In the early 1830’s William Henry Fox Talbot experimented with “photogenic drawings” by placing objects and drawings on paper coated with a solution of silver nitrate and exposing it to sunlight. The first year Professional Photography students in their Photo Technology course explored the principle by placing objects on modern-day photographic darkroom paper and, like Talbot, exposing it to daylight for several minutes.

Here is a selection of the lumen prints (and one cyanotype) that they created using light to create photographic images. The paper was dampened just prior to exposure to increase its sensitivity and reduce exposure times. Wetting the paper also results in colour effects and the introduction of random stains and artifacts that Talbot would probably not have been happy with, but that the students liked. Incidentally, photo paper develops out (forms a visible image) simply from the exposure to the intense light - no darkroom processing required.
- David Hopkins