Platinum/Palladium prints

dan_ · Expire: 2016-12-19

The time has come for me to step ahead in my Alternative Photography journey. After 2 years of experience with cheaper processes I decided to start printing in Platinum and Palladium, the most exquisite (and expensive) photographic printing processes. I started with Palladium because itâ€™s cheaper than Platinum. But, at 150â‚¬ for 30ml of sensitizer, it's still quite expensive.
The Platinum, Palladium and Gold prints are the most archival prints that can be made. The noble metals are quite inert chemically and the life of such a print is estimated at more than 1000 years. The paper is supposed to be the weaker part of such a print. Therefore in Europe and USA only 100% cotton papers with neutral PH are considered suitable for the process. Some Japanese papers are also known for their very long life and are very desirable. Some paper mills ( Bergger, Arches, Ruscombe mill and a few others) have developed special papers for Platinum and Palladium printing.
The Platinum photographic process was discovered in the first half of the 19-th Century and in the first half of the 20-th Century Platinum and Palladium sensitized papers were produced commercially (even Kodak made them) and were quite popular. The Palladium process, which is essentially the same as Platinum, with the principal exceptions of cost and color, was introduced during World War I. Gradually the Silver Gelatin process took over and the Platinum/Palladium process remained to be mastered by a minority of photography artisans.

The Platinum/Palladium printing process produces images that are among the most stable in photography, that have an extraordinarily long tonal scale and sensitivity to delicate values and that allow for a wide range of tonal and color temperature choices. In the eyes of many, it is the perfect alternative process and itâ€™s highly apreciated by the collectors.

My first attempts were pure Palladium prints made on Bergger COT320 paper. I have used a developer (Ammonium Citrate) that produces a slightly yellow-ochre tonality. Other developeing chemicals can produce different tonalities.

#1 The ancient fortress of Enisala

#2 Arches

kds315* · Expire: 2021-03-09

Fantastic Dan!! Very happy to see you stepped up!!
CONGARTULATIONS!!
Like 1

dan_ · Expire: 2016-12-19

Thank you, Klaus!

DigiChromeEd · Joined: 29 Dec 2009 Posts: 3462 Location: Northern Ireland

Superb results Dan, I love them! Like 1

chhayanat · Joined: 11 Apr 2016 Posts: 248 Location: The Cow Belt

Even had I not known that exotic materials had been used, I would have liked the result.

Like 1

dan_ · Expire: 2016-12-19

Thank you Edgar and Chhayanat!

chhayanat · Joined: 11 Apr 2016 Posts: 248 Location: The Cow Belt

kansalliskalaCafe · Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2018 6:18 am Post subject:

you shot these directly on paper with a LF camera?

dan_ · Expire: 2016-12-19

Thanks kansalliskalaCafe.

No, you start either with a film negative or with a digital image. If you use a digital image to start with you should print on a special transparency film a negative of it as large as the final Pt/Pd print and then contact-print the negative on a Pt/Pb sensitised paper under a source of UV light (the sun or an artificial UV light source). Almost all the light-sensitive chemicals used in the Alternative Processes are only sensitive to UV light and have a very low sensitivity compared to the classical argentic emulsions. No enlargers can be used - the print can only be a contact-print and it can only be the size of the negative. You can't shoot a Pt/Pd image directly on paper in a LF camera because you'll get a negative image and the exposure time will probably be in the range of a few hours.

dan_ · Expire: 2016-12-19

Having a great chemical stability the Pt/Pd process can be used in combination with other processes.
I have tested it in combination with the gum-bichromate process. In this combination a Pt/Pb print can get any tonality one wants. If the colorants of the gum print are chosen with care the result could be as archival as with the plain Pt/Pb process. The famous print of Edward Steichen "The Pond--Moonlight" that recently sold for ~3 000 000$ is such a Platinum-multi-layer-gum print.
Her is one of my tests with the combined process (the same photo as above, to be able to see the differences):

dan_ · Expire: 2016-12-19

This is an image taken with a soft focus lens - a Kodak Meniscus Achromat lens from a Vest Pocket Kodak camera made in ~1914.

Spring Flowers - Pure Palladium print on 8.5x11 Bergger COT320 paper.

kds315* · Expire: 2021-03-09

Wonderful artistic work Dan!! Congratulations!!

Like 1

DigiChromeEd · Joined: 29 Dec 2009 Posts: 3462 Location: Northern Ireland

Beautiful! Like 1

dan_ · Expire: 2016-12-19

Thank you, gentlemen!

kds315* · Expire: 2021-03-09

Looking forward to seeing more of your great work Dan,
if you would be willing to share it here Wink

Sciolist · Expire: 2021-04-16

dan_ · Expire: 2016-12-19

Thanks for the appreciation, gentlemen. Thank You Dog

spleenone · Joined: 26 Dec 2009 Posts: 1130 Location: Slovakia

Great results, very well. Looking forwards on next works.

dan_ · Expire: 2016-12-19

Thank you!
Thank You Dog

womble · Joined: 28 Sep 2009 Posts: 987 Location: Hertfordshire

I know this is the resurrection of an old thread but (a) I love the prints and (b) it was fun to see somewhere I have visited that is a bit off the beaten track.

I don't know if Dan is still active here, but I'd love to see more.

K.

Jackjones1337 · Joined: 27 Sep 2017 Posts: 12 Location: Amsterdam

Some interesting info on here, good to read and some cool shots, thanks.