A4 Cyanotype Handmade Print...
Salt Pixels£40.00
“Small batch handmade cyanotype photographic prints on watercolour paper.”
I'm a Bradford-based photographer making hand-printed cyanotypes from my own photographs. The cyanotype is one of the earliest photographic forms, dating back to 1842, and I love it for its rich, distinctive Prussian blue tones. Although it's a historic process, I use it as part of a contemporary photographic practice, creating original prints from my own images.
Each print starts with one of my photographs, from which I make an acetate negative. I hand-coat watercolour paper with cyanotype chemistry before contact-printing, exposing and developing each one by hand. Because every print is hand-made, no two are ever exactly the same. The painted border to each print is also intentionally different. I enjoy the slower pace of this process and the small variations that contribute to making each print unique.
Working sustainably is also an important part of what I do. The cyanotype process uses only small amounts of chemicals, and the prints are developed using water. I'll develop them in a bath with a small amount of vinegar to help retain good tonal contrast, but then wash further in water.
For my practice, I'll travel on foot, by bike, or by public transport whenever I can. This slower way of travel helps me connect with the places I photograph, and that connection I hope is something that comes through in the finished prints.
As for my name - salt pixels - I live near the UNESCO World Heritage site of Saltaire. I also have plans to make some salt prints... but that's for another day.
Ben
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