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Back to Blue: Cyanotype Printing in a Digital World

Writer's picture: Brian ColeBrian Cole

Updated: Oct 30, 2024

After decades of using primarily digital photography, from wedding photography to portfolio development for my MFA program, I’ve recently rekindled my analog roots with cyanotype printing. It has been a refreshing process stepping away from the screens and pixels to create with nothing but sunlight, water, and a simple chemical mixture. In a digital world, this analog process offers a slower, more intentional way of creating art.


At its core, cyanotype printing is a remarkably straightforward process. You coat paper with a 1:1 solution of ferric ammonium citrate and potassium ferricyanide. Once dried and exposed to sunlight with an object or transparency on top, you watch as a bright yellowish green transforms into a murky blue-brown as the chemicals are exposed to light. A quick rinse in water transform the image into the bright blues associated with cyanotypes and helps to fix the image.

In a time where nearly everything in photography can be done with a click or a swipe, there’s something captivating about crafting an image from such a basic, raw process. I love the hands-on experience of creating something tangible, a stark contrast to the editing and layering involved in digital work.


Going back to cyanotypes has rekindled a sense of discovery that often gets lost in the fast-paced digital world. With cyanotypes, there's always an element of surprise. The sun’s intensity, exposure time, and layering of objects effect the result, making each print as unique as a fingerprint. It reminds me of why I was drawn to photography in the first place.

As I venture back into cyanotypes, I’m reminded of how freeing it is to create without endless editing or retakes. It’s just me, the sun, and the materials I choose. I’m excited to keep experimenting, to push the limits of what cyanotypes can do, and to share these pieces with you all.

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