Platinum/Palladium Printing Workshop

Developed first in the 1860s and 1870s, Platinum-Palladium printing became very popular with fine art printers because of its very delicate highlights and mid-tones and was used extensively until prices rose dramatically during the First World War, making the process too expensive. Platinum printing is held to be the aristocrat of the early photographic processes. It has been practiced by many of the famous fine-art photographers including Frederick Evans, Paul Strand, Imogen Cunningham, Edward Weston, Ansel Adams, Richard Avedon, and Irving Penn. 

The image is composed of very finely divided platinum and palladium metals that are very stable and resistant to environmental degradation. As with the other alternative printing processes, art paper is coated with photo-sensitive chemical solutions and, when dry, the paper is exposed under a negative to UV light, before being developed and processed. 

This workshop offers a hands-on opportunity to explore this classic printing technique. No prior experience is necessary. The topics covered include: the preparation of film and inkjet negatives, the preparation of the sensitised paper, and the exposure, processing and treatment of the print.

By the end of the workshop, participants should be able to:

• Make negatives suitable for platinum/ palladium printing

• Mix and coat platinum/palladium solutions on appropriate paper substrate, using brush and glass rod techniques

• Expose, develop, clear and dry at least three platinum/palladium prints