Which alternative process is easiest for beginners?

Cyanotype is the easiest alternative process to start with: non-toxic chemistry based on two iron salts, water development, and spectacular results from the first attempt. It needs no darkroom, no hazardous chemicals, and no expensive equipment. It produces deep Prussian blue on a white ground. It is the recommended historical and pedagogical gateway before tackling gum (Aquaprint), carbon or resinotype, which demand more skill.

What is the difference between gum bichromate and Aquaprint?

Historical gum bichromate mixes gum arabic, pigment and potassium bichromate — an oxidizer classified as irritant and potentially carcinogenic, unsuitable for home use. Aquaprint is Vision Picturale's non-toxic reformulation: it replaces the bichromate with the VP N°03 universal sensitizer while keeping an identical polychromatic painterly look. The process is otherwise exactly the same — gum + pigment + sensitizer, water development — but practicable in a kitchen with no health risk.

Which alternative process offers the best permanence?

Carbon transfer printing and platinum/palladium offer the best permanence among alternative processes, with stability exceeding several centuries. Carbon uses a chemically inert gelatin-bound pigment; platinum uses unalterable noble metals. Cyanotype, well kept away from direct light and on pH-neutral board, lasts about 100 to 150 years. For exhibition or collection prints meant to last, carbon and platinum are the museum-grade references.

Do you need the sun for alternative processes?

The sun is not essential: any UV-A source (320-400 nm) works for alternative processes. The sun is free and powerful but unpredictable, making exposure times non-reproducible from print to print. A UV exposure unit like the Luminograph delivers a uniform spectrum with a built-in timer, letting you calibrate once and reproduce indefinitely. This is what turns trial-and-error into artisan mastery, independent of weather and season.

Alternative Photographic Processes: The Complete Guide

Q: What is an alternative photographic process?

An alternative photographic process is a printing technique that does not use the conventional silver salts of baryta or RC printing. These processes rely on iron salts (cyanotype, Van Dyke), platinum/palladium salts, gelatin-bound pigments (carbon, resinotype) or sensitized emulsions (gum). Their common thread: UV light is the revealing agent. A negative is contact-exposed onto hand-sensitized paper, in the sun or under an exposure unit. Each print is unique and handmade.

Alternative photography encompasses a range of artisan printing techniques inherited from the 19th century. Unlike digital printing, each print is unique, made by hand on cotton paper or other substrates. This guide presents the most accessible and beautiful processes available today.

What is an alternative photographic process?

"Alternative processes" refers to all photo printing techniques that don't rely on conventional silver salts (like baryta or RC paper printing). Instead, they use iron salts, platinum/palladium salts, pigments, or bichromate-based emulsions. Their common thread: UV light is the revealing agent.

The 9 main alternative processes

1. Cyanotype

Cyanotype is by far the most accessible alternative process. It produces prints in deep Prussian blue on white paper. The chemistry is simple (two iron salts), non-toxic, and development is done in plain running water.

Look: Blue monochrome. High contrast. Graphic aesthetic.

Difficulty: Easy. Perfect for beginners.

2. Aquaprint (Gum Print — without bichromate)

Historical gum bichromate mixes gum arabic, pigment and potassium bichromate — a toxic oxidizer not suited for home use. Vision Picturale reformulated this process as Aquaprint: the same painterly polychromatic result, using our non-toxic VP N°03 sensitizer instead.

Look: Soft colors, painterly watercolor texture. Highly customizable.

Difficulty: Intermediate. Multiple passes needed for color work.

→ Read the full article: gum bichromate and Aquaprint, without dichromate

3. Bromoil

Bromoil starts with a silver gelatin print that is bleached to remove the silver, then re-inked with oil paint. The result is a print of incomparable tactile richness, close to lithography.

Look: Rich, textured black and white with a powerful graphic presence.

Difficulty: Advanced. Demands a good command of inking.

→ Read the full article: bromoil, without the bichromate bleach

4. Carbon Print

Carbon printing is one of the most permanent processes. It uses pigment mixed with gelatin and bichromate. The result has unparalleled stability and extraordinary shadow depth.

Look: Black and white or color. Exceptional depth.

Difficulty: Advanced. Requires a transfer onto the final paper.

→ Read the full article: carbon printing, without the dichromate

5. Resinotype

The resinotype is a variant of the carbon process using a photopolymer resin. It yields highly detailed prints on varied substrates (paper, wood, fabric).

Look: Very high definition. Works on many substrates.

Difficulty: Intermediate to advanced.

→ Read the full article: resinotype, without bichromate or solvent

6. Van Dyke Brown

Van Dyke Brown produces elegant warm brown prints. The chemistry, based on iron salts and silver nitrate, is very easy to use. It's the ideal alternative to cyanotype for those who prefer warm tones.

Look: Warm sepia brown. Very photographic.

Difficulty: Easy to intermediate.

7. Gumoil

Gumoil combines the principle of gum bichromate with oil-based re-inking. It yields prints of remarkable expressive power, with deep blacks and subtle nuance.

Look: Expressive, painterly, highly customizable.

Difficulty: Advanced.

8. Platinum/Palladium

Platinum printing is the noblest process in photography. It uses platinum salts (or palladium, which is less expensive) and produces prints of absolute permanence with an unmatched range of grays. It is the benchmark process for collectors and museums.

Look: Soft grays, exquisite tonal range. A print made to last forever.

Difficulty: Intermediate. Expensive chemistry.

9. Salted Paper

Salted paper is one of the very first processes in the history of photography (1830s). The paper is soaked in salt, then in silver nitrate. The result is a print with warm brown tones, slightly soft-focus and deeply poetic.

Look: Reddish brown, slightly matte, distinctly antique.