Printing with Sunlight

Batch 24 students were in for a special surprise after returning from their portfolio shoots — a workshop on cyanotype by Shawn J Stephen.

 

The session began with a class on the history of the cyanotype process and the many ways it can be used to create prints.

 

LLA was soon transformed into an open-air lab, as students foraged across campus for fallen leaves, plants, and everyday objects — the subjects for their cyanotype artworks. Many described the process as therapeutic: making images entirely by hand, with the camera, shutter, and aperture momentarily set aside.

 

Alongside creating photograms, students also had the rare experience of seeing their digital photographs printed using a process that’s almost 200 years old.

 

Waiting for sunlight to break through on a cloudy day, and watching with bated breath as images slowly appeared on paper — it was, for many, an unforgettable experience, marked by a cyan-blue souvenir.

“This was my first experience with analog photography — I’ve only worked with digital media before. The cyanotype session felt extremely wholesome and therapeutic.


We often talk about how different types of light affect an image while looking through a viewfinder, but seeing it react directly on paper, in real time, was an entirely new experience.


What struck me most was how the image in this case continues to evolve. The print you see on day one might look completely different the next day. That’s truly magical.” 
– Ria Saraf, Batch 24 student.

Here are some prints made during the session.