The plan for this photoshoot is here: LINK
This is the second shoot where I took images of objects, however, for this shoot I used 10 x 10 cyanotype paper to create cyanotype prints using the objects I collected from my woodland photoshoots. This was the first time I used cyanotypes as the main method for a shoot (although I have created a cyanotype image around the start of the course), so some of the images were not perfect, however I feel like I was still able to produce some good images.
The setup I used for this shoot used a base (the plastic lid) the cyanotype paper, the object I was capturing and an acrylic sheet which kept the object in place. Once the exposure was complete, I soaked the paper in water to stop the exposure and left the paper to dry flat.
The Images:
Best images:
Comparison to Atkins’ work
The objects I chose as subject matter for my cyanotypes (aside from the image on the right) were mainly thicker leaves or twigs, often with a lack of detail due to my inexperience in the medium, however I think this particular image bares resemblance to some of Atkins’ images. A lot of my images are fuzzy around the edges, due to the volatile weather changing the light during the exposure, as well as my own technique in capturing images using this method. However, I think the fuzziness of the images gives them a different aesthetic to Atkins’, capturing the natural changes in light and subtle movements in the objects as opposed to a perfect, scientific representation of the object. During the shoot I tried to capture a sequence of objects like some of Atkins’ images, however due to the thumbnail size of the paper, I was limited in what objects I could use to do this.
Evaluation:
As a first-time attempt, I was happy with the way some of the images came out. It was a very unique experience due to how different the process is to standard digital photography, I enjoyed the process. Due to the volatility of the weather, with the sun peeking in and out behind the clouds, some parts of the images are fuzzier than others. I think the images produced in this shoot will go well with the other object images in the project, and adheres nicely to the ‘simple’ side of the project’s theme (despite being an arguably more complex method of photography than I am used to).
What went well:
I am glad to have experienced this method of photography as by using it, it gave me more experience in the different ways of taking images and knowledge on photography’s history. Some of the more detailed images I took from this shoot are akin to Atkin’s and Talbot’s images in terms of their simplicity, linking with this shoot’s plan.
How I can improve:
Some of the images came out fuzzy or underexposed, this is due to my lack of knowledge and experience of the method, so it was to be expected. Due to the size of the paper, I could only use fairly small leaves and plants as objects to photograph.