Christina Z. Anderson - Advisory Board of Photographic Professionals

Christina is an assistant professor of photography at Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana. Her specialties are experimental and alternative processes. She received her undergraduate degrees in French from the University of Minnesota, painting and photography from Montana State University, and an MFA in photography from Clemson University. She has written three books--The Experimental Photography Workbook, Tutti Nudi, Reflections on the Reemergence of the Nude during the Italian Renaissance, and Alternative Processes, Condensed: A Manual of Gum Dichromate and Other Contact Printing Processes. In the works is a book devoted solely to gum printing.

Website

To see Christina's work, visit CZAphotography.com.

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Ask the Expert Question/Answer

QUESTION:

Hi, Is it neccessary to wear some sort of mask while doing your alternative processes? My dark room does not have very good ventilation unless I leave the door open. Then that lets all the dark out. Alvin

Ms. Anderson Answer:

I do not wear a mask and all my alt work is done in regular room light with a ceiling light fixture. This does not apply to experimental processes done in a normal BW darkroom. ...full answer

QUESTION:

I take pictures of hands and feet with the German Peter Mandel Kirlian camera using the Clayton activator and stabilizer. I would like to try the Arista Premium BW Chromo Activator (For Chromoskedasic Sabattier Process) Model# 10945. What do you think? Anyu recommendations? Do I also need the Arista stablizer or can I use the Clayton stabilizer? If using the Clayton brand do I need to dilute it? How does the smell of Arista compare with the smell of the Clayton product? I take pictures in one of the rooms of my office. Is one brand more toxic than the other? -Tais

Ms. Anderson Answer:

Dear Tais, My recipe for using the new Activator and Stabilizer that Freestyle sells is about a 20 mixture of each, but this is something you should play around with as I have used dilutions of 10 as well as full strength. My working methods as w...full answer

QUESTION:

Hi Christina, Do you happen to know the shelf life of ferric ammonium citrate? -Smith

Ms. Anderson Answer:

Ferric Ammonium Citrate has shelf life that I know of; Someone just said they used 25 yr old stuff and it was as good as new! ...full answer

QUESTION:

Hi Christina, I am working on a camera-less photo project. I need to expose a large - 8' x 6' sheet of non-photographic paper to the sun during the very early morning hours (5:30am-8:30am). I need to coat this paper with some sort of emulsion or light sensative chemical. The catch is that the final image must be Black and White- so I cant use Van dyke or Cyanotype. I will be cutting a paper template to put over the paper so only certain areas are exposed to the sun. Can you recommend a user friendly process that doesn't involve much experience and is relatively inexpensive? Thanks so much for your speedy response (i need to figure this out soon as its in conjunction with the coming Solar Eclipse on August 1st). Luke

Ms. Anderson Answer:

Hi Luke, You could certainly do salt printing or POP (Printing Out Paper) http://www.freestylephoto.biz/sc_prod.php?cat_id=102&pid=1000001057 but the color will be reddish brown. It does use silver nitrate, though, so it is technically a s...full answer

QUESTION:

Hello Christina, I am a photography student at Pasadena City College in beautiful Southern California and I had a experimental photography question I thought a pro might answer! I am working with liquid light and I can't seem to stick the liquid light to wood. I sanded it and I coated it with glossy polyurethane varnish and it does not seem to work. Do you have any methods i could use to help me with this or should I just switch to a different surface altogether? Your help is surely appreciated! Sincerly, Daniel

Ms. Anderson Answer:

Hi Daniel, A glossy polyeurethane varnish should be just fine for a sub. However, you probably need to add a hardener such as Black Magic Hardener to the liquid emulsion. Sanding also helps. Try the hardener, but in general, wood is tricky as a...full answer

QUESTION:

Hi, I am taking my first photo class at our local college - I LOVE IT! I will be teaching a Kids Artfest this summer, for 1 week. I would like them to build pinhole cameras, but I have no way to develop after. I am now experimenting with Sunprint in the pinhole. Any other ideas? Has anyone tried this? Any other projects for prints that are doable to excite these youngsters? Also does "sunprint" come in a liquid form that could be used on other surfaces, like t-shirts? Thanks so much, Kate M.

Ms. Anderson Answer:

Kate, Cyanotype is a wonderful thing to teach a class of young kids. Non toxic and easy. There is a liquid that you can soak paper or even fabric in, and it might be either the Ware's formula cyanotype or the traditional cyanotype solution. Ex...full answer

QUESTION:

Dear Christina, To print photos on ceramic tiles I have ordered Ag-plus emulsion which I plan to tone with CE-1 toner then fire. My questions are: 1. Do I need to glaze and fire the tiles first? 2. If so, what cone should the glaze be capable of firing to so that it will withstand the second firing with the toned emulsion? 3. Do I need to prepare the glazed surface with gelatin before putting the emulsion on the tiles? Thanks, Robyn

Ms. Anderson Answer:

Hi Robyn, I am not a ceramist, therefore not an expert on your question, but I have not heard of firing tiles coated with liquid emulsion. I know that photographic images have been placed on ceramics with dichromated processes, but not liquid emu...full answer