Platinum prints from digital negatives

[stawastawa]

lovely prints! very rich and expressive.

Would you share some of what makes the process "safe".
My understanding is working with pt/pd is fairly toxic, especially as you use additives for exposure control.

[Michael Lloyd]

lovely prints! very rich and expressive.

Would you share some of what makes the process "safe".
My understanding is working with pt/pd is fairly toxic, especially as you use additives for exposure control.

Thank you,

As you wrote, "safe" does need to be in quotes. Safer is probably a better way to term it. For instance, the developer wasn't heated. Patrick Alt (and probably many others) used a Bunn coffee warmer to heat the Ferric Oxalate developer to promote higher contrast as I understand it. In an unventilated space that could cause problems. He also used muriatic acid in his first two clearing baths. We used water. Then hypo clear. Then water. We didn't dry the prints with a hair dryer. They were air dried. It's little things and having the understanding that the metals and developer have to be used and stored properly.

One of the guys in the workshop had no idea about the process. He was a digital and film photographer that had no inkling of what the darkroom was about. Or in our case dimly lit room. On the first day he wanted to know which Epson paper we were going to use. I'm not making fun of him in the least bit, he ended up making some gorgeous prints and I'm confident that he didn't contaminate himself in any way. It was an education about the process of how to make a platinum print as safe as it can be done.

[stawastawa]

Thanks michael,
I have never worked with PT/PD before but am interested. I assume that in mixing and working with coating the emulsion has a smell to it, is that so?

Thank you,

As you wrote, "safe" does need to be in quotes. Safer is probably a better way to term it. For instance, the developer wasn't heated. Patrick Alt (and probably many others) used a Bunn coffee warmer to heat the Ferric Oxalate developer to promote higher contrast as I understand it. In an unventilated space that could cause problems. He also used muriatic acid in his first two clearing baths. We used water. Then hypo clear. Then water. We didn't dry the prints with a hair dryer. They were air dried. It's little things and having the understanding that the metals and developer have to be used and stored properly.

One of the guys in the workshop had no idea about the process. He was a digital and film photographer that had no inkling of what the darkroom was about. Or in our case dimly lit room. On the first day he wanted to know which Epson paper we were going to use. I'm not making fun of him in the least bit, he ended up making some gorgeous prints and I'm confident that he didn't contaminate himself in any way. It was an education about the process of how to make a platinum print as safe as it can be done.

[Michael Lloyd]

Thanks michael,
I have never worked with PT/PD before but am interested. I assume that in mixing and working with coating the emulsion has a smell to it, is that so?

I don't have a recollection of anything that smelled, good or bad. It's a very relaxing process once you learn it

The Pt and Pd are premixed. If you were to mix them yourselves you would probably need all kinds of permits. Separately they are very bad (I'm told).

Contrast agent, Fe #1 in our case, came as a powder in a bottle. Add warm distilled water and shake, and shake, and shake... it doesn't dissolve easily.

Tween is a surfactant and it comes premixed. I doubt if it would be hard to make but I don't know for sure what's in it.

Developer, Potassium Oxalate, comes as powder. Mine came in 1L jugs. I also have a 1000g bulk container but the 1L jugs will last me quite a while. It doesn't go "bad" you just keep adding to it. To make it, I just added warm distilled water and shook it a little. Coating paper and developing were both great experiences.

Here's a link to #1 of 3 YouTube videos (watch all three) -



Bear in mind that the PiezoDN system is a digital negative creating system that is not constrained to just making Pt/Pd prints. It's a system for refining negative quality for use in alternative processes. You can scan your film negative, edit it, and then recreate the negative (larger or smaller than the original) with the PiezoDN system. They are working on a silver negative process.

Search YouTube for- Platinum printing on Tosa Washi Platinum Paper (Japanese Tissue)
The man has skills...

[Vaughn]

I am surprised that Potassium oxalate was the chosen developer for a 'safe' methodology. Ammonium citrate would have been a far superior developer in that situation. The process itself is neither safe or unsafe...that is more dependent on one's working methods. Silver gelatin printing is safe unless your methodology for some strange reason includes drinking the selenium toner or bathing in the Potassium cyanide. I have asthma now because I was using an unsafe method (blow-drier) of drying the pt/pd coated paper without any protection for my lungs (mask, etc). I now air dry with a fan for a safety and for a superior print.

The platinum and palladium solutions can be bought as liquid or as a powder. Very few workers make these from scratch. B&S sell it in both forms (the powder for is mostly for shipping overseas) and they make a very good product...very consistent and their Ferric oxalate has an excellent life-span.

Tween is optional...I have never used it in the 19 years I have been making pt/pd prints. But I might pick up some as I think it might be helpful for a new (for me) way of coating that I am working with.

[Michael Lloyd]

One of the class participants tried Ammonium citrate on one of his portraits. I didn't like the result. Of course everything can be tweaked but I thought it lacked contrast. If I was printing a snowscape I might consider it.

"The process itself is neither safe or unsafe". Agreed. The workshop was about the chemistry and how to minimize exposure to oneself and the environment. I can't really speak to what is and isn't hazardous beyond what we learned in a 1 week printing class. We discussed how adding EDTA to the developer could increase the "hazard". I picked up a copy of OverExposure, Health Hazards in Photography. The author does a pretty good job of spelling out the hazards of the chemicals that are used in alternative processes.

Good point about using a blow drier.

I bought all of my supplies from Bostick and Sullivan. Unfortunately I didn't get to visit their store when I was in Santa Fe. Maybe next time.

[bob carnie]

Nice Video by Tony H- I have followed his work here in Toronto since the 70's he is a super nice guy.

[Michael Lloyd]

Nice Video by Tony H- I have followed his work here in Toronto since the 70's he is a super nice guy.

I enjoyed his subtle sense of humor. His video is what kicked me off on this adventure a few years ago...

[bob carnie]

Tony is a very fun guy to be around, he is extremely gracious with everyone he meets. He is the only photographer that I am aware of in the Toronto GTA
who has carved out an excellent portrait business where silver gelatin and Pt Pd prints are what you get when booking him. He is coveted by the carriage trade that understands not
only quality but archival property's of the finished prints.
I look to his career as one that exemplifies the very best commercial photography in the portrait field, his work will be around for centuries and while thousands of other photographers
work is quite compelling , all of Tony's work will last and be a permanent record of Toronto People. He will definitely see the National Archives of Canada wanting his negatives and prints.

You couldn't have started off your adventure with a better person.

I enjoyed his subtle sense of humor. His video is what kicked me off on this adventure a few years ago...

[Willie]

Maybe the video is good. I can't tell. Sound bouncing around makes it impossible for less than stellar hearing ability to understand what is being said.