In 1873 the first patent for the photographic impression on paper with platinum was granted to William Willis who marketed it under the name of “platinotype “. Papers with platinum and with palladium became very appreciated by a great number of photographers. Papers “platinotypes” were much in demand by the photographers of the movement pictorialist as by the Photo-Secessionists such as Pau Strand, Clarence White and Alfred Stieglitz.
In 1923, Edward Weston used the palladiotype (paper with palladium) for photographs of Mexique.
My experience with the Ziatypie made me foresee the possibilities of palladium. Generally, my interest for these techniques lies in the fact that it is about printing by contact. The image is not increased, it does not undergo any diffusion, it remains perfectly faithful to the negative. Palladium and may be more platinum guarantees a nearly perfect restitution of the values of the negative.
The image with platinum and palladium offers a distribution of the tonal range wider than in argentique. What distinguishes it among all other processes is the infinite richness of its values the high lights are of an extreme delicacy, the low lights and the blacks have an extraordinary depth. The perfectly matt and harmonious image has an incomparable presence.
Another characteristic of the noble metals is that they are of inalterability quite higher than the silver images. It is undoubtedly the photographic process which, visually, approaches the most engraving.
The print with pure platinum has a neutral black tonality. Linking at the same time the depth of the blacks and the subtlety of the high lights and distances.
The print with pure palladium has a tonality active of a hot black to brown very hot. Some prints have a coppered tonality.
The stability of the platinotype is noticeable and incomparable. The image obtained after development and clarification consist of platinum and (or) palladium metal, which are not prone to air oxidation nor with the influence of the light. These noble metals are completely inalterable, just like gold. The platinotype is the only process of which the average life is higher than that of its paper medium.
It is necessary to have a negative with exact size of final print because it is about printing by contact. The best negatives are obtained by using a photographic camera of large size : 4x5, 13x18, 20x25 or more. I use a camera 20x25 Canham. My plates are carried out on silver films HP5+, FP4+, and Bergger BPF 200. It is however possible to use negative 135 or 120. But for these film formats, it will be necessary to carry out new negative with the size of desired printing; either by silver method or by numerical method.
The development of negative is a major stage to obtain a good platinotype. The negative must have a good separation of the details in the shades and the high lights. I tested several developing baths: D76, Rodinal and PMK. For several years, I have renounced for these developing baths and I have used only Pyrocat HD. More practical to use than the PMK, it gives such a fine grain and can be even finer. The results in term of density and contrast are remarkable and are adapted perfectly to the platinotype and the palladiotype.
Paper that you will choose will have a spectacular effect on the image which you will obtain. Texture, contrast and tonality are all affected by paper. Paper 100% pure cotton is the best by far. Papers of engraving are satisfactory. The quality of the paper varies from one manufacturer to another but also from one batch to another. For coherent results, choose a negative and use it like your standard.
By using a new paper, make a print with this negative and compare it with the preceding prints which you have made with the same negative. By using this technique, you can quickly identify the quality of the paper et evaluate the quantity of significant solution necessary.
The paper which has my preference to my prints with platinum and palladium is the Crane Cover 90 lbs 100% cotton.
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