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Experience one of photography’s most extraordinary printing processes. Platinum palladium printing is a rare, meticulous, and deeply tactile photographic process in which an image is coated, exposed, developed, cleared, washed, and finished entirely by hand. Because of the specialized chemistry, materials, equipment, and expertise involved, platinum palladium remains largely inaccessible to most photographers. This workshop offers a genuinely uncommon opportunity: to step into the darkroom alongside accomplished artists Wayne Martin Belger and Alanna Airitam and learn the process by actually doing it. Over five immersive days, you’ll take your own photographs from digital image to hand-crafted platinum palladium print, experiencing firsthand how light, chemistry, paper, and craftsmanship can transform a photograph into a luminous physical object.
Make the prints yourself. With Wayne guiding you through the platinum palladium process, you’ll prepare digital negatives, coat your own paper, expose your images, process them in the darkroom, and refine your results through hands-on practice. You’ll also work with Alanna on fine-art inkjet printing, giving you a valuable contemporary reference point between darkroom sessions. The groups remain small and rotate between the two disciplines so that every participant receives direct instruction and meaningful time with both artists. By the end of the week, you won’t simply understand how platinum palladium printing works—you’ll have physically made your own photographs using a process few photographers ever get to experience, and come home with handmade prints that are unmistakably yours.
Image Selection & Preparation
The process begins with choosing the right photograph. Wayne and Alanna will help you evaluate your images for platinum palladium printing and make the necessary adjustments to create a strong foundation for the final print. You’ll learn how decisions made at the digital stage influence the character and tonal range of the finished platinum print.
Digital Negative Preparation
Before entering the darkroom, you’ll learn how to prepare your photographs as digital negatives specifically for the platinum palladium process. Working through the workflow step by step, you’ll refine your files and produce completed digital negatives ready for exposure. Participants can create as many negatives as time allows, giving you the opportunity to experiment with multiple images throughout the workshop.
The Platinum Palladium Process
This is where the photograph becomes something entirely physical. Working hands-on alongside Wayne in the darkroom, you’ll learn the fundamentals of platinum palladium printing—from preparing the sensitizer and coating the paper to exposing, developing, clearing, and washing your prints. You’ll work directly with the chemistry, paper, and tools of the process, gaining an intimate understanding of the craft behind this historic and exceptionally beautiful photographic medium.
Printing & Craftsmanship
Over two full days of hands-on printing, you’ll work directly with Wayne and Alanna in small rotating groups, spending focused time with both platinum palladium and fine art inkjet printing. You’ll make your own platinum prints by hand, evaluate the results, refine your process, and experience how subtle variations in exposure, coating, chemistry, and paper affect the final image. The goal is not simply to understand platinum printing—it is to experience the process yourself and leave with physical prints that you created from start to finish.
This workshop is ideal for photographers who want to move beyond the screen and fully realize their images as fine art prints. Whether you are new to printing or looking to refine your technique, you will gain practical skills, aesthetic insight, and a deeper understanding of how to produce exhibition-quality work.
Alanna and Wayne’s workspace is located near the Downtown area of Tucson. We recommend the AC Hotel Tucson Downtown, which is about a 10-minute walk from the studio. Another good option is the Hotel Congress, which has a local historic charm. AirBnBs are also readily available in that neighborhood.
No hotel
We will mainly be working out of Wayne and Alanna’s studio off of 9th Street in Tucson. Uber, Lyft, or taxis are easily accessible, but you are certainly welcome to rent a car if you choose.
This workshop is designed to be print-focused and hands-on. The more prepared you are when you arrive, the more time you’ll spend at the printer, and the more finished prints you’ll take home.
Participants who arrive with fully processed (or close to it), print-ready files will be able to move quickly into paper testing, refinement, and final output. If you bring only RAW, unedited files, you will need to spend a significant portion of the workshop preparing and optimizing those images before they can be printed. While we will absolutely assist you with that process, it will reduce the total number of images you’re able to print.
Equally important is arriving with intention. We strongly encourage you to come with a curated selection of images you are excited to see in print. Participants who arrive without having considered which images they want to print often lose valuable time reviewing and selecting work during the workshop.
In short: Prepared files + Clear image selections = More prints and a more rewarding experience.
We’re happy to provide guidance in advance of the workshop to help you prepare your files and make the most of your time in Tucson.
