Cy DeCosse - The Platinum Print
The platinum print, so valued for its long-lasting permanence, was invented by an Englishman in 1873 and continues today to be created by a small niche of fine art printers. The tonal range of grays is wider than that of the silver gelatin print and although the platinum process is both difficult and expensive, the results continue to attract photography collectors.
One of the reasons that there has been a revival in this art form is that there has been a marriage of technologies. Because the platinum print is created as a contact print, in the past the size of the negative has restricted how large a print could be made. Digital technology has changed that by allowing larger films to be created from an original negative, thus allowing for larger prints.
The image is created as a contact print on fine art paper that has been coated with a mixture of iron salts and platinum (often along with palladium) and then developed in a bath that removes the salts, leaving only the Platinum on the paper. The addition of Palladium, and the amount used, determines the final tone of the print, from cool to warm.
The Iris Gallery of Fine Art Photography
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