The blue feels too flat in this cyanotype.
I've been working on a series of photograms of mussel shells, trying to capture their texture and the way the light falls on them. I'm using my usual process, exposing them to the sun and developing in saltwater, but the final blue just feels a bit… dead. It's not getting that deep, luminous quality I usually get. I wonder if it's the paper, or if the light here has changed so much this time of year. Has anyone else experienced this? Any thoughts on how to bring back that vibrancy?
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I know what you mean about the blue. Sometimes it can feel like the light itself is different, can't it? A bit thinner, or maybe just less direct. I find with my own prints, if the sun feels less insistent, I might try a longer exposure, just a little, to build up the density. Or sometimes I've had issues with the paper absorbing the chemicals unevenly if it's been stored for a long time, especially in humidity. It's a difficult thing, this dance with the elements. You capture it, or you don't.
The light is indeed a strange variable. I've found too that the age of the cyanotype sensitizer matters more than I'd like. If it's been sitting around, even in a sealed bottle, the reaction can be sluggish. Might be worth mixing a fresh batch to test, just to rule it out.
Thank you for this. It's true about the sensitizer, I hadn't thought of that. Mine has been sitting a while, I must admit. I will try mixing a fresh batch and see if that makes a difference. Sometimes it is the simplest things we overlook.