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| Teens Teach | Pinhole Viewer | Camera Obscura |
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The development of photography started with the study of light and how it travels. Some of the first examples of capturing a picture on paper, called cyanotypes for their blue tone, were much like modern sunprints. There are examples of what makes sunprints work in our everyday lives. Human skin is light sensitive in the sun. That is why we either get sun tans or sun burns. The paper for sunprints is covered in a light sensitive chemical. When the light hits the paper, the chemical makes the paper first fade and then turn dark in water. When objects are placed on the paper, they are blocking the rays of light, making a shadow. Because this is light sensitive paper, those shadows make a print.
To make a sunprint, place objects with a distinct shape on the light sensitive paper. Make sure not to expose the paper to the sun until the objects are in place. Leave the paper with the objcts on it in the sun for 2-5 minutes. You will know the print is done when the exposed paper turns almost white. Quickly take off the objects from the paper, making sure the paper is not exposed to sunlight. Then, place the paper in water. This stops the chemicals from reacting to the sunlight. The background will turn blue while the shadow of the objects turn white.
Now you have a sunprint!
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