Impossibly Roman Cyanotypes

A few months ago, I had the good fortune of visiting the Eternal City with a Polaroid camera (loaded with Impossible Project film) in tow. Rome is a city near and dear to my heart, and it was a thrill to revisit some of my favorite hidden corners, as well as the city's iconic monuments. The difference was that this time I could capture them in a whole new way, with a Polaroid camera. I enjoyed taking the original images (See Rome, Instantly), as well as the process of printing them as cyanotypes on watercolor paper.

Same Eternal City, but a whole new way of falling in love with it!

The Spanish Steps and the church of the Santissima Trinità dei Monti

 The Flavian Amphitheater, a.k.a. the Colosseum

 

The view from the top of the Spanish Steps

 

Trajan's Forum, with Palazzo Venezia, the church of Santa Maria di Loreto, and Trajan's Column in the background

 My beloved Piazza del Popolo

Rome

One of my favorite places in Rome is Piazza del Popolo. A vast open space, paved with cobblestones and bordered by an ancient city gate, three churches, numerous sculptures and fountains, and a monumental park descending from the Pincian Hill, it's part outdoor living room and part outdoor museum. And of course it's also a living, breathing Roman square, with scooters, taxis, buses, and cars zipping around its edges. 

The near-twin churches of Santa Maria in Montesanto and Santa Maria dei Miracoli hold particular charm for me... I can't seem to photograph them enough!

Cyanotype on watercolor paper, toned in coffee.

Original image taken with a Polaroid and Impossible Project PX600 film. 

Williamsburg

On a recent photo walk in Williamsburg, Virginia, I was looking for some digital photography fun. I had my Nikon ready and was looking to capture anything and everything that suited my photographic whims.

But of course my photographic whims also had to include some off-the-wall methodology. I've been wanting to try selectively coating my lens (don't worry: the clear UV filter, not the lens glass itself) with Vaseline, but all I had on hand was a plain chapstick.

I applied it to part of the filter and started snapping away to see what types of effects it would create. This peacefully grazing horse was my first unwitting subject.

The chapstick had a stripey effect on some photos...

 

...but lent a soft glow to others.

Bruton Parish Church

To my surprise, the chapstick also added a starburst effect to the lights coming on at dusk.

Colonial Williamsburg is a beautiful place to watch daylight  fade away into night. 

And apparently it's also well-suited to chapstick-enhanced digital photography. 

Next time: Vaseline!

Cremona

One of my favorite places from our trip to Italy this spring was the breathtaking medieval cathedral square of Cremona, called Piazza del Comune.

The cathedral, built in the 12th century, is a Romanesque structure that has been updated with Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque elements. To the right is the baptistery, whose origins also lie in the 12th century. The 13th and 14th-centry bell tower is called the Torrazzo, which is supposedly the origin of the name of Cremona's favorite Christmastime treat: torrone.

We spent a couple of hours in this piazza, people watching, exploring the cathedral and baptistery, and soaking in our beautiful surroundings.
Here, la vita is definitely dolce.

Santa Caterina a Formiello

Santa Caterina. I'm not sure I can put into words exactly what it is about this church and this neighborhood that I find so fascinating. But I'll try. I think it has something to do with its thoroughly Neapolitan character: Raw and real, it has the characteristic grittiness of downtown Naples, combined with the energy of scooters, kids kicking orange soccer balls, outdoor markets, and granita kiosks selling various flavors of snow cones. The church's beautiful interior is reason enough to visit, but there's so much more to see. Perhaps parts of Naples are an acquired taste for travelers... but for me, Santa Caterina gives me the thrill of exploring a well-kept secret, an area often overlooked by visitors.

On one of our walks through Naples, I pulled the Holga out of my purse for a quick photo. In the year that had passed since I saw her last, Santa Caterina had lost none of her charm.

Rome, Instantly

Fun with Impossible Project's black frame film:
Piazza del Popolo and the view at the top and bottom of the Spanish Steps, respectively.

I love Polaroid cameras.

But I have to admit that they're not always practical, since they're neither slim nor lightweight. But when paired with the Impossible Project's silver shade instant film, they can produce unique and fantastically imperfect travel memories... so I decided that carrying one with me would be worth it. I packed a camera and two packs of film, which I burned through in the first few days of our trip.

One of my first Roman Polaroids: Trajan's Forum, with Trajan's Column and the Church of the Santissimo Nome di Maria in the background.

A must-see (and must-photograph): the Colosseum

And, barely visible, but it's there: the Pantheon

Our visit to Rome wouldn't have been complete without a stroll through Piazza Navona, admiring the Baroque fountains and the original watercolor art for sale.

The Piazza del Popolo has become one of my favorite spots to photograph in Rome. With its spacious size, odd shape, central obelisk, and peripheral statues and churches, there is no shortage of sights (and people) to see. Here, the near-twin churches of Santa Maria dei Miracoli and Santa Maria in Montesanto mark the end of Via del Corso and the beginning of the piazza. There is something timeless and iconic about them that I just love.

Another area we enjoy exploring is the neighborhood around the Spanish Steps. Most of the area is a pedestrian zone, making it the perfect place to window shop, stop for coffee, observe local produce markets, and just enjoy walking around.
This photo was taken from the top of the steps, looking out over the city.

Canon AE-1: First Results

Drumroll... the first images from the Canon AE-1 are in! I didn't run a dedicated test roll through it but simply started taking it along on certain photo trips. So far, the camera has accompanied me to Washington DC, to the beach, to one of my favorite lighthouses, and even on a quick walk through the snow... familiarly chilly surroundings for this solid, sturdy camera that has withstood the tests of time and extreme temperatures.

It was a beautiful morning in DC, sunny but cold, so armed with a hat, gloves, and a few cameras, I set out to go exploring for the day. The destination at the top of my list was Washington National Cathedral.

It wasn't easy to get the entire facade into one frame, but I'm happy with how this photo turned out. I was glad to be there in winter, with the bare trees allowing the rose window to show through a little bit.

My favorite part of the cathedral was the labyrinth of chapels, corridors, and art exhibits in the space below the main basilica. Above: the Chapel of Joseph of Arimathea, photographed with a Polaroid Spectra camera and Impossible Project Silver Shade film.

From Washington National Cathedral, I walked up Wisconsin Avenue. In the above photo, I'm looking down Wisconsin Avenue back toward the National Cathedral, whose bell towers are visible in the distance.

Next Stop: Arlington National Cemetery. I had never been there before and planned to spend some time walking around. And I was prepared for the bone-chilling wind: I had slipped toe warmers into my shoes and hand warmers in my coat pockets to warm my fingers between photos.

I walked around the cemetery for a while, then escaped the cold by ducking into Arlington House. Arlington House and its plantation were associated with the Washington, Custis, and Lee families, and it is now a memorial to Robert E. Lee, whose family lived here for 30 years. The history of Arlington National Cemetery begins in this very spot, as part of the plantation property was used for Civil War military burials.

Back in Hampton Roads, the Canon AE-1 and I went to one of my favorite local spots: New Cape Henry Light...

...and the nearby sand dunes.

Washington DC's cold weather isn't the only cold air the Canon has faced lately. When it snowed earlier this season, I couldn't wait to head outside and take a few snowy photos. The camera did great!

A normal neighborhood, transformed into a winter wonderland.

But not to worry, the camera didn't always have to work outdoors. I also used it to take some through-the-viewfinder photos in the comfort of my home:

Fun!
For this set of photos, I used black and white film, which I then scanned in color for just a hint of cream tone. I had a great time with the camera, and I can't wait for round two!

The Impossible Project

In 2008, to the disappointment of Polaroid fans everywhere, Polaroid stopped production of its popular instant films. But now there is new hope, and it bears the optimistic title of the Impossible Project. What was thought to be impossible is now being done: Drumroll... Polaroid films are back!

While they can't officially carry the Polaroid name, they're already being produced in color and monochrome for a couple of Polaroid camera formats, and they're attracting a growing following. The one I used here is for a 600 camera: the PX 600 Silver Shade film.

Although the Impossible Project purchased an entire Polaroid factory, the chemical mix is all new. The resulting film packs are still being developed and improved. They're extraordinarily sensitive to temperature and light, and they're also somewhat unpredictable, which adds an extra thrill to the experience of taking a photo with this most extraordinary instant film.

Trinity Church, Newport, RI

I took the first two images in Newport, Rhode Island, and Trinity Church in the historic heart of the colonial town was my intended subject. For some reason, the first photo didn't turn out. But when the camera spit out this second image, I made sure to cover it up immediately and give it as much darkness as possible while it was developing... and it turned out! I don't think 3 minutes ever take longer than when waiting for a Polaroid to develop... which is another part of the ritual and the excitement of using a piece of photographic history.

Churchland Baptist Church in HDR

This morning, this historic church in Chesapeake became the subject of my first attempt at creating an HDR image. HDR stands for High Dynamic Range, and it involves digitally blending multiple (bracketed) exposures of the same subject to combine the best elements of each of them.

The first frame is more or less normally exposed.

The second frame is underexposed, capturing detail in the brighter parts of the picture, i.e. the clouds in the sky here.

The third frame is overexposed, ensuring that detail in shadowy areas will be visible.

Then the three (or possibly more) frames are combined to form one image that shows detail both in the bright and dark areas of the scene.

Churchland Baptist Church in HDR
Fun!!