The Calotype Paper Negative - Why I am Creating With 180 Year Old Technology

As a large and ultra large format photographer, my work is deeply rooted in the tactile, deliberate nature of pure analog workflows. Over the years, I’ve developed a profound respect for the materials and techniques that connect me to photography’s origins, enabling me to express my feelings and emotions through the narratives conveyed in my images.

In today’s article, I share my thoughts and experiences on creating handmade Calotype paper negatives.

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Throughout my personal journey, many of my projects have shifted away from contemporary sheet film, drawing me toward historic processes like Calotype paper negatives as my primary medium.

Step into my world, both in the field and the darkroom, as I bring my latest Ultra Large Format photographs to life. Whether you’re a photography enthusiast eager to dive into the technical details with access to my Darkroom Diary, or an art collector looking for a more personal connection to my creative journey, I invite you to explore it all with me. Let’s connect, share insights, and discover what inspires you along the way. I’m excited to meet you where art and craftsmanship intersect.

The Shift from Sheet Film to Historic Mediums

Film, with its precision and reliability, has served photographers well for decades, capturing the world with remarkable clarity and clinical sharpness. However, as I’ve evolved as an artist, I’ve come to realize that this precision can sometimes detract from the emotional depth I aim to convey. My work is not merely about what is seen, but about what is felt. The historic negative mediums I now favor—such as the original calotype paper negative, collodion dry plates, and contemporary silver gelatin paper used as negatives—offer a unique, expressive quality that film cannot replicate.

Ultimately, it’s about communicating and expressing my artistic vision, finding the tools and workflows that align with my intentions. There are no right or wrong answers in this process; it’s a personal journey for every photographer.

Calotype Paper Negatives

The calotype, one of the earliest forms of photography, introduces a textural quality to my handmade prints that film simply cannot match. For me, it’s not about one being ‘better’ than the other, as I don’t view the tools and workflows available to me in such absolute terms as an analog photographer in the 21st century.

Calotypes exist in a league of their own when it comes to aesthetics and their ability to shape a narrative. The imperfections, grain, and softness of the paper negative create a dreamlike quality that resonates deeply with the themes of memory, loss, and time that permeate my work. I often exaggerate these characteristics by using vintage soft-focus lenses, further pushing my work into the Pictorialist realm.

The Pros & Cons of Calotypes

As with any choice, there are always pros and cons to weigh carefully. If the Calotype paper negative aligns with your creative vision and the goals of your project, it may be a fitting choice. However, before embarking on what could be a multi-year commitment, here are a few important considerations to keep in mind.

Here are 10 reasons why I love making Calotype paper negatives in the same way they were made at the very beginning of photography over 180 years ago.

1. The Organic Nature of the Medium: The imperfections and textures in the paper create a distinct, organic quality that feels more connected to the natural world than modern, overly precise methods.
2. Timeless Appeal: Calotypes evoke a sense of timelessness, connecting me to the origins of photography. Each image feels like a historical artifact, yet it’s a new creation. When looking at my salt, platinum, or kallitype prints on art paper made from my calotype negatives, I feel like I am transported back to the 1850s.
3. Emotional Depth: The softer details and subtle tones allow for a more emotive expression, lending each image a mood that feels intimate and personal.
4. Hands-on Craftsmanship: The manual nature of the Calotype process requires full engagement, making each step—from preparing the paper to developing the negative—feel like a meaningful act of creation. There are many little steps along the way that will ruin the paper negatives, so you must be fully present and paying attention.
5. Unpredictability: No two Calotypes are ever exactly the same, and that unpredictability adds an element of surprise and discovery that keeps me curious and invested. It takes a while to understand how calotypes respond to light and how that relationship renders in terms of your printing process. After you get some experience, you will begin to see your final print in a way that is very enjoyable and satifying.
6. Connection to History: The process offers a direct link to the pioneers of photography, allowing me to walk in the footsteps of the great artists who developed the technique in the 19th century. The Calotype’s started with Fox Talbot in the 1830s and ran until the early 20th century. There were several modifications and improvements to the Calotype paper negative over the years and we get the advantage of all that experience and knowledge.
7. Textural Quality: The paper’s texture becomes a part of the image, offering a tactile quality that can’t be replicated with modern digital methods. Depending on how soft or sharp I want my print, paper choice is a key part of my choice of materials.
8. Subtlety in Detail: While modern techniques focus on sharpness and clarity, the Calotype embraces softness and nuance, encouraging the viewer to engage more deeply with the image. I feel like Calotype’s offer a viewing experience unlike any other negative medium. It feels natural, relaxing, and enjoyable to me.
9. Simplicity and Elegance: The minimal equipment and raw materials required to make Calotypes appeal to my appreciation for simplicity, allowing the process to feel more like an art than a technical procedure. The learning curve is steep, but once you get it down, it becomes second nature.
10. A Personal Dialogue with Light: The way light interacts with the paper and the silver-based chemistry creates a one-of-a-kind relationship in every photograph, making the medium feel alive and responsive.

One very unique thing that I found working with Calotype’s was that this process loves as much light as you can throw at it. You can work in full midday sun and make amazing negatives and prints and this was very freeing and wonderful for me. There are no other negative mediums that I have ever used that will allow working in full sun like Calotype’s.

If you are a sleepy analog photographer and can’t get out of bed before dawn, maybe Calotypes might be exactly what you have been looking for… ??

The Calotype process captivates me with its unique aesthetic, offering an organic and emotive quality that no other method can replicate. Despite its tedious and time-consuming nature, I find joy in every step, embracing the unpredictability and imperfections that make each image one-of-a-kind. The process connects me to the roots of photography, allowing me to create handmade fine art prints with historical significance, emotional depth, and a timeless appeal. The craftsmanship involved in making Calotypes transforms each photograph into a deeply personal and meaningful artistic expression.

Now, I will discuss the reasons why calotypes are difficult and sometimes may not be a good choice for some photographers.

1. Time-Consuming Process: Calotypes require a significant amount of time and patience, from preparing the paper to developing the negatives. This can be a major drawback for projects with tight deadlines or those seeking quicker results.
2. Limited Sharpness: The inherent softness of Calotype images means that fine detail is often lost, making it less suitable for work that demands high resolution or extreme clarity. I consider the bulk of my work to align with Pictorial aesthetics, so Calotypes are perfect. But, if I want very sharp negatives, I will make wet plate negatives or use x-ray or sheet film.
3. Fragility and Durability: Paper negatives are more fragile and prone to damage compared to glass or film negatives, which may affect their longevity and handling during production. I wax all of my Calotypes and they not only helps with my print quality, it also serves as a protective and archival medium. I personally find storage a book of 25 Calotype paper negatives much easier than storing 25 glass plates.
4. Difficulty in Learning: The learning curve for making Calotypes is steep. It requires mastering various steps and techniques, which can be frustrating for beginners or those without prior experience in historical processes. It took me over one full year before I was making Calotypes that I was proud of. I personally think it is much more difficult than wet plate or dry plate collodion negatives in terms of chemistry and ability to make quality negatives.
5. Unpredictable Results: The process can yield inconsistent results due to variables like paper quality, chemical sensitivity, and environmental conditions, making it difficult to control the final outcome. Once you are making high quality Calotype’s, you tend not to change anything.
6. Lower Sensitivity to Light: Calotypes are much slower than modern film, requiring long exposure times that often span many minutes. This can make shooting in low-light conditions or capturing some subjects or scenes very challenging. In full sun at f/4 my exposures are in the 30 second to 45 second range and if I am in shady conditions, or I want to stop down the lens, exposure times can be several minutes.
7. Chemical Handling and Safety: The process involves handling potentially hazardous chemicals, which requires careful attention to safety protocols, proper ventilation, and storage, adding complexity to the workflow. Calotype’s are far less hazardous than wet plate collodion, but care should always be taken and a priority handling any type of chemical.
8. Limited Reproducibility: While Calotypes are beautiful in their uniqueness, their variability makes it difficult to achieve consistent results when trying to reproduce the same print multiple times. For some projects, this is also a positive as with several items on this list.
9. Material Availability: Finding high-quality paper, chemicals, and other materials required for making Calotypes can be more challenging and expensive compared to more modern alternatives. Even when you find a paper that works with the chemistry, if the manufacturer changes something in their manufacturing process, it can lead to the search for finding a new paper which is incredibly time consuming and expensive.
10. Not Suitable for All Subjects: The Calotype process is better suited for natural light subjects, like landscapes, and also may not be ideal for subjects that require precise detail or high contrast. The process won’t work with strobes or artificial light. Regular sunshine and UV light is a Calotype’s best friend.

There are a few other downsides that need to be managed when working with Calotype’s. You will need a plate holder and two thin sheets of glass that you use to sandwich your Calotype between for exposure. There is no way around this and finding two sheets of glass that works with your plate holder can be tricky. Buying cheap picture frames from a store like Walmart or Target is a good option because the glass in these frames are typically very thin. The only downside is they are also very fragile. Don’t forget to sand the edges of the glass so you don’t cut yourself.

Also, the Calotype has to be made within a day or two of exposure. You can iodize the paper in large batches ahead of time and then sensitize them in the silver bath right before exposure, much like the wet plate collodion process. In my environment, I found that once I got into the third day or longer, the quality of the negatives started degrading.

Step into my world, both in the field and the darkroom, as I bring my latest Ultra Large Format photographs to life. Whether you’re a photography enthusiast eager to dive into the technical details with access to my Darkroom Diary, or an art collector looking for a more personal connection to my creative journey, I invite you to explore it all with me. Let’s connect, share insights, and discover what inspires you along the way. I’m excited to meet you where art and craftsmanship intersect.

Expressing Emotion Through Narrative

For me, photography is a language—a means of communicating the intangible emotions and thoughts that words often fail to express. The historic negative mediums I now embrace are not merely tools; they are integral to the stories I seek to tell. These methods allow me to step back in time, exploring the intersection of history and emotion to create images that are not only visually compelling but also emotionally resonant.

By moving away from contemporary film for most of my projects, I’ve rediscovered a deeper sense of purpose in my work. The subtle imperfections and hands-on nature of these historic processes breathe life into my images, enabling me to explore new depths of expression. My journey is no longer about capturing the sharpest image but about crafting a visual narrative that speaks directly to the heart and soul.

Here are three Cyanotype prints from the Calotype negative shown above. As you can see, the possibilities are endless and you are only limited to your imagniation and desire to explore. Click on the prints for a full screen viewing experience.

More Calotype Paper Negatives

In a future article, I will be sharing a similar article about my experience making wet and dry plate collodion negatives. Collodion negatives are a lot different than ambrotypes (positives on glass) or tintypes (positives on black aluminum) in terms of the chemistry, workflow, and difficulty. There aren’t any off the shelf kits from suppliers like Bostick and Sullivan for making collodion negatives. You need to understand the chemistry and be able to adapt and adjust based on real-time results.

In the studio, I am currently experimenting with blue half-speed x-ray film to determine if it can be shaped and adapted for a new ultra-large format still life series that I’m preparing to work on this winter. I’ll be sharing detailed articles and videos about my experiences and results, so be sure to subscribe to the blog here to get notified when new content is published.

Come with me behind the scenes in the field and my darkroom as I create my latest plates and handmade prints. Whether you are technical and want access to my Darkroom Diary notes and formulas or an art buyer who wants a personal connection with me, I have you covered and am excited to learn more about you.

-Tim Layton

www.timlaytonfineart.com