COLLECTING CYANOTYPES

 

There is something wonderfully appealing about cyanotypes.  The images produced usually are very crisp and clear, but care should be taken in handling the prints as the paper used for making the images is delicate.  Almost anyone can make cyanotypes and the process continues to this day being used by photographers and artists.  There is surprisingly very little scholarly literature on the subject and no general survey exists on the historical usage and range of the medium in photography.  In addition, there has been no major museum show on the cyanotype.

I include here an excerpt from Wikipedia which is a fascinating account of its origin and early usage:

“The English scientist and astronomer Sir John Herschel discovered this procedure in 1842. Though the process was developed by Herschel, he considered it as mainly a means of reproducing notes and diagrams, as in blueprints. It was Anna Atkins who brought this to photography. She created a limited series of cyanotype books that documented ferns and other plant life from her extensive seaweed collection. Atkins placed specimens directly onto coated paper, allowing the action of light to create a silhouette effect. By using this photogram process, Anna Atkins is regarded as the first female photographer.”

What you will see in the contributions from your fellow collectors below is how varied the subject matter is within this rather neglected medium.  If one wanted to collect an area of photography which is both beautiful and ripe for scholarly attention, one could do worse than to concentrate on the humble cyanotype.

Robert E. Jackson

For more information on any  of the contributors below, please click here.

The next group blog will be on spiders, bugs and other insects.  Got a good photos?   Shoot me a line.

 

Robert E. Jackson

Erin Waters

 Thomas Harris

Contemporary cyanotype by Jefferson Hayman

Jim Radke

Sabine Ocker

Pat Street

Joel Rotenberg

John Van Noate 

 

Jim Hanelius

Mark Glovsky

 Robert Young

David Chow

GUNS & SNAPSHOTS

Guns fascinate people. As an object that typifies America, they are up there with cars, TV sets, and cell phones.  They are an integral feature of noir films, and play a major role in movie Westerns.  In snapshots they can be evocatively displayed as a piece of sculpture, be scary toys, seen as emblems of macho behavior by soldiers, and are proudly displayed in many hunting scenes.  After the cloying sweetness of Valentine’s Day, it is time to get back to reality, so here are some amazing examples of gun photos as brought to you by fellow snapshot collectors.  You can find biographies of the collectors contributing photos here.

Clare Goldsmith

Erin Waters

Jim Hanelius

John Foster

Mark Glovsky

Tom Deupree

 Robert E. Jackson

Mark Rotenberg

Pat Street

Mark Sullo

John Van Noate

Marianne Clancy

 Joel Rotenberg

 John Toohey

 

Robert Young

 

Sabine Ocker

Philip Storey

 

Nigel Maister

Jim Radke

VINTAGE PHOTOS OF WEATHER EVENTS

If there is anything which brings us together, it is weather.  If you can’t think of anything to say to someone, you can always reference the weather.  Snapshooters have always been interested in the various ways that climate and the weather have wrecked havoc on their lives and the lives of others and this entry reinforces that.  The manifestations of weather as seen in photographs can be thought of as beautiful or horrific---and often both at the same time.  In these dark days of winter and in an era of global warming, let us now give Mother Nature her due and enjoy what your fellow collectors and photo friends have to share on this topic.

 

Joel Rotenberg

The Art of the Snapshot

Jim Hanelius
For more on Jim, click here.

 Robert E. Jackson
For more on Robert, click here.

 Mark Glovsky
For more on Mark, click here.

Nicholas Osborn

For more on Nick, click here.

 

  
Steve Bannos
For more on Steve, click here.

Erin Waters
For more on Erin, click here.

 

Jim Radke

For more on Jim, click here. 

 

Mark Rotenberg

For more on Mark, click here. 

TRICK or MANIPULATED PHOTOS

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To celebrate the groundbreaking show (and corresponding catalogue) on photo manipulation and visual trickery prior to the digital age, which is currently at The Metropolitan Museum of Art (until January 27^th), I thought it would be well to share examples from the inventory of photo collectors which highlight this fascinating area of photography.  The show at the Met is entitled Faking It: Manipulated Photography Before Photoshop and was conceived and curated by Mia Fineman of the museum’s photography department.  The show will travel next to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C (February 17–May 5, 2013).  It's final stop will be the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston this summer. 

Erin Waters
For more information on Erin, click here

 John Foster
For more information on John, click here

Joel Rotenberg
For more information on Joel, click here

John Nichols
For more information on John, click here

Robert Yoskowitz
For more information on Robert, click here

Robert E. Jackson
For more information on Robert, click here

Jim Radke

John Toohey

For more information on John, click here