Platinum/Palladium Printing Masterclass

A well-crafted platinum/palladium print is an object of extraordinary beauty, with a wide tonal scale that spans delicate, luminous highlights, silvery midtones, and rich, velvety shadows. It is this beauty, the prints’ exceptional archival stability, and the intrinsic value of the noble metals used, that makes platinum/palladium prints the most highly prized of all photographic processes.

This workshop offers a hands-on opportunity to explore this classic nineteenth-century printing technique in depth, with no prior experience necessary. Topics covered include calibrating and making inkjet negatives, sensitising the paper, and the exposure, processing and treatment of the print.

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

• Make digital 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