Introduction
I have been making cyanotypes for over 15 years. It is a simple process to use, and incredibly effective for the right subject. While any source of ultra-violet light can be used to drive the photochemical change which results in a permanent image, I have chosen to work using only sunlight.
This choice of sunlight means there is no standardization of exposure time, and the process becomes, in my opinion, more enjoyably intuitive. An intuition for exposure is gained through practise, by understanding how undeveloped chemical colour relates to what one will see in the final, developed image. Controlling exposure offers great creative opportunity, and the easiest way to learn is by doing – and, in particular, by making contact photograms.
Contact photograms are easy to set up and it is relatively easy to monitor their exposure. Below I will go through the process from chemicals to print. Please note that this is just the way I do things; there are a myriad of personalised methods to discover, which helps keep the making of cameraless photographs interesting, 175 years after the process was invented.
Setting Up
I use the classical cyanotype recipe, and full details can be found in these excellent articles:
Christopher James – The Cyanotype Process (pdf)
Getty – Cyanotype (Analytical Signature Series) (pdf)
Alternative Photography – Cyanotype; The Classical Process

When dissolved, 20% ferric ammonium citrate is a dark, forest green solution. Potassium ferricyanide 10% solution is bright yellow.The two solutions are mixed in a clean glass dish in a ratio dependent on what colour and texture I am looking for in the final image. I would recommend experimenting with ratios from 1:4 through to 4:1 and more, to see how creatively flexible the process can be.



Dried, coated paper is then cut, and we are ready to make our cyanotypes.
The image set-up and exposure process is described in Part Two!