# In-Camera Cyanotype Negatives



## pip_dog (Feb 18, 2018)

Hello, long time no post from me. Here's what I've been working on.

My university only lets photography majors use their labs so I've been searching for not-too-toxic processes to do in my apartment, I've settled on cyanotypes with hopes of the cyanotype rex process allowing for at least some portrait work. 

Anyway, here's my first attempt at using cyanotype paper (actually the store-bought sunprint paper for now) as a negative inside my calumet 4x5. It came out of the holder as a very low contrast positive (solarisation?) and then washed away to an underexposed negative.

Exposure + camera info
~3.5hr exposure (underexposure)
~f/5 on salvaged binocular lens, I wasn't sure if binocular lenses were UV coated. Not this one apparently
some front rise

Out of the holder






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Scanned and inverted





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Converted to black and white with quick adjustments





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I had planned on doing an exposure in my car on the way back to university but something is wonky with my engine so had to abandon for another day 





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I think there is good promise here, especially when I start making my own papers. A big issue will be finding places to stick my camera for hours on end without it getting stolen or something.


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## compur (Feb 18, 2018)

Binocular lens! Very clever.

BTW, regular B&W processing chemistry is not all that toxic. You don't want to drink it or take a bath in it but there are common household cleaning products that are worse.


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## pip_dog (Feb 18, 2018)

Thanks compur, the main concern with the B+W chems for me is the smell. I have roommates so taking over the bathroom isn't really an option meaning I'd have to do it in my room. I have some Ilford paper and some developer and fixer so I might try it out this week just to see what the fumes are like, I remember the fixer being smelly when I was doing pinholes with it. Best case scenario I think is to develop in the morning then open the window and go to class for the rest of the day!


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## pip_dog (Feb 18, 2018)

pip_dog said:


> Thanks compur, the main concern with the B+W chems for me is the smell. I have roommates so taking over the bathroom isn't really an option meaning I'd have to do it in my room. I have some Ilford paper and some developer and fixer so I might try it out this week just to see what the fumes are like, I remember the fixer being smelly when I was doing pinholes with it. Best case scenario I think is to develop in the morning then open the window and go to class for the rest of the day!


I just picked up the bottle of developer, sounds like it's got some crystals in with some liquid. Might be the time to try caffenol!


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## Dave442 (Feb 18, 2018)

My roommates never had a problem with me taking over the bathroom and using the usual B&W chemicals. It usually had to be when they were out as we only had the one bathroom so an hour developing and an hour with everything stored away. Shouldn't be any worse than how they might leave the bathroom smelling.


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## pip_dog (Feb 18, 2018)

Dave442 said:


> My roommates never had a problem with me taking over the bathroom and using the usual B&W chemicals. It usually had to be when they were out as we only had the one bathroom so an hour developing and an hour with everything stored away. Shouldn't be any worse than how they might leave the bathroom smelling.


Ha, guess that's true! I might as well ask, using b+w paper would be a heck of a lot easier than cyanotypes.


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## Light Guru (Feb 18, 2018)

The chemicals the develop bw film are just about the same and you don’t have to use the bathroom. Use a daylight tank and a changing bag. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## compur (Feb 19, 2018)

There are alkaline fixers which are odorless. There are also odorless stop baths (or use water rinse instead).


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## pip_dog (Feb 19, 2018)

Thanks all for the suggestions, I think I have maybe been too hesitant to use the b&w chemicals. So, here is my solution!

The Cyanomatic 1000!





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Is the paper on the focal plane? Sure!
What's the f-stop? f/un!
How is the paper held inside the camera? Don't worry about it!
All for the low, low price of a repurposed pinhole camera!

This should free up my calumet for b&w stuff, I will still post my cyanotype experiments here though.


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## pip_dog (Feb 20, 2018)

The scanner I have is almost 20 years old, turns out VueScan is not the miracle program I thought it was. I can't get my scanner to work on either of my computers so until I go back home and pick up on of my iMac G3s I'm stuck using university scanners, oh well. I took this with my camera and inverted in photoshop, rough and ready

Monongahela river.





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## terri (Feb 26, 2018)

Fun project!    Keep playing and experimenting, and be sure to post your results.


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## petrochemist (Feb 26, 2018)

I find this sort of retro experimentation fascinating (& really MUST do some myself).

One of the books I came across recently on archive.org might be of interest.  'Historic photographic processes' by Richard Farber available from Historic Photographic Processes : Richard Farber : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive in a range of formats


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## terri (Feb 27, 2018)

petrochemist said:


> I find this sort of retro experimentation fascinating (& really MUST do some myself).
> 
> One of the books I came across recently on archive.org might be of interest.  'Historic photographic processes' by Richard Farber available from Historic Photographic Processes : Richard Farber : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive in a range of formats



Cool book!   (Although here, we refer to them as "alternative" photographic processes.)      But granted, they evolved over time as photography expanded.    Those of us still practicing these processes tend to think about photography in terms of "arts & sciences," as opposed to "arts & technology," where it comfortably rests today.   If you tend to be drawn to tactile processes, playing with chemistry and getting your hands dirty, then this stuff is definitely for you.


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## pip_dog (Mar 2, 2018)

espresso2x said:


> pip_dog said:
> 
> 
> > The scanner I have is almost 20 years old, turns out VueScan is not the miracle program I thought it was. I can't get my scanner to work on either of my computers so until I go back home and pick up on of my iMac G3s I'm stuck using university scanners, oh well. I took this with my camera and inverted in photoshop, rough and ready
> ...


I have a CanoScan 5000F, I checked the driver website and apparently they never made linux drivers :/. I've only ever made bootable linux disks, is it possible to get copies of Windows XP for free? There are drivers for that but it looks like after Vista the scanner was no longer supported. I tried running in compatibility mode, no dice.


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## pip_dog (Mar 2, 2018)

espresso2x said:


> If anyone wants to make a boot disk from say Puppy Precise or Puppy Slacko (eg 5.7.1 PAE), then XSane is a preinstalled app.
> 
> Maybe find a cheap laptop with XP on it for scanner use only? I liked XP a lot but haven't seen hide nor hair of it in _many a moon_.


I'll be going home for spring break in about a week, I'll bring back one of my old iMac G3s with me and get the scanner set up on that I think.


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## pip_dog (Mar 3, 2018)

Some more






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## pip_dog (Mar 8, 2018)

Got some more scanned properly just now. 

     

I have bought b&w chemicals and paper. My plan from now on is to make paper negatives in camera and then contact print onto cyanotype paper. I also bought transparency film so if I want to make larger 8x10 prints instead of 4x5 I can.


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