Platinum/Palladium Printing Workshop with Keith Schreiber

Platinum/palladium printing, introduced in the late 19th century, is perhaps the most elegant of photographic printmaking processes, as well as one of the most permanent. It was one of the favorite printing processes of the pictorialist/secessionist era photographers such as Emerson, Steichen, and Stieglitz, and has enjoyed a renaissance of interest as the 20th century ends and the 21st begins.

Invented in 1873 by William Willis, the process depends on the light sensitivity of iron salts to produce an image. During development the iron is replaced by platinum and/or palladium to produce the final print. Most present practitioners use a combination of platinum and palladium. When used alone, platinum produces a cooler image color while palladium produces a warmer image color. Blending them produces an intermediate result. Whether used alone or together, platinum/palladium prints are highly valued for their great range of subtle tonal variations, producing deep rich shadows and detail filled highlights with a great degree of permanence.

In this 2½ day workshop, we will investigate the basics of this hand-coated contact printing process, including:

• – how to produce suitable negatives (digital and film)
• – choosing and handling of materials
• – coating techniques (brush and rod)
• – methods of controlling print contrast
• – methods of controlling print color
• – print presentation considerations

Materials are included for up to six (6) 8 x 10 palladium prints and one (1) 8 x 10 platinum/palladium print. Additional materials will be available for purchase, or you can bring your own platinum/palladium solutions.

Image: Keith Schreiber, Trout River Pond Gros Morne