[alt-photo] Re: Pt/Pd printing Video

Paul Viapiano viapiano at pacbell.net
Thu Apr 29 18:54:34 GMT 2010 

Well, I just looked at the B&S site to check on the cost of pt/pd. Platinum 
solution is now $800 for 100ml while palladium is $189 for the same amount. 
I believe Stan Klimek uses 1:5 platinum to palladium as described in the 
Arentz appendix.

Sure these prices are ridiculous (I won't ever scoff at gas prices again, or 
Epson ink!) but amortized out don't seem preposterous to someone who is 
selling prints. If you use .5ml of pt and 2.5ml of pd to make a large print, 
your total cost of chemicals is in the $8-9 area. Add paper, OHP, dev and 
clearing chems and you could be up at $15, then add your time, PLUS the fact 
that you are selling art, not your physical labor. No one ever asks a 
painter how long it took them to paint a piece and judged it's worth by 
that.

Diana, I find that most people not educated in photo or other art processes 
just go for the image regardless of process. It's the picture factor, and 
could be the reason for the "Hell, I can do that" attitude of many when 
looking at photographs.

The funny thing is, the labor and time involved not to mention the hours and 
years of study and costly experimenting is so taken as a given among 
darkroom and alt process practitioners, yet it is this expertise in BOTH 
process and your personal artistic vision, the photograph itself, that comes 
into play when valuing a piece.

When describing my process to a lay person, they look at me with this 
expression of incredulity and pity, as if to say "You poor person, don't you 
know there are digital cameras that can do that in the blink of an eye?" 
until they start to get it and see and feel what I'm going for. Then, of 
course, the illusion is broken again when I say, "...but first you have to 
cut the paper, and soak it in a bath and let it dry, etc.." and their eyes 
glaze all over again ;-)

Paul



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Diana Bloomfield" <dhbloomfield at bellsouth.net>
To: "The alternative photographic processes mailing list" 
<alt-photo-process-list at lists.altphotolist.org>
Sent: Thursday, April 29, 2010 11:06 AM
Subject: [alt-photo] Re: Pt/Pd printing Video


> Well, I think beginners probably should shy away from the process.  I  do 
> think pt/pd is an inordinately expensive process, and not all that 
> satisfying, really (for me, anyway).  I stopped platinum printing, for 
> the most part, because I never felt I could raise my prices enough to 
> offset the costs, or to make it worth my while.  I also found most  people 
> (unless knowledgeable photographers or collectors) didn't  really care 
> about whether something was a platinum print or not, and  had no idea what 
> you were talking about when you said it was a  platinum print.  You can 
> educate people, of course, but in the end--  honestly-- I don't think 
> anybody much cares. I've printed some of my  same images in other 
> processes, and no one was ever put off that it  wasn't a platinum print. 
> Maybe it was my printing ability (or lack  of?), but I think people mostly 
> appreciated the other processes more.   It really is expensive, and heaven 
> forbid if you're prone to making  mistakes.  Not that I am, of course, but 
> I have heard that people do-- 
> you know-- make mistakes.
>
> Diana
>
>
> On Apr 29, 2010, at 1:53 PM, Jeremy Moore wrote:
>
>> Eric,
>>
>> The problem is the way he brings it up in the video it sounds like the
>> cost in materials to print one 11"x14" pt/pd print is $150. We're just
>> spitballing that maybe this cost is printing for others. Hearing a
>> figure like this makes beginners shy away from the process.
>>
>> -Jeremy-
>>
>> On Thu, Apr 29, 2010 at 10:30 AM, EJ Photo <ejnphoto at sbcglobal.net> 
>> wrote:
>>> Well, OK so you are trying to hold the guys feet to the fire when  he is 
>>> cost
>>> estimating an 11x14. The cost of a simple 11x14 will be a be variable
>>> depending on how you buy your paper, chemicals, pay for your power, 
>>> etc.
>>>
>>> He may have been giving one , just a ball park figure to spend on 
>>> negative,
>>> through to finished print.
>>>
>>> As for an hourly rate for printing, commercial photographers charge  a 
>>> good
>>> deal more than $50/hr. The skill set to be a high end printer is  every 
>>> bit
>>> as respectable as a shooter. As what ever you can work out to is  OK. 
>>> The
>>> work will speak for itself.  $150 for an 11x14 platinum may seem  like a 
>>> lot
>>> to you , but as a cost item, less than what I charge to make one.
>>>
>>>
>>> Eric Neilsen
>>> Eric Neilsen Photography
>>> 4101 Commerce Street, Suite 9
>>> Dallas, TX 75226
>>>
>>> www.ericneilsenphotography.com
>>> skype me with ejprinter
>>> www.ericneilsenphotography.com/forum1
>>> Let's Talk Photography
>>>
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: alt-photo-process-list-bounces at lists.altphotolist.org
>>> [mailto:alt-photo-process-list-bounces at lists.altphotolist.org] On 
>>> Behalf Of
>>> Jeremy Moore
>>> Sent: Thursday, April 29, 2010 9:33 AM
>>> To: The alternative photographic processes mailing list
>>> Subject: [alt-photo] Re: Pt/Pd printing Video
>>>
>>> I definitely understand costing out that high to print for others,  but
>>> he mentions this in an instructional-esque video and doesn't qualify
>>> it at all.
>>>
>>> -Jeremy-
>>>
>>> On Thu, Apr 29, 2010 at 8:42 AM, Diana Bloomfield
>>> <dhbloomfield at bellsouth.net> wrote:
>>>> I agree, Loris.  I just happen to know a couple of people who 
>>>> consistently
>>>> do some printing for others (again, not platinum printing), and 
>>>> knowing
>>> what
>>>> their material costs are for what they do, I know they charge more 
>>>> than
>>>> $50/hour, though they may not tell the client the cost per hour,  or 
>>>> break
>>> it
>>>> down that way for them.  People are better off, all the way  around, 
>>>> doing
>>>> their own printing-- if that's at all possible for them-- but  that's 
>>>> just
>>> my
>>>> thought.  I've done some printing for people before, and I did  charge 
>>>> a
>>>> lot-- mainly because I felt it was a somewhat thankless job and it  was 
>>>> my
>>>> time--  but how much people are willing to pay for someone else to 
>>>> print
>>>> their work is always surprising to me. If the demand is there, you  may 
>>>> as
>>>> well charge what you can get (law of supply and demand).  I always 
>>>> think
>>>> about how much my dentist charges (which seems outrageous to me),  and 
>>>> I
>>>> figure I'm as good at what I do as he is at what he does-- you  know, 
>>>> maybe
>>>> even better-- though I do have a few crowns that look really  good.  Of
>>>> course, they should.  They cost me a small fortune.
>>>>
>>>> Diana
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Alt-photo-process-list | http://altphotolist.org/listinfo
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Alt-photo-process-list | http://altphotolist.org/listinfo
>>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Alt-photo-process-list | http://altphotolist.org/listinfo
>
> _______________________________________________
> Alt-photo-process-list | http://altphotolist.org/listinfo

More information about the Alt-photo-process-list mailing list