Going platinum

I have never been a great fan of so-called 'alternative processes' in photography.  The work  of all those photographers who dabbled in salt prints, bromoils, cyanotype, gum bichromate etc. etc. never interested me. I was never keen on the actual photographs these people made and those processes always appeared to be an attempt to disguise the fact they they were photographs. I suppose in a way I am a wee bit of a purist about the photographic image. I like photographs to look like photographs. 

Having said that, there are two other processes, apart from the traditional silver / gelatin print for black and white or chromogenic print for colour that I do love. 

Francis Bedford, Aberystwyth, The Parade and Beach, 1860's

I have a couple of beautiful prints by Francis Bedford. They date from the 1860's and are views of Wales. They are both gold-toned albumen prints and are still in near perfect condition, a testament to his processing, (or his assistants) at the time and the efficacy of gold-toning. They are contact prints, full of detail and have a lovely dull sheen to the surface.

The albumen printing process introduced by Blanquart-Everard in 1850 came about at the same time as negative making improved and the rendition of fine detail. In particular the introduction of the wet collodion process by Frederick Scott-Archer. The combination of a contact print made on albumen paper from a wet plate negative still has a beauty and charm that is hard to beat today.

My second love is for platinum prints. In many ways I suppose for the same reason. Its rendition of detail and surface lustre is lovely. With platinum you also have the extra bonus of a longer tonal scale. They are also almost always contact prints from the original negatives as it is a printing-out process. 

Cader Idris, platinum print

This is one process that I have used myself, in just one body of work some years ago I made a limited edition of ten platinum prints as a part of it. When I was making the 'Cader Idris' work I noticed that there was one part of the mountain that most walkers raced past without really noticing in the race to 'get to the top'. I determined to make some work around this short stretch in a way that would engage the viewer to observe it a little more closely. I also wrote a 'haiku' for each of the photographs that was included with the portfolio.

Cader Idris, platinum print

Reproductions never quite do justice to the quality of originals of course and is probably one of the reasons I encourage people to visit museums and galleries to see originals. Many public collections also have print rooms where you can handle the originals and examine them without the intrusion of frame and glass. Nothing beats it. 

'Cader Idris' platinum portfolio

'Cader Idris' platinum portfolio

If I wasn't so busy with other projects at the moment I would pick up this process again. It's one that needs a setting aside of plenty of time so will be something for the future.