Many studies show that the majority of people prefer blue to other colors. Cyanotypes by the sea will explore this nineteenth century process to create images as blue as the Italian seaside, as blue as summer skies. Discovered by Sir John Herschel in 1842, cyanotype is one of the earliest and simplest of photographic methods, and unlike many others, never lost popularity, remaining in use continuously for more than one hundred and fifty years. First used to document specimens from nature, and later to produce “blueprints” for architectural drawings, cyanotype eventually became popular as a way to create fine art photographs. It is a flexible and easy to use process that has stood the test of time. Images display a wide tonal range and give the distinct and mysterious “Prussian blue” color. As one of the most stable and nontoxic processes, it is ideally suited for working outdoors without a camera or photographic chemistry. During our time on the Italian coast, we will explore the basics of cyanotype printing, both wet and dry printing methods, working with objects and negatives, and cyanolumens, which combine cyanotype with silver gelatin photographic paper for unique effects. Participants will also learn about the history of cyanotypes, how to create digital negatives, and some simple toning methods for variations on the Prussian blue color.