In 1843, Anna Atkins printed what is considered the first ever photography book. It was a collection of her cyanotypes, slow-reacting and cyan-blue prints. I was inspired by her pioneering role as a woman in science and photography and wanted to create a self portrait with a process, medium, and identity connected to that history.
The Process
Take a self portrait with a camera. In Photoshop, convert to a greyscale bitmap with a halftone pattern.
Print the portrait on transparency paper. Lay over the UV-reactive paper and expose to sunlight for around 30 seconds.
Scan the paper or take a photo of it to bring into Photoshop.
Press flowers from aging bouquets (lilies, hydrangeas, an orchid, locust tree leaves, daisies) between newspaper pages and heavy books to dry and flatten.
Arrange the flowers on the UV-reactive paper to capture their silhouettes. Bring them into Photoshop.
Bring the flowers into the self portrait as layers and make desired edits.