Photography Using Blueprint Paper

Alternative photography can be retro, old-school fun. One of the lesser knows ways to take photographs is using Diazo blueprint paper. Once an exposure is taken, the paper is developed using windex, and it only requires a "darkish" room--like a kitchen with the blinds closed. It creates a positive image, so the "film" in this case is also the finished print.

The paper is most sensitive to blue and UV light, and so images have a truly authentic old-film look. Early films were orthographic, meaning that they were only sensitive to blue and UV light. It's why the early box cameras used a viewfinder. The viewfinder was designed to focus the visible light onto a ground glass plate for the photographer. At the same time, the main lens was focused for UV light.

This particular paper has more of a purple hue as opposed to a cyanotype (traditional blueprint). The big advantage of this paper is that it exposes much faster than a cyanotype or Sun Art paper. Prints will fade over the course of a couple years when exposed to normal room light, so if you want a permanent copy it's best to scan it.

This paper was used for copying blueprints, and it was done using a large (and rather smelly) machine that would make a contact print by projecting UV light through the original onto the Diazo paper. The machine would then pump ammonia fumes into the paper to finish the process.

Paper can be purchased from Engineering Supply. A pack of 250 sheets is essentially a lifetime supply for you and a bunch of your alternative photography friends. I would recommend getting the sheets instead of the rolls so the paper won't have a tendency to curl. The pack of paper comes in a light-tight plastic bag, and that's the best way to store it. When you want to shoot it, take out a sheet in a very dark room, and cut it into the sizes you need. You can use a red LED light pointed at the ceiling as a light source.

Shooting

To load a standard 35mm or medium format camera, just cut a pieces of the paper that's the height of 35mm film (including the sprockets) and two to three inches long. Open the back of the camera and just place the strip with the yellow side towards the lens. Then gently close the back of the camera. Metal plates inside the camera should hold the paper in place. For a 4x5 or larger view camera, just place a film sized piece of the paper in a film holder, and you're good to go. This paper wasn't designed for photographs and so the resolution is nowhere near as good as film. Bigger prints are better for capturing detail, but you can still get reasonably good results from a 35mm camera.

The photo at the top of the page was taken in Rhyolite Nevada. It's a one hour exposure using a Calumet 4x5 camera at f/6.3. Obviously an hour is an exceedingly long time to wait for a single exposure. This is one situation where faster optics are a big plus. At f/1.4 an exposure only takes about seven minutes which is more manageable. Of course, much depends on how brightly lit the subject is. All of the exposure times below assume that the subject is in direct sunlight.

Keep in mind that the blue and UV end of the spectrum will likely focus at a slightly different setting than a normal exposure. The amount of this difference is highly dependent on the lens. And obviously you will want to remove any UV filters that might be on the lens to protect it. Experiment with different focus settings to see which work best. Higher f-stops are more forgiving for focusing, but obviously will increase the exposure time. It may take a few attempts to get everything working correctly.

Approximate Diazo Blueprint Exposure Times - Direct Sunlight

f/1.4 = 7.5 minutes

f/2.0 = 10 - 15 minutes

f/2.8 = 20 - 30 minutes

f/3.5 = 25 - 45 minutes

f/4.0 = 30 min - 1 hour

f/6.3 = 1-2 hours

f/8.0 = 2-4 hours

This image was taken with a 35mm Pentax LX camera at f/2.8.

Developing

To develop the "film" you need to expose the paper to ammonia fumes--Windex works fine for that. Do NOT put the Windex directly on the paper. You don't want the paper to get wet, you want the fumes only! I have a glass food storage (e.g. Tupperware) container with a plastic lid. Inside I have a small wire rack that sits above the fluid in the bottom. It takes about five minutes to develop depending on how strong the ammonia fumes are. Let the paper sit in the fumes until you get a nice deep purple color from the unexposed areas. If you use a glass container for developing, you can peek in from the side to see when it's ready. Then take the paper out and let it dry.

The Rhyolite photo above was actually developed in the passenger footwell of my truck. I took the food storage container, wire rack, and a jug of Windex with me. I made a dark space in the footwell with a piece of cardboard, poured Windex into the container until it was an eighth of an inch deep, put the wire rack over it, and then placed the blueprint paper on the rack (yellow side up).