In the fall of 2014 I took part in an undergraduate research project at McHenry County College in Crystal Lake, IL. The project was sponsored by the school and and generously coached by my instructor and mentor, Andrew Doak.

A series of ten prints on fine art paper made in platinum and palladium resulted. The following is an edited collection of excerpts from documents, notes, data and images I collected in the process.
This account discusses the printing process, not exposing or developing film. I used existing negatives that were not developed specifically for pt/pd printing. I’ll write a post about making negatives for pt/pd, including the use of PMK Pyro developer.
The Application
Research Interests: Exploration of alternative process photographic printing.
Antique photographic processes dating back to the nineteenth century are enjoying wide interest among contemporary artists. One of these is the platinum/palladium process which can render a particularly beautiful print when skillfully performed.
Platinum prints require a negative image on transparent film to be placed in direct contact with a sensitized medium, then exposed to an UV light source. In the past, negatives were produced in a large format camera. Now, negatives can be created digitally, making new options available to the artist.
I would like to research both the digitally enhanced and traditional processes, produce a portfolio of prints, compare the results and document my observations.
Academic Aspirations: Continue on my path as a lifelong learner. Take a leadership role inspiring younger students to take an interest in traditional photographic artistry.
Career Goals: Although I don’t expect to pursue a career dedicated to photography, I am an active contributor to commercial creative pursuits that include graphic elements. This program would add depth to my understanding of 2D visual design.
Background Influences: In 2005 I began building contact printing frames, a tool that is useful in the production of photographic prints, especially those using the “alternative processes”. I design and build frames that are respected and admired by artists all over the world. As a result, I enjoy relationships with many accomplished practitioners in the field. I’m proud to say I’ve made a small contribution to keeping, and passing along these unique skills.
Background
On advice of my mentor, I decided to employ The Platino-Palladiotype Process developed by Mike Ware and Pradip Malde.
A bill of materials submitted for the Malde-Ware platinum printing process chosen for my undergraduate research scholar program project. The BOM was compiled from several sources before the work began. Only items marked with an asterisk were actually used.
QTY | U/M | DESCRIPTION | SOURCE | CAT# |
4 | each | Amber glass storage bottles, 50cc* | McMaster-Carr | 6120T81 |
1 | each | Graduated cylinder, 50ml | McMaster-Carr | 4436T33 |
1 | each | Graduated cylinder, 100ml | McMaster-Carr | 4436T34 |
1 | each | Graduatedd cylinder, 1000ml | McMaster-Carr | 4436T37 |
100 | each | Coffee stiring stick | Grocery store | |
1 | pkg | Disposable nitrile gloves, medium | McMaster-Carr | 52555T44 |
4 | each | Processing trays, 11×14* | B&H | PAT1216R |
1 | pkg 100 | 1 Oz medicine cups, disposable | Amazon | B000LX35SA |
2 | each | Glass rod, puddle pusher* | Photographer’s formulary | 07-0270-0 |
0 | each | UV safety glasses* | Amazon | |
1 | each | Hygrometer* | McMaster-Carr | 39175K23 |
1 | each | Scale, 0.1g accuracy* | Amazon | B00IZ1YHZK |
1 | pkg 10 | Syringe, 2cc* | Amazon | B000FMYDLU |
1 | each | Contact printing frame, 11×14* | ||
1 | each | KMR-03 Surface Gampi White roll | Hiromi Paper | 338 |
25 | each | Wyndstone Vellum # 165 243 (25″ x 38″) | Sam Flax | # 165 243 |
25 | each | BFK Rives | Dick Blick | 10419-1032 |
25 | each | Arches Aquarelle* | Dick Blick | 10011-1042 |
1 | each | Pictorico Ultra Premium Matte (17″x66″ Roll) | B&H | |
1 | each | Ammonium iron (III) oxalate, 100g bottle* | Photographer’s formulary | 10-0502 100G |
5 | g | Ammonium tetrachloroplatinate (II)* | J&J Materials | |
5 | g | Ammonium tetrachloropallidate (II)* | J&J Materials | |
1 | each | Tween 20, 30ml 100%* | Photographer’s formulary | 10-1478 30ML |
1 | each | Disodium EDTA, 1 lb bottle* | Photographer’s formulary | 10-0490 100G |
1 | each | Tetrasodium EDTA, 1 lb bottle* | Photographer’s formulary | 10-0495 1LB |
5 | gal | Hypo clearing agent* | B&H, etc | |
1 | each | Pyro Max Developer | Bostick & Sullivan | SKU1015 |
* These items were used for the project
Coming Next Darkroom setup
I would love to see the updates to this project.