Print papers must be handcoated with an emulsion before exposure, a combination of platinum and palladium metals. Auerbach likes the simplicity of preparation. It's liberating not having to use a darkroom. You can socialize as you print. The use of the sun and contact printing is all very tactile, especially the handcoating of the paper.
Platinum prints use light as an expressive medium, generating a palette of warmly gilded textures.
Auerbach has studied light in order to translate its essence into his photographs. I understand how light needs to work with my subject. I know how to expose my negative in order to capture the light for printing in platinum. This has taken a number of years to get right. Seemingly spiritual and technical at the same time, the platinum process allows the photographer to control the nuances of light and dark in an image.