Sewing Onto Cyanotypes

For my experiment, I decided to create a cyanotype of one of my Antonio Mora inspired edits. I printed the image onto acetate and then placed it on top of some paper that had been painted with a mixture of potassium ferricyanide and ferric ammonium citrate. This was then placed under a light in a light box and exposed until the parts of the paper concealed by the darker parts of acetate turned white and the parts unconcealed turned blue. 

Then, because the topic is truth, fantasy and fiction, I chose to sew an eye onto the image. This is because eyes are considered to be symbolic and representative of the truth and how the eyes tell the truth whereas conscience and the mind can lie and manipulate. 

Looking at my experiment, I have chosen not to use this technique for my final piece as I feel that it lacks finesse and doesn't look as effective as a double exposure would.

Patrick Hickley - Cyanotypes

Patrick Hickley is a New Zealand based artist who does a lot of contemporary photography. One portfolio of his that interests me is his cyanotype portfolio 'complexstructures'. The reason that this portfolio is so intriguing to me is that it uses a mixture of photography and textiles, outlines and detail having been sewn on top of the image which is printed on watercolour paper. 

What I like about these images is that the monochromatic blues and whites of the cyanotypes contrast with the red of the thread detailing that has been sewn into the image. The images themselves are of people whereas the the patterns created with the thread are of what is inside the subject, in this case bones and muscle. High key lighting has been used within the photos which brings out the lighter tones within the composition and this is further emphasised by printing it in cyanotype which makes the photo monochromatic blues. This also contrasts with the warmer reds and draws the attention of the viewer due to the brighter red standing out boldly against the muted blues. 

For me, the way thread has been used within the photos represents the truth and reality that, no matter who we are, we are all human and we all are made up of the same components; bone and muscle and skin. The images highlight the fact that we are all the same no matter how different we are as individuals and that we are all just human when push comes to shove. I want to incorporate this technique with my work to create shapes and outlines within images of fire and smoke to represent the idea that nightmares, despite the fact that they aren't real, can be burnt into your mind and can affect the way you perceive the world around you.

Personal Response - Antonio Mora

In response to Antonio Mora's double exposure images, I imported images of smoke from my fire photoshoot into photoshop and edited the levels, brightness, contrast, and black and white settings. This created a more dramatic contrast as well as bringing out the shape and form of the images and creating a larger variety of tone. I then imported an image of fire and ash on top of each smoke photo and changed the blending options to colour burn. This created a much more interesting composition and added colour into the composition. This draws in the viewer and I feel that it symbolises the reality that everything burns and dies at some point, no matter what it is. 

Final Images:

Personal Response - Erwin Blumenfeld

For my response to Blumenfeld's photography work, I chose to use the idea of duplicating an image and making it into a block outline then incorporated it with the original photo. To start, I used a colouring pencil filter on one of my images and changed the settings before erasing parts of the image so it was just the outlines of the flames that were left. I then proceeded to experiment with different blending options to see which option would make the outlines look more prominent within the composition. 

The reason I decided on this process is because I wanted to play with the idea of incorporating something real with something that doesn't look real, putting a spin on the idea of reality and truth. The solid lines and colours that are incorporated with the flowing flames create a contrast and attract the eye of the reader with the unusual shapes and outlines within. 

Final Images: 

Personal Response - Jiang Zhi

When taking photos as a personal response, I decided to take photographs of burning old or personal items as a way of symbolising how we can burn and destroy the past but the reality is that the memories will still remain. I then chose to take photographs at a slower shutter speed of 1/125 to make the flames look like they were flowing more as opposed to a faster shutter speed which would make them look more solid and still.

After importing one of my images into photoshop, I chose to change the levels in order to make the darker elements even darker, bringing our the brighter elements of the flames and making them bolder so they catch the eye.

My next step was to adjust the brightness and the contrast. Once again, this allowed me to make the flames bolder and eye catching as well as making the contrast of colours more evident within the image. 

I then proceeded to change the hue, saturation and lightness. As you can see, this gave the flames a warmer tint and made them seem more red-pink and orange. This also highlighted some of the darker tones and emphasised the glow of the flames on the ash and rubble which makes the image more aesthetically pleasing. Changing the lightness also changed the black so that it was a little lighter, giving almost a vintage feel. 

The final step I took was to change the highlight and shadow within the composition. This gave the flames more form and contrast as well as highlighting more of the darker tones that are slightly lighter than the black. I feel that this has made the image seem much more aesthetically pleasing and interesting to look at.

Final Images:

Contact Sheets:

Jiang Zhi

Jiang Zhi is an Asian, contemporary photographer and considered to be one of China's most diverse and avant garde artists of his age. Over the years, he has had many different exhibitions and portfolios but the one I find most interesting is his work Love Letters. 

Love Letters is a series of photographs taken by Zhi in which he sets fire to flowers and captures the images of the flames engulfing them. The silky, ethereal quality of the flames has been created by a slower shutter speed with the camera placed on a tripod in order to keep the flowers crisp and clear which contrasts with the floating quality of the fire. Some of the images have been placed against a black background to bring out the colours of the flames and petals whereas others are in different locations with brighter coloured flames that contrast with the more dull and dim colours and tones of the environment in which the photographs have been taken.

Zhi has used low key lighting to bring out the full colours of the flames against the backgrounds chosen, creating a sort of fantasy or dreamlike within the compositions. This makes them more aesthetically appealing as opposed to using brighter lighting which would wash out the images and make them less successful as images. The colours seem to m,ix and mingle in certain places whilst also keeping the shape and form of the flowers which makes them look more interesting and unique. The colours of the flames also contrast with the colours of the petals as well as the backgrounds which draws attention to the subject matter.

The subject matter in these photos in particular has been placed in the centre of the composition which naturally draws the eye to the middle of the image. This is more successful on the images with the black backgrounds as there is nothing else within the image to detract attention from the subject matter, allowing us to pay more attention to the way the fire flows or the different colours that highlight the shapes of the flower petals.

Antonio Mora

Spanish artist Antonio Mora creates intriguing and surreal images by combining portraits and landscapes. The way he does this makes some of his artwork seem almost dreamlike and create an air of ethereality and fantasy. Not only this, but his images can also seem more dramatic and bold due to the subject matter of the photographs he uses. The compositions are intriguing and very aesthetically pleasing with the fusioned images complimenting each other to make stunning compositional pieces. 


The achromatic image draws in the eye and catches the attention of the viewer. The grey and black wisps and markings blend in seamlessly with the lower half of the subject's face which creates an image that intrigues the audience and creates an emotive response of thoughtfulness and wonder. The dark skin of the model contrasts with the white background and the subject matter is central which draws more attention to the centre of the image itself. 

The monochromatic image of the male model and the reeds in the river is just as effective as the prior composition. The images fade into each other and create an image that subtly holds the attention of the viewer. The lighting is softer with a clearer use of aperture, the darker tones standing out more against the light and mid-tones. The model is central within the composition which draws in the viewer. There is also a clear use of the rue of thirds; the landscape starting in the top third, transition in the middle, and then the lower half of the models face in the bottom third.