Blue by - Martijn Gijsbertsen

Photographer Martijn Gijsbertsen makes blueprints of specific portrait series under the name Blue by. This blueprint technique, that’s known as cyanotype, dates back to 1842 and was primarily used in the early days of photography for making prints of plants like ferns and flowers, then later to duplicate construction drawings. The technique is characterized by bright Prussian blue tones. The photographer has researched and optimised every facet of this antiquated printing technique, and the entire process happens in-house - from the chemical solutions that photosensitise the paper and negative production to paper selection, exposure and rinsing, and fixing the print. It guarantees that the process is fully controlled.