. This unit is used for making alternative process prints via contact printing.

When I made this unit, probably fifteen years ago, I used fluorescent bulbs designed for reptile cages. These bulbs were getting old and cranky. I know… just like me! Three of the six bulbs would not start at all no matter how much I fiddled.

Thus about two weeks ago, I finally broke out the screwdrivers and pliers, removed the fluorescent fixtures and replaced them with the LED strips. It took me all of a half hour. I’m not sure why I waited so long!

Light source at hand, and a bunch of virially induced downtime available I have begun making cyanotypes again. It has probably twelve years since I last worked regularly in cyanotype

Since 31 March I have spent six sessions working in my “dim room” in the basement*. I basically started from scratch by determining exposure times with the new light source. The LEDs are about twice as fast as the old bulbs were. Exposures are taking 5 minutes give or take.

I moved on to printing step tables in order to optimize the curve applied when I print negatives digitally. These curves are used to control contrast.

I then explored variations in processing and a number of different papers.

Yesterday, things really started to come together and I made decent prints from three negatives as shown below**.

Shown are files straight from the scanner with no further processing. They show the entire piece of paper… I even left in the step tables for those who care! 😉

The digital versions are just a bit flatter than the actual prints. The images are 4.5″ square and come from my camera obscura.

The first two are printed on Arches Hot Press, a traditional watercolor paper. The third is printed on Stonehenge White, a traditional printmaking paper. Both papers are very smooth, 100% rag papers and are relatively “heavy”; 300 gsm for the Arches and 250 gsm for the Stonehenge.

I’m close! Another final tweak to the curve to, hopefully, improve contrast in the highlights and I’ll be ready for serious work!

After that it is back to experimenting with toning of cyanotypes. This is something I had much fun with previously.

Then maybe I’ll move on to Van Dyke Browns or salt prints. Those will take much more effort in terms of a darker workspace and how to handle the waste. Having a septic system makes one think very carefully about the latter!

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* One reason that cyanotype is nice is that, being a UV sensitive process, one does not need a strictly dark room. Avoiding sunlight or fluorescent lighting all together and using dim light otherwise suffices.

** I picked these three images to test with because, for cyanotype, these represent difficult tonality. Cyanotype has a fairly short range and contrast is somewhat limited compared to silver-based processes or, especially to digital prints. In my view, these three images push the limits of what is possible with cyanotype.

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