Because owning photographs is cool

Platinum and palladium print sale

Selling non-editioned artist proofs from my private files

Sale Ends 11/30/22

About the sale

This month I am selling a few artist proofs of my platinum and palladium prints. These prints are the proofs from right before I started the edition. These last proofs are very close to the final prints and match in nearly every way. 

Most of the prints are from 8×10 film negatives, but a few prints are made from a digital negative. Information about the negative used in the print are found in the prints details in the description. I normally sell my prints in an escalating edition, meaning the price increases with each numbered print sold. My platinum images in this size typically start at $1200 each, but I am selling these copies for $300 with no escalator.

There are a very limited number of these proofs (1-2 prints), and when the proof(s) are gone, they’re gone. The images are all signed and are noted with an AP rather than an edition number on the lower left corner of the print. Prints are sold as loose without frames or mats and can be shipped anywhere. The buyer is responsible for shipping and applicable taxes.

This is a great chance to add a platinum/palladium print to your collection.

There is a flat shipping rate of $25 within the continental to the USA.

If outside of the USA, please contact me to discuss the shipping cost. 

 

About platinum and palladium printing

Platinum printing (platinotype) is one of the oldest and most archival photographic printing processes due to the relative stability of noble metals. Prints, with proper care, can last hundreds of years. The process of printing in platinum results in a long-scaled print with warm, rich blacks, subtle tones, and delicate highlights. These images have beautiful luminosity and a visual depth, unlike other processes.

At one point in the late 1800s, platinum printing was one of the dominant printing options available for photographers. Even Kodak produced a line of platinum papers in the early 20th century. However, the cost of platinum skyrocketed over the years, and by the time WWI started, nearly all platinum was used for wartime efforts, significantly reducing the supply. The process was used less as silver gelatin prints became the predominant form of the medium.

 

Printing on platinum requires the photographer to print via contact methods, meaning the negative must be the size of the final print. Since the negative must be the size of the final print since no enlarging can occur, for most of the history of photography, if you wanted a big platinum print, you needed a big camera. Today we can work with modern digital workflows to create alternative processed prints from digital files, but they still require contact printing and result in a truly amazing image.

A light-sensitive emulsion is hand coated onto a piece of paper to make the image. The negative is then placed onto that coated surface and exposed to UV light. Once the exposure is complete, the image is developed and processed. This hand coating processing means that each image is unique as subtle nuances in the coating process are reflected in the final print. Many printers will leave the brush-marked edges of the image intact, while others might mask them for a more clean and modern aesthetic.