dipping our toes in the waters of alternative processes

for those of you not up on your art history, sir john herschel was a chemist, astronomer & innovator of the photographic medium.  the cyanotype was a little invention born from his burning desire to copy notes faster... (photo geek-ness in its earliest form!)  the resulting images were beautiful blue (cyan) & white silhouettes.


the history of photography class at the art institute of charlotte got the chance to try their hand at making cyanotype-like images last week.  we used premade sunprint kits, what ever was lying around in the outdoor courtyard area on campus and the bright ultra-violet light of the sun.  to make an image, you simply place objects on treated paper, expose to light and then rinse with water.


the group returned to the classroom together with a large collage that they collaborated on.  instead of ten lonely prints, they created a huge u-shaped work of art.


enjoy all ten sunprints separately as well and the intended "whole" image.


if this idea intrigues you, order a sunprint kit for yourself! 

redefining "photo lab"

image by keisha bailey

image by blake cyrier

image by courtney parlier

image by bernetta white

april through june of this year, was a bit of an experiment for me...
an experiment in teaching full-time, teaching new classes, and teaching at the art institute of charlotte.
a select group of students unwittingly played an important role in my little investigation!
lucky for us all, the results were positive!
some students from the principles of photography classes even volunteered images to provide proof of our successful collaboration.
thanks to bernetta, blake, courtney & keisha for their willingness to participate!
enjoy their photographs!


The Art Institute of Charlotte
AiCH Photo Department