Blue Haze

When at a local Barnes and Noble recently I spotted an interesting box. It was called Sunlight Print by Kate Marlowe. It claimed to be a Photography Kit for producing Photograms on Cynaotype Paper and included everything you needed. I hesitated for a moment and then decided to spend the $15.00 and got it.

I'm glad I did. It was well worth the price even though it now has me forking out more money as I experiment with Cynaotype printing.

Included in the price is 10 sheets of 5 x 7 Cynaotype Paper in a small plastic darkroom type bag, a nicely written book, and a few graphics pre-printed for producing a photogram. The instructions are included on one page of the book that is a nice read for those of you that know nothing about the History of Photography.

I decided that my first attempt at making sunlight prints would be with negatives that I made. I found a few photos that I took that I thought would work best. I bumped the contrast way up and eliminated some of the fine detail in the image. Then I converted it to a 'negative' using Paint Shop Pro and printed out a cropped 5 x 7 image on some transparent Vellum paper I had laying around on a Laser Jet printer. This is one of my 'negatives'.......

Before I exposed the paper I got everything I needed ready. A large piece of study cardboard, an old Lasagna pan (for rinsing), scotch tape, and a piece of glass. For the glass I raided one of the frames I had in storage that was slightly larger than 5 x 7.

In a room with no direct sunlight I put everything together. Taking a sheet of the Cyanotype paper out first and layed it on the cardboard, then putting the 'negative' over the paper, and finally laying the glass over both and used some scotch tape just to hold it all down on the cardboard. I then proceeded outside and sat the cardboard with everything attached on the lawn so it would best get the bright rays from the mid-day sun.

The instructions say to expose the paper for 30-60 seconds or until the exposed parts of the paper turn white. I found that I had to go more like 2 minutes to get a good exposure. Keep in mind, this is not an exact science so you'll need to experiment on your own to see what works best.

After I exposed the paper I took it inside and put it in the Lasagna pan that I had a put just enough water in to rinse the paper. I also added a couple of drops of Lemon Juice. (Note: The kit includes a small plastic rinsing tray so you don't need to go looking for a Lasagna Pan) This will boost the blue color of your print. Before you put your paper in your water tray you want to stir up the water a bit. You then move the paper around. I used a pair of tongs I had in the kitchen. The paper will want to curl so you'll have to move it to keep it from doing this.

Your image will appear fairly quickly. In a minute or two. Once it has you want to take it out of the water tray and lay it on some paper towels or regular towels and cover it with more paper towels so you can get most of the water out of the paper. At this point you'll need to prep the Paper so it can be used as a print. You'll need to get it completely dry. I used the dry side of the paper towels to sandwich the paper and then layed a couple of very heavy books on top of it. I then let it sit for 24 hours. It should be completely dry by then.

This is the resulting print that I framed........

Some of you might be reading this and thinking "that's a lot of work just to get one print". Well, that's the whole idea. In this digital age everything is about instant gratification. Creating Sunlight Prints requires you to slow down and use your hands to produce an image. You might enjoy this so much that you decide to make your own little darkroom and start using, developing, and printing film. Or, maybe not.

I still recommend that you try this. The kit sold at Barnes & Noble is a nice package to get you started and the book, like I already mentioned, is a good read. You don't need to create negatives like I did. You can just use objects around the house or the pre-printed graphics included with the kit. If you zip through the paper in the kit and want to do more you can buy a package that includes all the chemicals you need to create your own Cyanotype Paper or you can purchase 8 x 10 sheets of pre-treated Cyanotype paper. Amazon sells both the chemical kit and paper.

Have fun. Slow down. Put your digital camera down for a week or two and create images the way they were done many many years ago.

Dan J

Compactdius: Canon Snappy S

The Canon Snappy S was introduced in July 1985 at an approximate cost of $ 80.00 (U.S. Dollars) The body colors are bright red, black, yellow, and bright green. The one I have is the bright red but I've been looking for a black.

The technical details of the Canon Snappy S as provided by Canon:

Type of Camera: Fully Automatic 35mm Lens - Shutter Fixed Focus

Picture Size: 24 x 36mm

Focusing: Fixed

Lens: 35mm f/4.5 (3 elements in 3 groups)

Shutter: Electromagnet programmed shutter and aperture. EV 10 (f/4.5 at 1/40 sec) - 15 (f/11 at 1/240 sec)

Viewfinder: Reversed Galilean viewfinder with external yellow frames. Battery check and camera shake warning lamp provided. .45x magnification

EE: CdS cell for fully automatic program EE. Metering range of EV 10 - 15 (at ISO 100) Film speeds ISO 100 and 400 with DX code.

Built-In Flash: Guide No. 9 (ISO 100) Mechanical automatic flash

Power Source:Two 1.5V AAA batteries

Film Loading and Advance: After opening camera back, align film leader at mark then close the camera back for auto loading. Automatic film advance with built-in motor.

Frame Counter: Counts up. Resets automatically when camera is opened.

Film Rewind: Automatic rewind with built-in motor.

Dimensions and Weight: 123mm x 69mm x 44mm, 240g (with batteries)

I have to admit my expectations were very low when I bought this camera. Think I paid less than $3.00 for mine. I loaded some Kodak 400 B&W film that I purchased at Walgreens into it without any hassles. The auto-feed and film advance worked well for a fully auto 'Point & Shoot' camera as did the automatic rewind when the roll was finished.

The size of the Snappy S is approximately 5" x 2 3/4" x 1 7/8" (for those of you, like myself, that can't easily convert mm). It's not so light that you don't feel like you're holding a camera. I took it for a test drive around dusk to a place I knew I would get some decent shadows.


The 35mm focal length is a good general snapshot wide angle. If you're taking a landscape or snap shots of a party you can usually get what you want in the picture.

The Kodak B&W was a good companion for the Snappy S. It produced a nice tone and since most point and shoot cameras like this are basically heavily weighted for center metering you will get a soft vignette in the corners depending on how the light is hitting the lens of the camera. Some people wouldn't like this, but I like any effect that a camera produces that is unexpected.

The optimum flash range for the Snappy S is 3 to 6 feet. The flash has to be flipped open to work so you won't get flash when you don't want it. The viewfinder will alert you to when it thinks you better use the flash. I was quite happy with the 'fill flash' that I got (see above picture). Not too many bright flash highlights.

I would rate the Snappy S as a camera I'd definitely carry in a camera bag. For those of you that only have experience in using digital and want to try some film this would be an excellent camera. Film is easy to load and the auto rewind insures you won't be opening the camera back and exposing your roll. It's a 'no-brainer' camera that will produce good pictures.

Dan J

Photo Outing: May 3, 2011

Finally had a day to go snap some photos. I brought along 5 different cameras. I wanted to test drive a new camera and I wanted to shoot some film, snap some mountain streams, do a little infrared, and play with Lomography. I mainly wanted to use the Lo-Tech equipment. The only reason I brought my 'mega bucks' setup was for the mountain streams.

The Spring runoff from the Mountains is really late this year so I was disappointed when I went to a few of my favorite places only to find the water moving at a slow trickle. Still, I took about a dozen snaps. I'm hoping that by mid-June things will be at a full roar with the mountain streams so I can get some better images.

I was pretty pleased with the new camera I test drove. The first photo in this post was taken with the new camera and the black & white effect is 100% in camera. I enjoy developing and processing but it is nice to be able to take a picture and not have to do anything with it. I'll include a more detailed review of this camera at a later date.
It'll be a couple of weeks before I get around to getting the film developed. I usually wait until I get about 10 rolls snapped before I will do that. Still have about 3 rolls to go.

All in all, it was a pretty nice day. The clouds would come and go frequently and the wind would do the same so I had to keep changing things up but I got what I wanted. Also did some abstract snaps which I want to do more often in the coming months.

It felt good. I was happy.

Sprung is Springing

This is one season when change is most dramatic. I'm going to miss that 'special light' that only Winter can provide and I'm going to miss walking trails that are exposed now but will soon be overgrown and hidden.

Spring is the time when life emerges from the dormant. It is a time when color infuses our planet in a beautiful spectrum. It is also, for me, a time to continue my journey into photography with a new and positive attitude.

I have spend the last few months acquiring new cameras and lenses. I've sought out unique and challenging photography equipment. Like the image in this post which was taken with a new camera I am still learning to use. Much of what I have obtained will force me to look at the world differently and capture images that are far outside the 'box' that my conventional DSLR equipment keeps me in.

Sprung has springed and I'm looking forward to it.