I observed eclipses and planetary transits occurring between 2012 and 2024 using a small telescope to project images of the sun onto white paper and captured the projected images using my iPhone camera. Later, I printed digital negatives using Pictorico transparent media and an ink-jet printer. I contact printed the images on hand-coated paper or fabric using a traditional cyanotype process. This involves exposing the paper and negative to direct sunlight then washing with water to remove the light-sensitive chemicals and fix the print.
The cyanotype (blueprint) process was invented by the astronomer, mathematician, and chemist William Herschel and is an appropriate technique to use for eclipse and transit photography. The intense blue color is sympathetic to the subject matter and captures my own experience of these astronomical events.
Making pictures of solar events using sunlight itself to both create and expose the final prints was a satisfying additional dimension to the work.
NEVER LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN OR THOUGH A TELESCOPE WITHOUT PROPER PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT!