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Anthotypes: Explore the darkroom in your garden and make photographs using plants
It is possible to print photographs using nothing but juice extracted from the petals of flowers, the peel from fruits and pigments from plants. This book will show you how it is done, and expand your creative horizons with plenty of examples from artists working with anthotypes today. Anthotypes will simply make you look at plants in a whole new light. And, if that is not enough, anthotype is a totally environmentally friendly photographic process.
From Malin Fabbri
Anthotypes will make you look at plants in a whole new light. It will show you how to make photographs from the juice of flowers, fruits and plants, using a totally environmentally friendly photographic process.
Anthotype is a very delicate photographic process and an environmentally friendly way of making prints using nothing other than the photosensitive material of plants found in the garden, the flower market or in the wild. All you need to add is water, sunshine, inspiration and patience – a lot of patience!
The process is very basic and simple. Utilizing nature’s own coloring pigments from flower petals, berries, plants, vegetables or even spices, images are produced using the action of light. The natural pigment is used to create a photographic image.
What could be better? Your impact on the natural environment is virtually non-existent, and you can carry out your art with a clear conscience. Anthotyping is the ultimate environmentally friendly photo process.
From Malin Fabbri
Anthotypes will make you look at plants in a whole new light. It will show you how to make photographs from the juice of flowers, fruits and plants, using a totally environmentally friendly photographic process.
Anthotype is a very delicate photographic process and an environmentally friendly way of making prints using nothing other than the photosensitive material of plants found in the garden, the flower market or in the wild. All you need to add is water, sunshine, inspiration and patience – a lot of patience!
The process is very basic and simple. Utilizing nature’s own coloring pigments from flower petals, berries, plants, vegetables or even spices, images are produced using the action of light. The natural pigment is used to create a photographic image.
What could be better? Your impact on the natural environment is virtually non-existent, and you can carry out your art with a clear conscience. Anthotyping is the ultimate environmentally friendly photo process.
- GenresNonfictionArtPhotography
100 pages, Paperback
First published December 18, 2011
About the author
Malin Fabbri
17 books20 followersAlternativePhotography.com is all about historical photographic methods in use today. Our aim is to teach photographers using methods and processes other than digital photography. Artists can learn how to print photographs with these techniques. The website has information on many processes, galleries for inspiration and much more. The books we publish are for those who want to develop a deeper understanding on the process - or just like the feel of a book better than a webpage.
Malin Fabbri moved from Sweden to London to study. She earned an MA in Design at Central St. Martin's, but publishing her thesis felt more like a beginning than an end. Malin decided to combine her academic and practical experience and started AlternativePhotography.com in 1999. The website still maintains its origins as a source of information and research for alternative photographic processes and represents almost 400 artists. Malin actively manages the expansion of the site as editor. She researches alternative photographic processes, makes her own prints and runs workshops. Malin has also worked professionally with big media names like Time magazine and CNBC Europe. Malin is the co-author of Blueprint to cyanotypes and From pinhole to print, the editor of the alternative photography art book Alternative Photography: Art and Artists, Edition I representing 115 artists working in alternative photographic processes, and the author of Anthotypes - Explore the darkroom in your garden and make photographs using plants.
Malin Fabbri moved from Sweden to London to study. She earned an MA in Design at Central St. Martin's, but publishing her thesis felt more like a beginning than an end. Malin decided to combine her academic and practical experience and started AlternativePhotography.com in 1999. The website still maintains its origins as a source of information and research for alternative photographic processes and represents almost 400 artists. Malin actively manages the expansion of the site as editor. She researches alternative photographic processes, makes her own prints and runs workshops. Malin has also worked professionally with big media names like Time magazine and CNBC Europe. Malin is the co-author of Blueprint to cyanotypes and From pinhole to print, the editor of the alternative photography art book Alternative Photography: Art and Artists, Edition I representing 115 artists working in alternative photographic processes, and the author of Anthotypes - Explore the darkroom in your garden and make photographs using plants.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 2, 2026
I thought this was a very informative introduction to anthotypes and alternative photography (and a bit of the history of photography in general). It includes some step-by-step instructions on how to get started and then turns the reader loose to experiment. It also includes a gallery with experiments in various media from multiple artists. Each one includes the artist's process and their rating of how well it worked.
I had only a couple of minor complaints. One that probably won't bother anyone else comes from this being independently published, so I can overlook it. There are some typesetting (some odd alignments) and punctuation (frequent use of hyphens instead of m- or n-dashes) choices that probably would have been made differently if this had gone through a dedicated book publisher. The second complaint I had was that the rating system in the gallery seems quite arbitrary. Some that I think don't look great are given high ratings and ones that I think look phenomenal are given mid ratings. I know that comes from having different artists with different opinions, but I would have liked to see stronger criteria for each of the ratings.
I had only a couple of minor complaints. One that probably won't bother anyone else comes from this being independently published, so I can overlook it. There are some typesetting (some odd alignments) and punctuation (frequent use of hyphens instead of m- or n-dashes) choices that probably would have been made differently if this had gone through a dedicated book publisher. The second complaint I had was that the rating system in the gallery seems quite arbitrary. Some that I think don't look great are given high ratings and ones that I think look phenomenal are given mid ratings. I know that comes from having different artists with different opinions, but I would have liked to see stronger criteria for each of the ratings.
July 24, 2026
I would not recommend this at all. Not only is it a poorly constructed book, the writing is distracting and there is little practical instruction. Though it includes a list of possible materials to use, it feels that the author took basic information you could find for free and packaged it to be convenient, though it honestly is not. Not helpful at all.
July 7, 2026
A great comprehensive book on anthotypes with an index of plants that the author has used and experimented with, showing you the results, good and bad. A great reference to what plant materials to try out.
August 31, 2021
A great step-by-step guide through the process with numerous examples of what works and what doesn't work.
February 11, 2022
Brilliant! History and hands-on exploration of making images with plant extracts and sunlight. Many, many hours or weeks of sunlight sometimes. A little known corner of photographic history, the anthotype (flower print) provides an interesting and artistic method for making images using paper, plants and a bit of water or alcohol. The book includes many fine examples and a survey of useful and not so useful plant extracts for image making.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews