"The Photographer" ~ Gum over Palladium Print

The first of the two new gum over palladium prints is finished, ready to be seen. The second will get a clearing tomorrow, then be ready for viewing. Each new print brings a different challenge, as each image to be printed has to be printed in such a way as to work with the elements of the image, holding all the tonalities to their desired depth without altering the other tonalities in the process. That demands correct print time, float time, water temperature, as well as amount of color added to the gum, how thickly applied, all over or locally and other subtle variables that add up to the finished image. If it matches what was forefront in the printers pre-visualization, all is good. If not, well there are some remedies, just not best explained here.

I printed the palladium image to be just at the break of where the light quality illuminates the image, leaving the print brilliance intact. I am not a fan of overprinted, dark imagery, unless it is the mood to be set for the scene. The area front and center of this print image is the subject's skin tones, pretty much the brightest tonality in the print. Keeping those skin tones just below zone 7, into zone 6 but bright, was the focus. This image was captured on a bright day, with north light quality, being an bright, overcast day in Eugene, Oregon. Hence the brilliant skin tones. The developer used for this shot was Beutler 105; 1:10 ~ 8 minutes: ISO 125, set at ISO 64.

Perhaps I will be taken to task for the overall color of the subject's skin tones, as they seem just a slight bit yellowed. Perhaps it's my crappy color acuity. As I mentioned, there are means of reducing dried gum when it is absolutely necessary. Dicey work though.

Gum over Palladium Print
"The Photographer" ~ 8x10 ~ Unique
Eugene, Oregon 1984