Hunt’s Printed Vision Workshop: Creating Cyanotypes

Intro: Wednesday August 17th, 7-8pm ? Online!

Workshop: Saturday August 20th, 9am-1pm ? Hunt’s Photo, Melrose

Normally we will say, “The printed image shows our successes and our faults.” In this case, the point of the printed image isn’t necessarily to show us those successes and faults, but instead to create something ethereal and fascinating!
Join Hunt’s Photo Education as we dive into a workshop that will quite literally bring you back to the days of film and hand-printing!
Cyanotypes are quite literally BLUE prints that can be simply made by placing a negative on top of a piece of coated paper (or other material) under UV light (or the sun) for a period of time. Once washed in water, the resulting print produces a brilliant blue image on a white background.
We will begin this workshop with an introductory presentation where we will discuss the process, materials needed, and the preparation to be working with the cyanotype chemistry (see Misc notes above). We will also discuss how to create a digital negative. For this workshop, we will be creating our own digital negatives from an inkjet printer, so you don’t actually need a negative and you don’t need a printer, as we will be printing them in the store. Finally, we will also discuss what to print on. Because we will have the ability to coat a material, be it paper or fabric, you can use a variety of printing surfaces, which will elaborate on.
Please note: We have recorded this introduction, so if you’re signing up last minute, you can still watch it!
During the workshop, we will dive into all these elements. We will go through the process of coating (and drying) papers and fabrics, creating test and final prints, and discussing additional elements to change the look of our final prints. This is a unique workshop that will emphasize creativity and process.
A few items of note:
?In this workshop, we will be utilizing cyanotype chemistry, consisting of ferric ammonium citrate (for light sensitivity) and potassium ferricyanide (for color). As described by the chemistry company Photographers Formulary, “…[Potassium Ferricyanide] is not particularly toxic… [unless] placed in a strong acid solution; however, strong acid is not used in the cyanotype process.”
?Because we will be working with chemistry, you must follow all instructions given regarding chemistry and personal protective equipment.
?Because this chemistry can stain, we will be taking precautions and wearing gloves. We strongly recommend bringing an apron, one that you won’t mind if it changes colors.