The Palladium / Platinum Print

Platinum printing (platinotype) is a photographic printing process invented by William Willis in 1873 and patented in 1878. A high-quality uncoated paper is coated by hand with a light-sensitive photographic solution consisting of platinum, palladium and iron salts using a brush. After the applied solution has dried, a negative is placed on the coated paper and exposed to an ultraviolet light source. The exposed paper is then developed in individual baths, clarified, soaked and then air-dried. As the negative lies directly on the paper, this is referred to as a contact process. This is why the image is only ever as large as the negative used.

With his Klimsch Praktika Reproduction Camera, Josef Dreisörner is one of the few photographers who creates analog negatives and thus platinum prints with a size of up to 50×60 cm (20×24 inches).

As the light-sensitive solution is applied to a matt uncoated paper, there is no glossy blackening, unlike standard black and white photo papers. The shades of black and gray are comparable to a watercolor painted in black and white. Palladium Platinum Prints are highly valued by collectors and museums, especially in the age of digital photography, due to the extensive tonal range, the fine gray gradation, the velvety surface of the paper and the unsurpassed durability.