Give Life Back to Alternative Process: Exploring Handmade
Photographic Printing Experiments towards Digital Nature
Ecosystem
Chinatsu Ozawa

toremolo72@digitalnature.slis.tsukuba.ac.jp
University of Tsukuba
Tsukuba, Japan

Kazuya Izumi

izumin@digitalnature.slis.tsukuba.ac.jp
University of Tsukuba
Tsukuba, Japan

Kenta Yamamoto

kenta.yam@digitalnature.slis.tsukuba.ac.jp
University of Tsukuba
Tsukuba, Japan

Yoichi Ochiai

wizard@slis.tsukuba.ac.jp
University of Tsukuba
Tsukuba, Japan

Figure 1: (a) Results with our method. (b) Our proposed UI for editing, simulation, and optimization. (c)-(i) Our proposal
computational alternative photographic process.

ABSTRACTThe proliferation of smartphones has made it easy for anyone totake digital photographs, and the recent popularization of text-toimage models has made it easy for anyone to create images. In thisage, by combining digital technology with the tactile experienceof handmade processes, we can rediscover the joy of creating with
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ACM ISBN 979-8-4007-0153-5/23/08.
https://doi.org/10.1145/3588029.3599735

our own hands and the emotional connection that comes fromphysically interacting with our work. Previously, we proposed a
new printing framework that integrated computer processing withfull-color cyanotype printing. In this work, we demonstrate expanding the range of aesthetic expressions with computer processing
for tone adjustment with several alternative processes such as salt
print, platinum print, and cyanotype. In the installation, we present
our printing framework with the user interface and exhibit works
utilizing our proposed method. The use of new media developed
after the digital age and the integration of computer processing
in photo printing may be a way to create a new photographic life
with the joy of materialising scenery.

SIGGRAPH ’23 Labs, August 06–10, 2023, Los Angeles, CA, USAOzawa et al.

CCS CONCEPTS• Applied computing → Media arts; • Human-centered computing → Visualization toolkits.

KEYWORDS
Alternative Photographic Process, Handmade Photography, Simulation, Optimization
ACM Reference Format:
Chinatsu Ozawa, Kenta Yamamoto, Kazuya Izumi, and Yoichi Ochiai. 2023.
Give Life Back to Alternative Process: Exploring Handmade Photographic
Printing Experiments towards Digital Nature Ecosystem. In Special Interest
Group on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques Conference Labs
(SIGGRAPH ’23 Labs), August 06–10, 2023, Los Angeles, CA, USA. ACM, New
York, NY, USA, 2 pages. https://doi.org/10.1145/3588029.3599735

1INTRODUCTION

The computer graphics community has driven this digital world
as the driving force of current photo editing and visual communication. Now that photographic images can be obtained without acamera through generative AI prompts [Oppenlaender 2022], andstock photos are being proposed 1 , communication through photographs is changing radically. When considering the continuationand development of the tradition of the viewing space of classicalphotographs and the preservation of exhibition spaces, one of thethings that the media art and graphics community should addressis the exploration of materialised photographic alternatives [Kelsey2015]. We believe that the experience of our developed printing
technique can bring out people’s creativity and revive analog photography culture.

2ALTERNATIVE PHOTOGRAPHIC PROCESS

Alternative processes are also known as classical printmaking methods, and they are ways of creating handmade photographs [James2016]. The negative or direct positive can be produced using a lensed
camera, scanner, or primarily through computer-generated means.
The final print can be produced on various commercially available
photographic media such as paper, canvas, metal, or fabric and canexist in both analog and digital forms or be strictly digital. Alternative processes consist of four main steps: mixing of chemicals,
creation of light-sensitive papers, exposure, and developing.

3COMPUTATIONAL ALTERNATIVEPHOTOGRAPHIC PROCESS

Our work presents a valuable contribution to the field of alternative photographic processes by providing a new approach to tone
adjustment that preserves the unique aesthetic qualities of theseprocesses. Previously, we proposed a new printing framework that
integrated computer processing with full-color cyanotype printing [Ozawa et al. 2022]. In this work, we present a novel approachto tone adjustment in alternative photographic processes using userinterface and optimization. The technical contribution of this paper
is the examination and integration of computer technology within
the traditional process of handmade photographic printing (Fig. 2).
Specifically, the authors have focused on tonal adjustments through1 https://stockphoto.com/

Figure 2: The diagram illustrates a four-step systematic approach for alternative photographic processes.
the use of computer technology, demonstrating the potential for aharmonious blend of digital and analog techniques to enhance thefinal print results.

4 THE SIGGRAPH ATTENDEE EXPERIENCE
4.1 Installations
In the “installations”, we visualize research content, exhibit works
using research results, and demonstrate the software we developed.
Participants can view actual prints using our research results at ourexhibition booth and experience the software we developed.

4.2

Explore New Expressions and Your Artistic

The integration of traditional photography with digital technology
enables new artistic expressions. With a user-friendly interface, one
can manipulate image parameters to create unique effects using
environmentally friendly materials. Allowing hands-on work, users
can produce one-of-a-kind photos, with the use of colored pencils or
paints adding to the uniqueness. This approach facilitates creativity
for photographers and artists by combining traditional methods
with digital processes, thus offering a new realm of creative freedomin photography.

REFERENCES
Christopher James. 2016. The book of alternative photographic processes. Cengage
Learning.
Robin Kelsey. 2015. Photography and the Art of Chance. Belknap Press of Harvard
University Press.
Jonas Oppenlaender. 2022. The Creativity of Text-to-Image Generation. In Proceedingsof the 25th International Academic Mindtrek Conference (Tampere, Finland) (Academic Mindtrek ’22). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA,
192–202. https://doi.org/10.1145/3569219.3569352
Chinatsu Ozawa, Kenta Yamamoto, Kazuya Izumi, and Yoichi Ochiai. 2022. Computational Alternative Photographic Process toward Sustainable Printing. In SIGGRAPH Asia 2022 Technical Communications (Daegu, Republic of Korea) (SA ’22).
Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, Article 19, 4 pages.
https://doi.org/10.1145/3550340.3564219