Cyanotype is a simple photographic printing process that creates an archival blue and white print. The cyanotype process was invented in the 1840s and is easy and inexpensive to do at home.

Mary Louise, the owner of Bella Vista Photography, will explain how to make botanical photograms, direct contact prints of plants placed on sensitized cotton material and then exposed to sunlight. The developed print is rinsed in a water bath and left to dry. The final print will have a blue background and no color where the plant touched the material or left a shadow on the material. This process is a great way to celebrate the different shapes of plants.

No camera is needed for this process. We'll use plant clippings from the arboretum garden or items you bring from home to make the cyanotype photograms, also known as sun prints.

The chemicals involved include ferric ammonium citrate, potassium ferricyanide and hydrogen peroxide. They are safe to use, but care should always be taken to avoid ingestion, inhalation and contact with skin.