I'm eager to give it a try, but I'd like to know the pitfalls beforehand.
I'm drawn to this because the organic process, tonality, permanence, uniqueness, working in the light and the use of different paper surfaces. At the very least, the light table I plan to build can be used for Azo printing, so even if I don't like the process I'll get something out of it.
But who out there has given it a whirl and found it too expensive, too complicated, too cumbersome, too time-consuming, ad nauseum?
As a novice to Pt/Pd I have been surprised at the number of variables which affect the outcome, and how long one can spend in their exploration. Every change in paper, chemicals, and processing can an effect on the image. If you have previously stuck to a simple selection of materials, this may surprise you too. I suggest that you find a teacher whose images you like, and learn those methods. From there, you have a base for further exploration.
All things being equal, Pt/Pd images tend to be "softer" than those produced with silver or inkjet methods. Many of the most remarkable Pt/Pd images take advantage of that inherent tendancy. On the other had, the "dreamy" look doesn't always suit the subject - unless all you shoot are nude blondes dressed in pale linen - which may or may not be a problem :-)
Lately I have been exploring archival methods to coat Pt/Pd prints, to give them a greater dynamic range, and am finally getting final prints that look about the same after drying, as when wet. I intend to share my results here when I am through.
you may want to look into Ziatype prints www.bostick-sullivan.com/ziatype.htm . It's a printing out process that doesn't require developing, and is very easy to control.
Ken, i'd be very interested in the method. I love the look of the platinum print as it comes out of the water!
jim
I've never understood the fascination with platinum prints. They just look blah and old-fashioned to me. The best example I know of for comparison is George Tice's "Oak Tree." He prints it both ways, and it looks better to me on gelatin/silver. The two Westons and Paul Strand converted to silver prints when prepared platinum paper began to be difficult to get, and they all decided they preferred the silver. And in a very few years, they will both be suplanted by inkjet (or some other digital process) .
Wilhelm (Sarasota)
well, i think the process is cool, and i like it in a lot of ways, but i don't like it for my own work. whether or not it's right for your work is something you need to consider seriously for yourself. i think this is consideration needs to come before worrying about how convenient the process is.
with this in mind, i think it's good to get away from the idea that pt/pd is some kind of inherently superior process ... it's one process among many, and it has a particular look and set of qualities that will make it uniquely well suited for certain kinds of work and completely unsuited for others.
there's one pitfall with platnium that i'd urge people to be aware of ... i've seen quite a few bodies of work that were gorgeously, luxuriously printed in pt/pd but that were completely vacant in terms of vision. of course, work with this kind of failing can be done with any process, but there's something about processes that have a particularly assertive look that can blind people to it. people sometimes use processes with distinctive looks as a crutch to prop up weak vision. my feeling is that if your process is distinctive or assertive looking, it actually ADDS to your responsibility to make an image that strongly justifies itself. Otherwise, viewers walk away with a strong impression of your process's look, but can't remember a single image.
this was my impression at the AIPAD show about 5 years ago, when gorgeous looking porrfolios of pd/pd were everywhere. it's also my impression of much of the dianna camera work i see, and of much work done in cyanotype, daguerrotype, or with ultra wide lenses. i remember the "look," but not the work.
as far as convenience, this is an isssue if you feel the speed of working will get in the way of your creative vision. if it slows you down to the point of discouraging experimentation and playfulness, than it might not be right for you.
it's not too hard to try it out. you can get all the materials in whatever quantities you want, and you don't need much besides a contact printing frame to get started. don't expect to master it overnight though!
i don't know why platinum will be surplanted. i coat my own paper, i print my own negatives (digitally). I can mix my own chemistry if necessary... And as far as aesthetic goes.. it's a personal thing.. some like it, some don't... pretty much the same as anything.
Personally, i like the depth of the image more than the inkjet prints, and it depends on the image whether i like it on silver or platinum
jim
one word ....midtones
As a teenager in the 1950's I fell hopelessly head over heels in love with a brand new British racing green MG-TD sports car. It was even prettier than girls. Made me cry, just to look at it in the showroom.
I still long for an MG-TD that I can fully restore and drive through the country, to an Edwardian meadow picnic of tea and watercress sandwiches, on a mild summer afternoon. Or toodle through a small college town, waving at girls wearing Argyle knee socks and pleated wool skirts, riding traditional bicycles with wicker baskets.
But those fool English machines absolutely won’t start on a cold morning, the side curtains leak, that A40 engine with the Weber carbs needs a complete overhaul about every ten miles, the Lucas ignition system with cloth insulation shorts to ground during every rain storm, they are probably even less crash-worthy than a motorcycle, and parts are impossible to obtain.
On the other hand, the new Ford Fusion, identical with all other new models from all the other manufacturers, looks like a jellybean. Nobody can tell them apart. Yawn.
But they bristle with airbags and crash zones. The engine will start every morning, never get stuck in snow, stop on a dime, and run with zero maintenance (except an infrequent oil change) for decades. And there is a Ford dealer around here on almost every street corner. It’s a no-brainer for safety and dependability.
Alternative processes are kind of like that MG-TD, for me. Really, really nice, but a big-time pain to work with.
Silver represents the mass-produced technical pinnacle of what the boys at Kodak, Ilford, et all, have been able to achieve during the 20th Century. Good image quality, efficient, repeatable. No sweat.
Only thing is, silver doesn’t satisfy the old pictorial adage that the less a photograph looks like a photograph, and the more it looks like a painting or pencil sketch, the better it is. ;0)
Ziatype is a printing-out method, rather than a developing-out method, but both require chemical processing.
I thought Pt/Pd printing was just a color you added to an image in photoshop. Just like sepia.
Just kidding... not trying to get anthing started.
-Rob
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